Mayor De Blasio Downplays Fears about Post-Election Chaos, but Some Business Owners and Residents Prepare for the Worst

Yehudit Garmaise  

    If the election results tomorrow anger a large percentage of voters, will those voters take their rage the streets? What will happen if frustrated voters, desperate to hear election outcomes, must wait days or even weeks for all the ballots, cast both by mail and at the polls, to be counted? Will chaos ensue? Many New Yorkers feel apprehensive about what may lay ahead in the coming days.

   Many stores in Manhattan, for instance, appear to be expecting the worst as they have boarded up their storefronts to protect themselves from a potential onslaught of civic unrest should the presidential election’s results anger people or take days, or even weeks, to determine.

   The NYPD has, in fact, warned that shopkeepers should take extra precautions before the election tomorrow, a police official has said.

  In Washington, DC, the administration of President Donald Trump and law enforcement agencies are so worried about the chaos that could potentially, chas v’shalom, ensue, if the president is re-elected tomorrow that federal officials building a “non-scalable” fence around the entire perimeter of The White House and its surrounding areas.

   Privately, some residents, who nervously remember the marauding in the streets over the summer, wonder whether they should stock up on food and other essential supplies in preparation for the potential the stores will become inaccessible this week, as a result of political upheaval.

  This morning at his daily press conference, Mayor Bill de Blasio addressed the public’s concerns about possible unrest.

   “Everyone is thinking [about Election Day and its aftermath,] deeply, everyone is concerned,” said the mayor, who acknowledged that the election results most likely will not be clear on Tuesday night or even on Wednesday.

   “There is no specific threat,” the mayor said, “but we are prepared for anything.”

     Although Mayor de Blasio assured reporters that the NYPD has strategies in place for possible unrest, he acknowledged that there may be those who want to “express themselves about the results.”

    “And obviously, we understand that there is a right way to express views and a wrong way to express views, and right now, we are all very troubled,” said de Blasio, which might have been heartening for those who fear protests from the left, but the mayor then immediately referenced the claims that if not re-elected, President Trump would not allow for a peaceful transfer of power.

  Although business owners and private citizens may be bracing for some chaos in the days ahead, the mayor does not seem too worried.

 “The history of this city being able to respect and accommodate peaceful protest is a very long impressive history, really, and if you really think about all of the things this city is able to manage,” said the mayor, as he referenced events, such as the 100 world leaders the city hosts every year for the UN General Assembly.

  “We are able to handle huge, huge numbers of people,” Mayor de Blasio said. “We are prepared now. This city, as always, will be good.”

   “We have had this experience before as a nation, we have had this experience before in this city,” the mayor said, as he referred to elections that took place during other times of unrest, such as the Civil War, the Great Depression, and the two World Wars.

Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office