Downtown Atlanta, where dozens of protests took place in recent months, was quiet around 8 p.m. as the country waited for news about election results Tuesday night.
Credit: Joshua Sharpe / AJC
Credit: Joshua Sharpe / AJC
Centennial Olympic Park, a popular gathering place for demonstrations, was closed, with metal barricades blocking all the entrances. In addition, the streets in the area were all but deserted. The state Capitol and Atlanta City Hall looked similar and also had barricades.
Credit: Joshua Sharpe / AJC
Credit: Joshua Sharpe / AJC
Earlier in the day, businesses across metro Atlanta were boarding up their windows in anticipation of a possible night of civil unrest.
Plywood sheets covered the entrances to a row of shops at Buckhead Station near Ga. 400, reminiscent of measures taken this summer in the midst of racial justice demonstrations and a citywide curfew. Boards were also going up at a nearby mobile phone store, an outdoor outfitter and at several entrances to Lenox Square.
Credit: JENNIFER BRETT / JENNIFER.BRETT@AJC.COM
Credit: JENNIFER BRETT / JENNIFER.BRETT@AJC.COM
Diana Hines of Dunwoody went by the Nordstrom Rack at Perimeter Mall for some “retail therapy” Tuesday morning.
“I thought maybe they went out of business,” she said, referring to all of the boarded-up windows. “No, they’re open.”
The store is one of many wrapped in plywood on Election Day.
“I’m a Christian. It’s like the apocalypse is on the way,” Hines said. “It’s just unreal.”
Credit: JENNIFER BRETT / JENNIFER.BRETT@AJC.COM
Credit: JENNIFER BRETT / JENNIFER.BRETT@AJC.COM
Plywood also covered a Ross Dress for Less store in the Edgewood retail district. BJ Nemeth of Atlanta told AJC.com it was the only business to be boarded up in the shopping center.
A Ross store near my home in Atlanta is boarded up, and at first I thought it had gone out of business.
— BJ Nemeth (@BJNemeth) November 1, 2020
Nope, it's still open for business, but it's the only store in this shopping center boarded up. (I didn't notice any civil unrest in this area back in the summer.) pic.twitter.com/gQpBeBkseU
Similar measures were being taken in downtown Atlanta, which saw the majority of destruction during the summer protests.
Casey Brewer, a contractor with Contract Builders, said his crew got the call last night to board up businesses along two blocks of Peachtree Street.
Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM
Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM
“We’re preparing for the aftermath of the election that everybody is supposing is going to happen,” Brewer said. “We hope it doesn’t.”
WATCH: Election Day 2020. Some Atlanta businesses boarding up downtown preparing for unrest- https://t.co/Qrpr1Qr6wn #Atlanta pic.twitter.com/jvCPmreNcq
— John Spink (@johnjspink) November 3, 2020
Faced with the possibility of a new round of protests, authorities were also preparing for the worst. The Department of Public Safety said it has “prevention and response measures in place for concerns of extremist violence.”
“Election time is always a heavy concern for the Department of Public Safety (DPS) and it is even more concerning during these most recent times of civil unrest around the state,” spokeswoman Franka Young said. “A primary goal of DPS is the safety of those exercising their constitutional rights, whether it be during the election process or engaging in First Amendment right activities.”
Young said she could not elaborate on specific plans for election night as it could compromise “strategic planning and the safety of troopers and officers involved.”
Neither police in Atlanta nor Gwinnett County verified any threats of planned violent activity on election night. Both agencies said they had plans in place to respond to potential disturbances, with Gwinnett pledging to increase patrols and manpower.
GCPD has prepared for Election Day tomorrow by creating a response plan aimed at making our residents feel safe and comfortable while voting. This includes increased patrols and checks of polling stations. For more information click here: https://t.co/Hr83FuOGwT pic.twitter.com/4WApmx0PhG
— Gwinnett County Police (@GwinnettPd) November 2, 2020
The Atlanta Police Department said it was monitoring any developments from its Joint Operations Center.
"If activity begins to occur, APD is prepared to respond quickly to prospective protests or illegal and violent activity, in coordination with partnering local, state and federal law enforcement officials,” Atlanta police said in a statement.
Please see our statement below regarding election security. #Election2020 #Elections2020 #elections #ElectionNight #Atlanta pic.twitter.com/iKr99aqC8T
— Atlanta Police Department (@Atlanta_Police) November 3, 2020
According to the Georgia National Guard, there are no plans to deploy additional troops to Atlanta. The guard has been augmenting efforts of state authorities since May under Gov. Brian Kemp’s emergency declaration, a spokesman for the force said.
— Staff writers Jeremy Redmon, Jennifer Brett, Joshua Sharpe and Tanni Deb contributed to this article.
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