Photos: Santa Monica, Venice Stores Board Up Before Election Day

VENICE, CA — Businesses across Santa Monica, Venice and Los Angeles County are boarding up Monday in anticipation of Election Day on Tuesday and any potential unrest.

Crews were working to board up businesses on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica, downtown and along Main Street. Several locations along Lincoln Boulevard were boarded up from Santa Monica to Venice, along with shops on Abbot Kinney.

From Target on Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica to Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, business owners and workers were securing storefronts this weekend—a move to prevent what happened on May 31. In Santa Monica, 200 businesses were damaged during a chaotic afternoon and night of looting stores and fires that badly destroyed some businesses in the downtown area.

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In Beverly Hills a rally on Saturday supporting President Donald Trump was met with counter-protesters, prompting police to declare an unlawful assembly. Thousands amassed to join the rally Saturday that was to be the last pro-Trump gathering in Beverly Hills before Election Day. Counter-protestors and those supporting the Black Lives Matter social justice movement marched up Wilshire Boulevard from their gathering point at Roxbury Park to the Trump rally.

Santa Monica police have increased police presence in the days ahead of the election and Halloween weekend. Officials want to avoid what happened in May.

"The Santa Monica Police Department places the highest priority on public safety and understands there may be concerns about the possibility of any kind of disruption during the week of our national elections," officials said. "Currently, we have no intelligence to indicate Santa Monica will be a place of unrest. However, we also know that things can change rapidly and are actively monitoring the situation."

Authorities are working with local police agencies to prepare for any unrest surrounding the election, police said.

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"The City of Santa Monica and Santa Monica Police Department have plans in place that include a robust staffing model and have coordinated with the Office of Emergency Management to have an activation plan for the entire City," according to a news release. "The police department will be working closely with our city partners throughout the next few weeks to ensure we provide the highest level of public safety.

"There are very strict guidelines when in terms of police presence at polling locations," officials said. "The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department will be working with the LA County Registrar's Office to handle security issues at ballot boxes and polling locations. It is our job to support the process and ensure everyone participates without consternation about our voting system."
Starting on Oct. 30 residents can expect an elevated police presence throughout the city.

"Our visibility should not cause alarm and is dedicated to swiftly intercede with any type of criminal activity," officials said.

Some local businesses and residents have asked about adding boards or securing the buildings in Santa Monica, police said. Businesses had boarded up and secured their locations during unrest on May 31. Many businesses were damaged, some looted and others set on fire.

"We have received questions about reinforcing storefronts," police said. "As a Police Department, we cannot tell business what to do when it comes to boarding up. However, we understand the need to feel secure and we respect your decisions on how to handle your day to day operations. If you choose to board up your business or want to have the materials ready to do so, we support you."

Police encourage people to sign up for city alerts.

"If things change, we will be working with our city partners and media outlets to get the word out as quickly as possible," officials said. "To stay informed with the latest information, we strongly urge you to register for the City emergency alert system, email outreach, and/or follow the City's official social media channels."

In nearby Beverly Hills, city officials announced they will likely shut down Rodeo Drive.

Anyone with any information is encouraged to contact the police.

"If you have any information you feel is useful to the Santa Monica Police Department, pleasecontact us at police.intelligence@smgov.net," police said.

"We are actively monitoring and carefully vetting all information we receive," police said.

target in santa monica is boarding up bcause of concern for unrest around the election. pic.twitter.com/ZVYLPmVknS
— Casey Neistat (@Casey) October 30, 2020

Check back with Patch on Election Day for more updates: CA Elections 2020

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