After a quiet election night, now the Big Apple is convulsed with a day of mass protests. Hundreds of protesters, mostly pro-Biden, gathered on the steps of the New York Public Library to demand that all votes be counted in battle states, as the gap between the Democrat and President Trump seems ever closer.
About 400 people from various organizations gathered outside the iconic Midtown Library on Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street on Wednesday night. The signs with the slogan “Count every vote” predominated.
We appreciate and value the importance of freedom of speech. Our top priority is and always will be safety. We have arrested more than 20 individuals who attempted to hijack a peaceful protest by lighting fires, throwing garbage and eggs in Manhattan. pic.twitter.com/5SzZ6lDWEz
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) November 5, 2020
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Protests erupted in the Big Apple after President Trump’s team announced that it will file lawsuits in Michigan and Pennsylvania to stop the ongoing vote count.
The NYPD reported that at least 20 people were arrested due to their attempt to wreak havoc on the peaceful protests. According to the police officer, the dissidents threw eggs and garbage and burned garbage cans in the streets. However, the day passed without major altercations.
New York City stores boarded up their windows as they braced for riots after an unpredictable election night. There was no unrest Tuesday, but city officials and the NYPD say they are prepared for anything in the next few days.
On Wednesday, the first major demonstration took to the streets in downtown Manhattan, where people were demanding that all votes be counted. Hundreds of protesters marched down Fifth Avenue in an organized peaceful rally, led by cyclists helping clear intersections of traffic. There was also a large police presence alongside the group, which allowed them to march quietly.
The march started with a few dozen people near the New York Public Library and grew exponentially. He was said to be heading for Washington Square Park. The New York Police said there were several demonstrations planned for the night.
On Tuesday night there were few, if any, reports of election-related incidents or chaos or even heated protests. Just before 10 p.m., a crowd gathered and marched near Washington Square Park, while another crowd, mostly supporters of President Trump, was seen outside Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue. A large police presence was seen in both places and the protesters, most of whom were social justice advocates who had been marching for months, were peaceful.
Despite the mayor saying there was no “specific threat,” businesses in the five boroughs wanted to avoid the violent scenes that occurred last summer when small groups destroyed property and looted merchandise amid protests over George Floyd’s death.
Businesses – from Macy’s flagship store in Herald Square to upscale stores in Manhattan’s posh SoHo neighborhood to family-run stores in the Bronx – had covered their windows in preparation for Election Week.
A series of demonstrations had been planned for Tuesday afternoon into the night in Brooklyn, Manhattan and the Bronx, where some businesses, such as those in Grand Concourse and East Fordham Road, also took cover.
“There are some people who are opportunists, regardless of the results,” said Bronx community activist Wilfredo Ruiz. “It’s the experience they’ve had and that’s why they’re being more cautious. Whatever the path, there can be rioters on both sides.”
While some Bronx small business owners said they are hopeful and weren’t going to take precautions, one said they planned to close early and stay indoors while they waited for results to come in.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday that New York City was “ready for any eventuality, but there is nothing that appears specifically at this time to cause alarm.”
“There are no major protests scheduled at this time,” de Blasio added. “Here’s the bottom line: Our job representing everyone is to make sure everyone votes, everyone is heard, and to continue in that spirit for days and weeks to come, whatever the outcome, no matter how long it takes.”
For weeks, de Blasio has said that any peaceful protest will be respected and facilitated, but warned that any violence would stop immediately.
“We will not allow any violence. I want to be clear once again about this,” he said Tuesday.
A day earlier, Governor Andrew Cuomo urged New Yorkers to try to contain their emotions until the final results are known, which he said could take some time “given the unique circumstances of the election.” He also emphasized Blasio’s point earlier in the day: that protests are okay until people break the law. When that happens, said the governor, the application will be made accordingly.
The NYPD said Tuesday it already had thousands of police on the streets and would deploy more in the coming days to stop any possible unrest. Earlier, New York Police Commissioner Dermot Shea acknowledged that protests can last for weeks, given the unpredictability of what he described as “one of the most controversial presidential elections of the modern era.”
At a mid-afternoon briefing on Election Day, Chief Terence Monahan, the highest-ranking uniformed member of the NYPD, reinforced the department’s plans to facilitate peaceful protests. He also had a message for potential disruptors: “Don’t even try it,” Monahan said. “We know who you are and they will arrest you.”
The police chief said officers would previously deploy to known areas where demonstrations have been taking place in recent months. While the NYPD said the goal is for officers to simply stay in the background and allow the voices of potential protesters to be heard, any issues that arise will be addressed.
“We do not see a repeat of that threat that we saw in May and June. We will be out there,” he added. “Rest assured that the New York Police Department has great intelligence and we will be monitoring anyone who tries to cause some chaos in the city.”
Monahan also urged peaceful protesters to separate themselves from would-be rioters and not allow their messages to be hijacked. Newly appointed patrol chief Juanita Holmes said there had only been one incident at 3pm; He said it wasn’t worth mentioning, but he was probably referring to one from Brooklyn.
Retailers don’t take chances. Some in midtown Manhattan boarded their windows long before Election Day amid concerns about possible unrest. Experts have said that the country is unlikely to have a definitive winner for days or even weeks as the votes by mail are counted. Still, there may be partisan claims of victory. The NYPD anticipates that any protests could last until early next year.
It’s not just the NYPD that is ready. The Guardian Angels announced over the weekend that they would have thousands of volunteers across the city for “possible riots” to unfold on Election Day.
“There is pure hatred, the people who support Trump, they hate the people who support Biden and vice versa,” said Guardian Angels president and founder Curtis Sliwa. “More importantly, we know that there are thugs who have no political identity who can take advantage of the situation and riot and loot again like they did in June. We got in their way in New York and prepared to do it again with our Chapters of the Guardian Angel throughout the country “.
During those summer protests over Floyd’s death in police custody in Minneapolis, stores from Manhattan to the Bronx to Queens boarded up their windows after a few fiery nights of vandalism and looting. This time, Macy’s boarded up its windows on Friday.
“Our windows at Macy’s Herald Square were previously scheduled to be dark next week in the setup of our annual holiday displays. As a precaution, we are implementing additional security measures at several of our stores,” a company spokesperson said by email. .
Not far from the Macy’s flagship store, the windows of the T-Mobile store in Times Square were covered with protective wood. Other upscale stores in Manhattan neighborhoods, as well as the Rockefeller Center tourist destination, have followed suit.
Shea said the department has been advising some Midtown businesses to remove merchandise and other items like chairs, tables, construction barrels and trash cans from the sidewalks to allow potential protesters to move unhindered. The NYPD chief said the department was not telling stores to cover windows, but noted the questions were coming from concerned retailers.
In October, a police department memo sent to officers called the vote “one of the most controversial presidential elections in the modern era” and noted that the winner “may not be decided for several weeks.”
The New York Police Department has been conducting tabletop exercises to prepare for potential disturbances and move hundreds of officers on patrol duties.
“We want to be very careful not to be overly vigilant, because that could send a signal, or not be vigilant,” said John Miller, the department’s deputy commissioner for intelligence and counterterrorism.
Authorities said Tuesday afternoon that intelligence had not indicated any potential threats or plans through social media or other means.
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