Photos: Midtown Businesses Board Up Ahead Of Election Results

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — Some businesses in Midtown Manhattan have begun boarding up their windows in recent days, fearing unrest in the aftermath of Tuesday's presidential election.

Photos taken along Fifth and Sixth avenues show workers installing the boards as early as Friday, covering up the storefronts of luxury retailers like Saks Fifth Avenue, Fendi and Ugg, as well as chains like T-Mobile and American Eagle.

In Midtown and in other parts of the city, businesses have moved to board up their windows amid uncertainty over how the city will react as election results begin rolling in Tuesday evening.

Election officials in various states have warned repeatedly that full results may not be available for days, suggesting the winner of the presidential contest between Joe Biden and incumbent Donald Trump may not be known on Tuesday.

Supporters and opponents of President Trump have clashed on a few occasions in the run-up to this week's election, including on Oct. 25, when 11 people were arrested in Times Square following a confrontation between two rival rallies.

Last month, the NYPD announced a large mobilization in anticipation of election-related protests. NYPD officers were stationed at 88 early voting locations across the city when they opened Oct. 24, and officers also will cover more than 1,200 polling locations on Election Day itself, Chief of Department Terence Monahan said.

The large police presence could draw a negative reaction — protesters, especially in May and June, decried years of NYPD brutality and enforcement against people of color, only to be met with aggressive responses from law enforcement.

And the city's police unions have vocally backed President Trump, who has supported more aggressive police actions against what he describes as anarchy in the city.

Monahan claimed officers won't let their own politics sway how they act during the election, and added that no specific dangers had been identified.

"We don't see any threat at this point," Monahan said last month.

Matt Troutman contributed to this report.

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