The country is on edge as the threat of violence following election night increases.
TMZ has obtained a letter that a bank in Washington, D.C. sent to its customers. In the letter, the establishment informs customers that it will remain open, but it has boarded up its windows "due to concerns of potential unrest" stemming from the upcoming election. The establishment has also ended its ATM services and told customers that it will close if it feels its employees are in danger.
The bank isn't the only business in DC that is preparing for violence. Several establishments around the city have been boarding up and closing in advance of the election. The George Washington University in DC has also informed students that are on campus to prepare for "a hurricane or blizzard" when prepping for any post-election violence.
"Be Alert, Be Aware, and Be Prepared," the university's Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities told its students.
Although the threat is heightened because the president resides in the city, Washington DC isn't the only place where things are expected to take a left turn. In Los Angeles, several apartment buildings have increased security "in an abundance of caution" over the elections. Additionally, police units around the country are on high alert. The New York Post also reported that luxury buildings in Manhattan have beefed up security in anticipation of election-related unrest.
"Everybody is worried about security," a source told the Post. "Every top building is adding security. It’s out of control. We hope it won’t be needed, but we will be ready."
Adding to the already volatile situation, Trump, who has made highly concerning commentsabout the baseless far-right QAnon conspiracy theory and the neo-fascist Proud Boys, has been egging on the more extremist and violent segments of his supporters by calling for a "Trump Army" to go "poll-watching." To make matters worse, Trump supporters in Texas recently surrounded a Biden campaign bus and yelled profanities at it on Interstate 35. Trump later retweeted video of the incident, which the FBI is now investigating, and praised the actions of his supporters.
"Rather than engage in productive conversation about the drastically different visions that Joe Biden and Donald Trump have for our country, Trump supporters in Texas today instead decided to put our staff, surrogates, supporters, and others in harm's way," Tariq Thowfeek, a Biden campaign communications director in Texas, told CNN. "Our supporters will continue to organize their communities for Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and Democrats up and down the ballot, and to the Texans who disrupted our events today: We'll see you on November 3rd."
