Rodeo Drive closing on Election Day over possible unrest

Beverly Hills’s iconic Rodeo Drive will be closed on Election Day in an effort to curb possible unrest. 

In a video posted on social media Monday, Beverly Hills Police Chief Dominick Rivetti announced that the police department was taking a “proactive approach to ensure a safe community for residents, business and visitors.” The Beverly Hills Police Department would be on “full alert” beginning on Halloween, and during election week. 

The iconic retail street will be closed to vehicle and pedestrian traffic on Election Day and Nov. 4. 

A message from #BHPD Police Chief Dominick Rivetti regarding Election Week in the City of Beverly Hills. @CityofBevHills pic.twitter.com/RMcJNEy2Fq

— Beverly Hills Police (@BeverlyHillsPD) October 27, 2020

The move is the latest precautionary measure instituted in the U.S. as fears over the possible violence following the 2020 election have increased.

A YouGov poll released earlier this month showed that a majority of voters — 56 percent — anticipated an increase in violence following the 2020 election. 

Officials in Chicago have already held an “all-hazards” drill to walk through how they would handle election-related threats and violence.  

“Given what we experienced over the course of the spring and the summer, we can’t presume that what’s going to happen … is going to be peaceful,” Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) said on a conference call Tuesday. “We are preparing for the worst. So what we’ve been doing is a lot of drilling, a lot of making sure that we break down barriers, that no one part of election security is operating in a silo.”

Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison said law enforcement is “planning, practicing, creating protocols to deploy our resources before, on and even after Election Day.” He added that other departments are prepared to respond to voter harassment or intimidation, as well as to “de-escalate tensions at the polls.” 

The concerns come as President Trump has repeatedly cast doubt on the validity of the election results, and has called on his supporters to “go into polls” to monitor the voting process for fraud, comments Democrats claim will spark voter intimidation.