Rings of new security fencing envelope the White House, US Capitol and Vice-President Kamala Harris’ residence as uthorities brace for potential unrest in Washington following this week’s presidential election.

For weeks, District (of Columbia) officials have sent messages of reassurance to residents and businesses still scarred by damage incurred during some 2020 racial justice and post-election protests. Authorities know of no credible threats, Washington’s police chief said at a news conference, adding there is “no need for any alarm”.

Still, signs of caution proliferated over the weekend, as the Secret Service erected new, 2.5-metre metal fences around the White House and Treasury Department complex, and adjacent parts of Lafayette Square, as well as outside the Naval Observatory grounds and Harris’ residence. The Capitol reintroduced temporary bicycle-rack barriers posted with signs stating, “Police Line: Do not cross,” surrounding its perimeter. The agency also is installing physical security measures outside the West Palm Beach, Florida, convention centre where Donald Trump will hold his election-night party, not far from his residence at Mar-a-Lago.

“The Secret Service is working closely with federal, state and local partners in Washington, DC and Palm Beach County, Florida to ensure heightened levels of election day safety and security,” the agency said in a statement today. “These enhancements are not in response to any specific issue but are part of wide-ranging public safety preparations for [Wednesday’s] election.”

As authorities worked to fortify public assets, some business and property owners braced for the worst, surging private security, shoring up street-level windows and entrances, and finalising contingency plans in anticipation of possible looting or rioting. Owners of commercial buildings near the White House boarded up or added fencing outside street-level businesses and shops, with business association leaders saying they would rather overprepare than sustain damage in the event of street violence.

“There is concern around the city. We’re not expecting full-fledged pandemonium like we saw after January 6, [2021,] or four years ago,” said Eric J Jones, the vice president of Government affairs for the Apartment and Office Building Association of Metropolitan Washington, whose members own 7 million sq m of commercial office space and about 110,000 apartment units in the District.

“Honestly, it’s just fear,” Jones said, adding that some retailers far removed from downtown worry about opportunistic looting with police attention focused elsewhere. “I’m getting constant emails and text messages because people are really engaged. People would rather be overprepared and have nothing happen, as opposed to the alternative.”

Washington is no stranger to public demonstrations, and has seen only sporadic violence in the decades since the destructive April 1968 riots after Martin Luther King Jr’s assassination. During the inauguration of President Donald Trump in 2017, authorities estimated unrest yielded about US$100,000 ($167,000) in property damage across 16 blocks downtown.

Still, memories of residents and business owners remain seared by the unrest of 2020, including several days of protests that May after the murder of George Floyd, and several post-2020 election demonstrations that culminated in the deadly January 6, 2021, Capitol attack.

Several street-front businesses were damaged and a basement fire was set at the historic St John’s Church on Lafayette Square across from the White House in early June 2020, after Trump ordered the clearing of mostly peaceful demonstrators at Lafayette Square. After January 6, security fencing was erected and stood for months around several blocks of Capitol Hill, leading residents and community leaders to describe the area as a fenced-off fortress.

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Leon Beresford, executive vice-president of Admiral Security Services, which provides security guards to 150 commercial office buildings in DC, said the company was mobilising about 2000 private personnel to be ready to work 12-hour shifts at its client facilities concentrated around the White House, along K Street NW and surrounding Freedom Plaza on Pennsylvania Ave NW between the White House and the Capitol.

Private businesses have been advised to be ready to beef up staffing of security guards, engineers, janitors and maintenance workers in case of damage; to secure materials to deploy fencing, gates or other barriers if needed; and to practise procedures to secure or evacuate buildings, he and Jones said in separate interviews.

“At a time when we are trying to revitalise, especially our downtown core, what we don’t want is destruction of property that discourages folks from coming back to the city, or that creates a situation where we are trying to rebuild those areas,” Jones said in an interview.

The restaurant Pow Pow on I Street, a few blocks away from the White House, is boarded up ahead of Tuesday. Photo / Valerie Plesch for The Washington Post

District Government leaders and agencies have spent many months planning for the post-election period, determined along with residents and businesses not to be caught off-guard, as they were four years ago, and to ensure a safe and secure environment for visitors, tourists and students through the winter.

All eligible 3300 DC police officers will work 12-hour shifts with most leave cancelled through at least the election, Police Chief Pamela Smith said last week, “to ensure we have enough officers on the street and in every corner of the District”.

DC Council member Brooke Pinto expressed a similar sentiment. “Across the DC Government, we have prepared and coordinated with federal partners to ensure the safety of DC residents and visitors throughout the election and inauguration,” Pinto, whose ward spans much of downtown, said in an emailed statement. “Violence or destruction will not be tolerated. … I am also encouraged that our small businesses, hotels, and restaurants and bars are ready to benefit from residents and visitors coming to the District throughout this season.”

Temporary bike-rack barriers are installed at the Capitol as part of enhanced security measures. Photo / Valerie Plesch for The Washington Post

Still, Beresford said, DC police and commercial building owners were among the most practised in the country in dealing with street protests and associated violence. “When I go to Florida, they’ve got hurricane response down there, and it’s incredible what they’re able to do with natural disasters,” he said. When it comes to civil unrest, in DC, “They’re battle-tested, they’ve learned from past challenges there, and they’ve implemented a number of best practices there”.

Shaun Sharkey, owner of plant-based restaurant Pow Pow, said the decision to erect a wall outside his eatery at 1250 I Street NW at Franklin Park was not made by him, but in what he believed was a precautionary measure by the property manager, and he hoped customers would continue coming in.

“We’re hopeful that the presence of the wall will not be misinterpreted, especially with the election approaching. Our intention is to continue fostering an inclusive atmosphere for everyone. We are also hopeful people can still find us,” Sharkey said.