By james art 
Washington, D.C., was not up to its usual bustle on Monday, the day before Americans head to the polls to elect a new president on Nov. 5. The traffic seemed a little lighter, with fewer people out and about.
“The city is quiet, so quiet,” Manaye, an elderly Uber driver, said Monday. He didn’t sound happy, and it soon became clear why. “I guess everyone is watching the election from home,” he complained. There isn’t much work for Uber drivers.
Some buildings along Pennsylvania Avenue, the street on which the White House is located, began safety preparations as early as Friday, with workers barricading street fronts with plywood. Office buildings as well as convenient restaurants are taking precautions.
“There are definitely always fears that live around D.C. that something like the riots at the Capitol could happen again, that it could get violent here,” said a young woman walking along the fence protecting the White House. “But overall, I think people will be fine.”
Washington wants to prevent a repeat of Jan. 6
Washington is on high alert ahead of the Nov. 5 election because the memory of the last transfer of power is still fresh in people’s minds. On January 6, 2021, as Congress confirmed Joe Biden’s election victory, an angry mob of Donald Trump supporters and right-wing extremists stormed the US Capitol. Half a year earlier, during the Black Lives Matter protests in May and June 2020, several downtown Washington street businesses were damaged.
City officials, as well as local and federal agencies, vowed not to be caught off guard this time and to keep everyone safe during election week and beyond. All of D.C.’s 3,300 eligible police officers will work 12-hour shifts “to make sure we have enough officers on the street and in every corner of the county,” said Police Chief Pamela A. Smith.
Brooke Pinto, a D.C. Democratic council member, also said security is the highest priority. “In D.C. government, we have prepared and coordinated with federal partners to ensure the safety of D.C. residents and visitors during the election and inauguration,” Pinto said in a statement shared with The Washington Post. “Violence or destruction will not be tolerated.
Democratic presidential nominee and current vice president Kamala Harris will actually be in Washington on November 5th. Her election night party will be held at her alma mater, Howard University. In the university district, workers have put up a metal fence and police cars are constantly there.
Bars and restaurants are closed and campus is sparse as classes have been moved online for November 4th and 5th. (Donald Trump will spend election night in West Palm Beach, Fla., not far from his Mar-a-Lago residence.)
Some Washingtonians have contingency plans
A little further up, where bars, restaurants and shops line 14th Street, it’s business as usual—no boarded-up storefronts in sight. The locals here are not very concerned about their personal safety.
“I’m not too worried about riots, probably because I won’t be near the White House or the Capitol,” said Emma, 24. “If I lived downtown, I probably wouldn’t feel very comfortable being out this week, but emotions are definitely running high. “
Christopher, 47, a resident of Washington’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, definitely feels discomfort.
“I try not to get anxious, but it’s definitely anxiety,” he said. “I live near the Capitol and have vivid memories of January 6th.
If the situation escalates again after the election or on the eve of the inauguration, Christopher says he already has an escape plan. “If things get crazy, I’ll pack the cat and stay with my partner on the other side of town.”
Edited by: Kate Hairsine