Businesses board up their windows in heavily Democratic cities ahead of Election Day



Heavily Democratic cities are now in the habit of boarding up windows and shuttering businesses ahead of political events that might upset local leftists.

That is certainly the case with Washington, D.C., which erected "Black Lives Matter"-branded plywood boards and fencing outside of stores ahead of the 2020 election and saw businesses brace for chaos again when Roe v. Wade was overturned. Some businesses in the city also took precautions ahead of the January 2017 anti-Trump riots, where all the rioters ultimately got off scot-free, as well as ahead of the Jan. 6, 2021, protests, where rioters were held to a different standard.

Possibly anticipating more chaos in the District of Columbia, where 92.1% of the vote in the last presidential election went to Joe Biden, businesses are once again reinforcing their windows and preparing for potentially "fiery but mostly peaceful protests."

Resident Stacy Snyder told WJLA-TV, "Hopefully no riots. Nobody wants to see anyone get hurt or any damage. After what happened last time, I guess, you have to be prepared for anything. So, like I said, better safe than sorry."

Ebony Boger, who works downtown, indicated she recently received an email from building management indicating it was going to fortify the exterior.

"It's not shocking. I'm kind of used to it. I think they should do it," said Boger.

The managers of various buildings confirmed to WJLA that the election was the reason behind the plywood reinforcement.

According to the Washington Post, some business and property owners have also boosted their private security in anticipation of possible riots and looting.

'If people choose to riot, I feel like we need to listen to the people.'

Leon Beresford, executive vice president of Admiral Security Services, indicated that his company, which provides security to 150 commercial office buildings in D.C., is mobilizing around 2,000 guards in time for Election Day.

"People would rather be overprepared and have nothing happen, as opposed to the alternative," said Eric Jones, vice president of government affairs for the Apartment and Office Building Association of Metropolitan Washington.

Washington Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela A. Smith said at a press conference last week, "I want to be very clear: We will not tolerate any violence of any kind. We will not tolerate any riots. We will not tolerate the destruction of property. We will not tolerate any unlawful behavior. Offenders will be arrested and will be held accountable."

Smith indicated that well over 3,000 police officers will be working 12-hour shifts through the election.

Storefronts in Portland, Oregon — another heavily Democratic city — have similarly disappeared behind protective boards. While big-name businesses like Chase Bank have reinforced their establishments, some have alternatively chosen to trust the mob.

Katherine Morgan, the owner of the relatively new Grand Gestures Books, told KATU-TV, "When I got the business, the windows were boarded up because of the protest, and they just never came down. For me, if people choose to riot, I feel like we need to listen to the people."

Morgan indicated she won't be boarding up her establishment, noting, "I'm someone who believes in protesting, I'm someone who believes in doing whatever you can for your voice to be heard."

Real estate developer Jordan Schnitzer told the Oregonian he is praying his building will go unscathed.

"If your sports team loses, do you go out and break windows?" said Schnitzer. "In this day and age to see that this type of behavior in America is so commonplace is heartbreaking."

Portland Police Chief Bob Day said last week, "We never can eliminate risk, but the confidence that I have in our community, the confidence I have in our law enforcement response, I'm really hopeful that that's not going to be necessary."

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Riot police successfully take control at UCLA, throwing away Hamas-endorsed radicals' Palestinian flag



Armored officers with the Los Angeles Police Department and California State Police took control of the illegal encampment at the University of California, Los Angeles, early Thursday morning, busting through the Hamas-endorsed student radicals' barricades, flattening the occupiers' tents, and arresting some of those individuals who ignored their repeated warnings and invitations to leave.

The LAPD and other law enforcement agencies responded Tuesday night to the UCLA campus after the leftist university pleaded for help in dealing with the fallout of the same ideas taught inside its classrooms. It was not until Thursday morning that they were able to successfully overwhelm the radicals in Dickson Plaza.

Blaze News national correspondent Julio Rosas was on the scene as the pro-Hamas students, wearing masks and equipped with makeshift shields, faced off with the group of around 30 LAPD officers who initially breached the radicals' illegal encampment. The radicals can be heard taunting and castigating the officers, who had been flanked on both sides.

Anti-Israel protesters inside the encampment at UCLA lined up with shields to face LAPD officers.
— (@)

Rosas indicated that the outnumbered officers ultimately withdrew. As the officers gave up hard-won ground, they had to fight off elements of the frenzied mob, which pursued them out of the encampment.

"I'm not entirely sure what the reason was for them to make that first breach," Rosas told Blaze News. "But it wasn't a good one. Obviously."

Similar standoffs appear to have taken place around campus, where police apparently had difficulties making inroads largely on account of their incredible restraint.

\ud83d\udea8California Highway Patrolmen in riot gear are attempting to breach one side of the UCLA encampment. Occupiers rushed with people and shields to push back against the officers. So far CHP has not broken through this route.
— (@)

Radicals pelted officers with rocks and attempt to disorient them with fire extinguisher blasts while desperately maintaining their barricades. The officers, in turn, used multiple flash-bangs.

Absolute chaos right now. Occupiers are trying to hold the main makeshift wall as police repeatedly fire flashbangs.
— (@)

Evidently growing tired of the violent, selfie-taking mob's sporadic attacks, police began to push back in a big way around 3 a.m. PT.

"That's when the California Highway Patrolmen in riot gear started to make multiple breaches at the main side of the encampment, the side with the makeshift barriers," said Rosas. "They were fighting each other. Protesters were using their bodies. They had a ton of shields and palettes and material to keep pushing up against the riot officers."

Some of the radicals attempted to form a human chain, but the police evidently found a few weak links. Rosas noted that roughly 20 of those in the chain were arrested after police kettled them.

Rosas reported that around 3:30 a.m., police began to successfully tear down the main makeshift wall bordering the illegal encampment. Upon doing so, it quickly became clear that police would soon be able to raze the encampment and clear out the remaining radicals therein.

— (@)

CHP riot police advanced on the camp from other directions as well, tearing down the radicals' agitprop and pushing occupiers out of the way.

A CHP officer effectively signaled the radicals' defeat by flinging down the Palestinian flag at the heart of the illegal encampment.

While pushing back occupiers at UCLA, a California Highway Patrolman removed the big Palestinian flag in the middle of the encampment and threw it on the ground.
— (@)

Before dawn, officers effectively controlled the camp, littered with leftist propaganda and other radical refuse.

The encampment is almost cleared out. CHP is tearing down tents and pushing remaining occupiers out of the area.
— (@)

Rosas indicated that "it didn't need to come to this. ... If the encampment was cleared sooner, without giving the occupiers so much time to prepare for this, it would have been much easier for law enforcement to clear it out. But because this was allowed to take place for a while."

When asked about the rioters' initial success in repelling, Rosas suggested they "did a pretty good job at communicating with each other — to call for backup, call for materials, call for shields at different points of the border of the encampment. That's part of the reason why it took a while for police to take a significant foothold — because they were very flexible in putting manpower and material in their way."

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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College Activists Postpone Anti-Israel Encampment Because Students Are Too White

[rebelmouse-proxy-image https://thefederalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Screenshot-2024-04-26-at-12.09.32 PM-1200x675.png crop_info="%7B%22image%22%3A%20%22https%3A//thefederalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Screenshot-2024-04-26-at-12.09.32%5Cu202fPM-1200x675.png%22%7D" expand=1]Students at the University of Washington canceled an encampment because too many of the students who signed up are white.

Jewish students reportedly locked in NYC college library for their safety as pro-Palestinian protesters apparently bang on doors, chant 'long live the Intifada!'



Staff at a New York City college reportedly locked Jewish students inside a school library for their safety as pro-Palestinian protesters apparently banged on doors and chanted "long live the Intifada!" Wednesday afternoon.

What are the details?

WCBS-TV reported that pro-Israel students at Cooper Union in Manhattan said they felt unsafe as pro-Palestinian demonstrators banged and chanted outside the library and that school staff locked them in the library due to safety concerns.

— (@)

"No big deal, just a few Jewish kids barricaded in a library while a mob tries to break the doors down to get them," Republican City Councilwoman Vickie Paladino posted on X. "At a prestigious university in New York City. In 2023. Things are going swimmingly in our progressive city."

Jewish students told WPIX-TV they believe the pro-Palestinian protesters were trying to intimidate them.

“They were chanting, ‘Long live the Intifada,'” one student told WPIX.

Jacob, a senior, added to WPIX, “I genuinely don’t know what would have happened if the doors were left open."

Video shows a group of Jewish students standing in the Cooper Union library as other students chant "free Palestine" and hold up signs on the other side of the library's glass wall, WCBS said.

"It was tense. People were nervous," one student told WCBS. "They were specifically acting very aggressive in those spaces where outwardly Jewish students were sitting."

Pro-Palestinian rally at Cooper Union leads to tense moments at library youtu.be

"The librarians ran over to us and they were like, 'We tried to warn you, but we just got notice that they're coming down,'" sophomore Taylor Lent told WCBS.

A Cooper Union representative told WCBS that the library was closed for about 20 minutes and that students chose to stay in the library until the protest was over.

"Security escorted us from the library to this building or outside to where people left to go home," one student added to WCBS.

WPIX reported that despite 911 calls from students and their parents, police said they didn't believe any lives were in danger.

Police said there were no injuries, arrests, or property damage and that this was a planned demonstration, WCBS reported, adding that police are reviewing surveillance video. WPIX reported that no charges are expected because no threats were explicitly made at Cooper Union.

What did the pro-Palestinian students have to say?

Several pro-Palestinian students told WCBS off camera that they didn't target or threaten the Jewish students in the library.

WCBS added that students with the pro-Palestinian rally sent the station a statement that reads in part:

We, students of Cooper Union, planned a peaceful protest to demand our institutions acknowledgement of the Israeli apartheid. This was in response to the school's one-sided stance and participation in the occupation of Palestine. We planned to peacefully protest outside the building before walking in and continuing our protest outside the president's office. We concluded our protest by calling out our demands through the hallways of the entire foundation building. When we reached the library, we were told that it was closed so we continued chanting outside the glass window of the library. Many different students of all backgrounds were in the library at the time. We would like to make it clear that our protest was not targeting any individual students or faculty, but the institution itself. We would like to reiterate that we DO NOT under any circumstance condone antisemitism and many members of the protest were Jewish.

Anything else?

WCBS said Mayor Eric Adams tweeted in part, "We have been in contact with the NYPD and Cooper Union leadership ... While the students at Cooper Union have a right to peacefully protest, hate has no place in our city."

One student added to WCBS, "I'm actually very upset. We've been speaking with the school for two and a half weeks. We've been telling them that, you know, this is an escalating situation."

WCBS reported that Cooper Union said the NYPD was on site throughout the day.

Jewish students locked inside Cooper Union library during protest; told security they felt unsafe youtu.be

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FACT CHECK: Video Claiming To Show Pro-Hamas March Predates Recent Conflict

'The video was posted to Facebook in May 2021'

Protesters storm BlackRock headquarters in Paris



Massive protests condemning the Macron government's pension reforms have swept the nation in recent weeks. Macron is increasing the retirement age from 62 to 64.

Demonstrators seeking to strike a nerve went beyond the streets Thursday and stormed the Paris headquarters of BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, with over $10 trillion under management.

Protesters marched into Le Centorial block carrying flares and firing smoke bombs, reported CNN.

The Telegraph reported that members of the railway workers' union set off incendiary devices in the atrium of the Centorial building, filling it with smoke.

\u201cHappening in France this morning. \n\nRailway workers have taken over BlackRock\u2019s headquarters in Paris.\n\nhttps://t.co/unwYeH1YS3\u201d
— Zineb Riboua (@Zineb Riboua) 1680781368

Below BlackRock's office on the third floor, roughly 100 people, including some trade unionists, chanted and hollered. Some regurgitated anti-capitalist slogans while others sang labor songs.

"The meaning of this action is quite simple. We went to the headquarters of BlackRock to tell them: the money of workers, for our pensions, they are taking it," Jerome Schmitt, spokesman for French union SUD, told BFM-TV.

While Schmitt indicated the meaning was simple, different protesters derived other meanings from the incident.

One protester cited BlackRock's links to companies that allegedly harm the environment as cause for the fiery ingress, reported the Telegraph.

The accusation that BlackRock's chairman lobbied to break the French pension model was another rationale provided.

\u201cJUST IN: \ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddf7 $10 trillion asset manager BlackRock Paris headquarters taken over by protestors.\u201d
— Watcher.Guru (@Watcher.Guru) 1680782383

The Guardian reported that hundreds of thousands of Frenchmen took to the streets after talks between trade unions and French President Emmanuel Macron failed.

During the talks, Cyril Chabanier, representing the country's eight main unions, said, "We again told the prime minister that the only democratic outcome would be the text’s withdrawal. The prime minister replied that she wished to maintain the text, a serious decision."

Macron, a former World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, took unilateral action in March, bypassing a parliamentary vote and forcing through his unpopular pension plan.

A January Elabe poll revealed that nearly three-fifths of Frenchmen opposed the pension reform, reported Bloomberg. The same poll revealed that the majority sympathized with the planned protests, and 46% indicated they were willing to take part.

His government reasoned that doing so would prevent the pensions system from falling into deficit. France has the lowest qualifying age for a state pension among the major European nations.

Reuters reported that a source close to Macron claimed, "If the role of a president of the republic is to make decisions according to public opinion, there is no need to have elections. ... Being president is to assume choices that may be unpopular at a given time."

While protests were relatively peaceful through January and early March — including the nationwide demonstration on March 7 that saw 1.28 million people turn out — Macron's parliamentary bypass on March 16 triggered significant clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement officials.

There were 80 arrests and 123 police officers injured on March 23 alone. Property damage, fires, barricades, and smoke bombs have also been common in recent days.

\u201cFrance \ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddf7 \n\nProtests continue to take place across France against Macron's pension reform (and many other issues). Just look at the scale of the protests in Toulouse.\n\nhttps://t.co/4j368gEe0D\u201d
— James Melville (@James Melville) 1680764792
Sophie Binet, general secretary of the CGT union, told BFM-TV, "The government will not be able to run the country if they do not take back the reform."
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Antifa militants gang up on Trump fans, pummel women to ground — and pro-Trump group responds by singing national anthem



It was a sometimes violent study in contrasts Saturday when a large group of supporters of President Donald Trump faced off with Antifa militants in Olympia, Washington, after numerous media outlets declared former Vice President Joe Biden the 2020 election victor.

What happened?

As chronicled on video by reporter Katie Daviscourt, Trump backers lined streets and even gathered on the steps of the state capitol to wave American and pro-Trump flags and chant "back the blue!" — a pro-police rallying cry:

Crowd is chanting Back the Blue to show support for Law Enforcement. https://t.co/52VNLqOy1r
— Katie Daviscourt🇺🇸 (@Katie Daviscourt🇺🇸)1604789220.0

And while chants of "USA! USA! USA!" rang out, black-clad Antifa militants managed several cries of "f*** the USA!" "f*** America," and stomped on Old Glory. (Content warning: Language):

President Trump supporters are chanting “USA - USA - USA.” https://t.co/pQvLW4KeWD
— Katie Daviscourt🇺🇸 (@Katie Daviscourt🇺🇸)1604787415.0

The pro-Trump crowd told them off with chants of "get a job!" and "f*** Antifa!" (Content warning: Language):

Crowd of Trump Supporters chant “fu*k Antifa” at the small group of militants across the street. https://t.co/zB2i4FC8fM
— Katie Daviscourt🇺🇸 (@Katie Daviscourt🇺🇸)1604798303.0

Upping the ante

Soon the verbal war of words turned violent, as a brawl ensued between the groups and police responded with a flash-bang and what appeared to be rounds of non-lethal munitions.

One witness mentioned that Antifa militants were "attacking two women," and then a man bleeding from his eyebrow — presumably a Trump supporter — confirmed that Antifa attacked him as well:

NOW: Antifa Militants attack Trump Supporters. One man is bleeding from the head. Olympia PD deploys flash bangs an… https://t.co/HE6Si3SqQY
— Katie Daviscourt🇺🇸 (@Katie Daviscourt🇺🇸)1604785480.0

A fitting response

In another clip, two pro-Trump women described the Antifa attack. One said she was punched from behind as a leftist militant tried to steal her pro-Trump flag, and the second woman said a gang of Antifa thugs jumped her.

But soon a distinct sound was heard in the background.

It was singing. A bit off-key, a tad haggard — but singing nonetheless. It was the national anthem.

That's right. The pro-Trump crowd answered the cowardice and destruction that have become Antifa's trademark with a statement of hard-won freedom and liberty — even for the likes of those who'd rather stomp all over it.

Anything else?

Should Biden take office in January, he may have to contend with more than he may have bargained for. Also on Saturday, anarchists busted windows at the Multnomah County Democrats building in Portland and spray-painted messages such as "F*** Biden" and "No Presidents" — along with the universal symbol of anarchists.

The same night in Washington, D.C., black-clad demonstrators marched toward Black Lives Matter Plaza and held a large sign that read: "FREE THE PEOPLE, FIGHT THE POWER, F*** THE POLICE – DEFUND, DISARM, DISBAND." Another sign said: "BURN DOWN THE AMERICAN PLANTATION."

The group chanted, "What do we want? Justice When do we want it? Now! If we don't get it — Burn it down! BURN. IT. DOWN!" along with, "F*** Trump! F*** Biden! No more presidents!"

In Detroit, one leftist group wasn't too thrilled with Biden, either, and chanted, "F*** Donald Trump! F*** Biden too! Both of them don't give a f*** about you!"

In Arizona, Trump’s Chances Fade But Don’t Disappear As Protests Continue

As the state continues to count the remaining ballots, Republican protestors continued their third straight night of demonstrations.

Motorist runs over Black Lives Matter supporter who refuses to get out of SUV's path — and cops charge suspect



A motorist in Johnson City, Tennessee, was caught on cellphone video running over a Black Lives Matter supporter who refused to get out of the SUV's path during a demonstration over the weekend — and now police have arrested and charged a suspect.

What are the details?

Video posted to social media showed a white Ford Expedition accelerating into two people who stood in front of the vehicle in a crosswalk near the intersection of West State of Franklin Road and Spring Street, the Johnson City Press said, adding that protesters and police said the vehicle left the scene.

The victim, a 31-year-old Johnson City man, was taken to a hospital for treatment, the paper said, adding that a 26-year-old Johnson City woman who also was struck by the SUV didn't have injuries requiring treatment.

Brent Chaffin — a protest organizer who witnessed the incident — told the Press that demonstrators were marching from the Johnson City Police Department when they stopped to protest on either side of a crosswalk near the intersection.

Chaffin said the driver began inching forward, trying to get past the demonstrators, the paper reported. Video shows the driver appearing to run over at least one of the two protesters standing in front of the SUV, the Press said.

What did the victim have to say?

The victim was interviewed at the hospital, according to a court document obtained late Monday, the paper said, adding that he told police he was walking his dog and taking photos when he joined the Black Lives Matter protesters.

As the group crossed the street, some drivers grew impatient and honked their horns, the Press reported, adding that someone in a black vehicle gave the finger to demonstrators while maneuvering around the group.

The victim told police the driver of a white SUV honked, kept inching forward at about two miles per hour, and then bumped him before knocking him down and running over his legs, the paper said.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

The motorist drove away without attempting to assist or check on the welfare of the victims, the Press said.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

In the video, several people could be heard yelling that the vehicle had North Carolina tags, and a plate number was reportedly given to police, the paper said, adding that authorities said they got video from other witnesses, neighboring businesses, and a traffic camera.

On Sunday police said they identified a person of interest and were coordinating with North Carolina authorities to locate the vehicle involved, the Press reported.

While the suspect wasn't found at his residence, the paper — citing a court document — reported that a Johnson City police investigator got a phone call from a North Carolina attorney who said the suspect was in the process of hiring a Tennessee lawyer and planned to turn himself in Monday, which he did.

Who is the suspect?

Police said Jared Benjamin Lafer — a 27-year-old from Bakersville, North Carolina — was charged with aggravated assault in connection with the incident and released on $20,000 bond, the Press said, adding that Lafer was set for arraignment at 9 a.m. Tuesday.

Image source: Washington County Detention Center

What did Black Lives Matter have to say?

The day after the incident, demonstrators took to the streets again, with several dozen stopping at the same crosswalk and protesting on both sides, occasionally moving back and forth, the paper said.

Alyjah Gilmer — an incident witness and founding member of the New Panther Initiative, a Johnson City-based Black Lives Matter group — had a few other things to say at Sunday's demonstration, the Press reported.

"We don't stand for that," Gilmer noted to the paper. "It's definitely uncalled for, so we're going to do everything we can to show [the man who was run over] we are behind him, that we are against anybody showing out in such a manner. We are going to stand 10 toes behind our people 100% no matter what. We're out here to make a statement, but a positive statement."

Police: Protester hit by car in Johnson Cityyoutu.be