Rodeo Drive to Close on Election Day Due to Possibility of Unrest

Police patrol past boarded up stores on the iconic Rodeo Drive, after demonstrators protes
MARK RALSTON/AFP via Getty Images

Beverly Hills’ famed Rodeo Drive will close on Election Day in an effort to combat expected civil unrest, according to the city’s police chief

In a video message shared to social media, Beverly Hills Police Chief Dominick Rivetti announced the police department would take a “proactive approach to ensure a safe community for residents, business and visitors.”

Rivetti also stated that the Beverly Hills Police Department would be on “full alert” from Halloween and throughout the election day cycle, saying Rodeo Drive will be closed to vehicle and pedestrian traffic on Election Day November 3, and November 4.

Similar to the precautions Beverly Hills will take, Chicago officials have held “all-hazards” drills to prepare for political threats and violence on Election Day.

“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,” said Democrat Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot on a conference call. “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.”

Several violent protests have broken out across America in recent days, including major demonstrations in Philadelphia and New York. Those demonstrations led to the looting of a Walmart located in the Port Richmond neighborhood of Philadelphia.

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