Lenox Square mall and some other Buckhead businesses boarded up their windows Nov. 3 in apparent concern about potential rioting in the wake of Election Day results.
Atlanta Police Department prisoner transport vans also were parked outside the 3393 Peachtree Road mall on Election Day afternoon.
State and county officials lead election security, APD said in a written statement, but the department is coordinating with them and federal authorities to assist at polling places and “across the city, should post-election protests or illegal activity occur.”
“At present, there are no verified threats to indicate that violent activity is being planned,” APD said.
Many Buckhead businesses were hit with vandalism, looting and arson in May as rioting spun out of largely peaceful downtown protests about the police killing of George Floyd in Minnesota. Lenox Square largely escaped damage from that rioting due to a massive police and National Guard presence, but neighboring Phipps Plaza mall was looted.
Such protests and riots became a major issue in the bitter presidential campaign contest between Donald Trump, the Republican incumbent, and Democratic challenger Joe Biden.
On Election Day, Lenox Square’s main parking lot entrance off Peachtree Road and the Nike Store were among the spots whose windows were armored with plywood or particle board.
A nearby Charles Schwab financial services office with large windows at 3314 Peachtree was among the other businesses also boarded up.
–Photos and reporting by Phil Mosier.