Marshalls boards up storefronts in Detroit, Dearborn in case of election unrest

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Discount clothing company Marshalls boarded up its doors and windows at stores in Detroit and Dearborn this weekend, leading many to believe they are preparing for possible unrest during the election.

"It is a sad commentary that we live in such a world that we have to be concerned about these things," said a Marshalls Detroit shopper. "There were some shoppers coming out of the store and I asked them if the store was open. They said yes and said that they were afraid of rioting."

Dearborn police said Saturday residents expressed concerns about the Marshalls at Westborn Mall boarding up its windows. And according to store management, it was a company-wide directive to do so before Election Day.

"We should all be concerned about what is going to happen or what is happening," said a Dearborn customer.

The city of Dearborn ordered the store to remove the plywood Tuesday, but some shoppers think they ought to stay up.

"If anything happens do they plan on repairing it?" said the Dearborn customer. "Does the city plan on repairing it if something happens."

Nordstrom is closing its stores early Tuesday so its workers have time to vote. But they are also concerned about the possibility of unrest:

“Our teams are monitoring the situation in order to be prepared for any activities that might take place across the U.S. on Nov. 3 and potentially in the days following. We’re taking steps to help keep our customers and employees safe and our stores secure.”

A recent report stated Michigan along with a handful of other states, are at risk of election and post-election disturbances.

"Clearly there is a lot of anxiety out there not only in the state but throughout the country," said Javed Ali "Emotions are running high, political rhetoric is high."

Ali is a counterterrorism and national security expert.

"(I don't think) people should be worried," he said. "I think people should go on and live their daily lives. I do think if we are going to see some activity, it is going to be more with potential intimidation, harassment, or will be perceived as such at voting sites or polls versus widespread looting or vandalism in the aftermath of the results in the day or days ahead."

The full statement from Nordstroms is below:

"Our teams are monitoring the situation in order to be prepared for any activities that might take place across the U.S. on November 3 and potentially in the days following. We’re taking steps to help keep our customers and employees safe and our stores secure. We’ll also be closing each of our U.S. stores early, at 5 p.m. local time, to help ensure our customers and store employees can get home easily and make it to the polls if they still need to. We plan to reopen our doors as normal on November 4."