User:Feoffer/sandbox17

Citing concerns of potential civil unrest associated with the 2020 United States election, government officials and  private businesses have taken steps to increase security and prevent potential violence.

Background
During a debate on September 29, Trump called upon members of the Proud Boys to "stand by", increasing concerns about potential unrest. On October 8, 2020, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced the arrests of 13 suspects accused of plotting to kidnap Gretchen Whitmer, the Governor of Michigan, and otherwise violently overthrow the state government ahead of the election.

On October 29,Walmart briefly pulled guns and ammunition, citing concerns about potential civil unrest; Items were returned to shelves the following day. After Trump cancelled plans to host an election-night event at a D.C. hotel, officials announced the construction of a "non-scalable fence" around the White House. Democrats in Rome, Georgia were forced to cancel a rally after learning of a "large militia presence" and a shortage of police protection.

Caravan incidents
Journalists and staffers were travelling aboard the Biden campaign bus to a rally in San Marcos, Texas when they were surrounded by a convoy of 40 to 50 vehicles, many flying Trump flags. Multiple different trucks pulled in front of the bus, apparently in an attempt to slow it down. One of the caravan was filmed making contact with another vehicle.

Staffers called 911 and law enforcement, who assisted the bus in reaching its destination in Austin. Campaign officials cancelled multiple subsequent rallies, citing security concerns in the wake of the incident. The FBI announced it was investigating the incident, a move that was publicly condemned by Trump. Speaking to crowds in Florida, Marco Rubio praised the caravan, saying "We love what they did".

A similar incident occurred on November 1, when multiple lanes of traffic on the Garden State Parkway were brought to a standstill after several hundreds cars, many with Trump flags, stopped on the parkway.

In Temecula, California, law enforcement were dispatched to a polling place after a caravan blocked access to the site.