In today’s day and age, protests can break and out any time and any place. With recent events, it is more of a common occurrence that most of us would like to admit. Every citizen has the right to peacefully assemble and protest but some of these protests can and have previously turned violent – which poses a major risk for businesses surrounded by these protests. As a business owner, you have every right to protect your property and there are several things you can do to ensure the safety of your business during these unrests.

3 Riot and Protest Protection Tips

1. Plan for it

Prevention is better than cure – and in this case, knowing when these protests are due to happen, could save your business.

For legitimate, planned protests, there is often information regarding the time, place, and route of these protests. Stay informed with local community groups and local news to stay in the know. This will help tremendously with knowing what the next steps should be for the businesses that are at risk and when a plan should be implemented.

2. Board-up your windows

It’s a fact that even the most civil of riots can be unpredictable. For those riots that turn violent, ensuring that the surrounding property and the items inside the businesses are safe, is a major concern for most business owners. Even with high-impact glass, choosing to board up windows adds an extra layer of protection and prevents onlookers from seeing inside to identify expensive assets. Boarding up might seem extreme, but it could spare a lot of heartache in the long run.

3. Set up and monitor security cameras

Setting up security cameras are great to catch any perpetrator who has potentially damaged your property, but this option won’t necessarily prevent any damage from being done to your business in the chaos of a violent protest. Cameras aren’t just great for protest protection, they are a valuable long-term investment that can pay dividends for many years down the road.