NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) – After staying up late to watch election results, North Texans woke up on the morning of Nov. 4 with still no clear winner for presidency.
Commuters at the West End DART station in downtown Dallas said they are anxiously awaiting the results of the presidential election to be announced.
“I thought when I woke up I would know who my president was,” Tommy, a Dallas resident, said. “My hope for America is that whoever is in power will be more for the people.”
Despite the uncertainty of the election on everyone’s mind, it seemed like a typical Wednesday commute in downtown Dallas.
“The atmosphere is almost the same as it was the week leading up to the election because everyone was prepared for a stalemate,” Bennie explained as he got off the train on his way to work. “You’re not even hearing a lot of political talk even on the trains at this point, where any other morning it would be a pretty debatable topic.”
Though things were calm Wednesday morning, some businesses in parts of downtown had prepared for the worst in the wake of the election.
Many choosing to board up with plywood in order to prevent looting in the case violent protests broke out.
Business owners say after what happened during the protests over the death of George Floyd earlier this year, they didn’t want to take any chances.
But Mark Brand, senior pastor at Antioch Church located just feet from the West End DART station, chose not to board up his church.
“We had our windows broken out during the unrest a few months ago, but it turned out to be a very good thing for us,” Brand said. “We moved services outside and are now feeding more than 250 people in our parking lot that we weren’t before.”
He explained that by keeping their windows and doors free of plywood, they are sending a message to the community that Antioch Church is open for anyone who is looking for hope and acceptance.
“I think frequently about what Abraham Lincoln said about how a house divided can’t stand,” Brand said. “And frankly, as a pastor, it breaks my heart to see families even churches torn apart over political perspectives.”
No rioting or looting has been reported in Dallas so far, and residents say they are hopeful it stays that way, no matter the outcome of the election.
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