As the world waits to see whether a grand jury in lower Manhattan indicts former President Donald Trump, neighbourhood resident Barbara Malmet decided to give up her front-row seat. While police erected barricades around the courthouse where any criminal case would be brought, the retired New York University professor packed a bag and prepared to leave town.

Malmet, 70, lives a few blocks from the city’s civic center and said she is concerned about “a smaller repeat of Jan. 6” if Trump incites “his cult followers into violence.” She wants ”a little more peace of mind not being within walking distance of the courthouse.”