Chicago Neighborhood Businesses Board Up To Avoid Possible Unrest
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Business owners and the city are taking steps to protect stores on the South Side from looting Monday night.
Some are still recovering from looting earlier this summer.
CBS 2's Tim McNicholas has more from a shopping mall near 87th and the Dan Ryan where police say the first incident happened overnight.
People have been out here all day boarding up storefronts. There are some broken windows in the area. You'll also find boards on several businesses that were not vandalized Sunday night. Some were just trying to protect themselves from any potential vandalism Monday night.
City trucks and shopping carts block several entrance ways into shopping centers near 87th and the Dan Ryan. It's an area where several businesses were hit by looting in the days after George Floyd's death.
That includes Cosmo Beauty. The owners said their store was not damaged last night, but security guard Cornelius Rhyne explained why they're not taking any chances.
"We just finished fixing that up. Now we gotta go back to board down, stay at home. No work. Nothing," he said.
The store is right next to City Sports, which did have a broken window. Monday morning, Lamarius Bellamy is a Longwood High School senior who showed up here hoping to drop off his resume at City Sports. Instead, he found the store closed with added security outside and CPD officers patrolling the area.
"This my first job I thought I was gonna have," Bellamy said. "There's just too much going on in Chicago."
There were more broken windows at another shopping center across the street. The Food 4 Less also decided early Monday afternoon to board up and close down for the day. Now there are still some open entrance ways to these parking lots so shoppers can access the stores still open.
But the city has blocked off several driveways off the busy roads.
