Bronx business owners looted during George Floyd protests in June prepare for Election Day chaos
Bronx business owners still reeling from looting over the summer on Fordham Rd. braced for chaos on the eve of Election Day.
A Foot Action and pharmacy were boarded up. Other business owners planned to close early for the rest of the week. Some employees expected to do shifts overnight, just to be on the lookout for thieves.
“It just seems like an excuse for free merchandise. It gives them a reason to steal and act crazy,” a manager at Shop Surprise Furniture told the Daily News.
The 10-block stretch was the site of rampant looting in June by opportunists taking advantage of protests over the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The businesses, many of them owned by local residents struggling to stay afloat during the coronavirus pandemic, suffered major losses due to damage and stolen merchandise.
Now, they face the possibility of more turmoil as votes for President Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden are tallied starting Tuesday. Trump has signaled he won’t accept the results if he loses and has undermined the integrity of the election through unfounded attacks on mail-in votes, raising the likelihood of major protests regardless of the outcome.
The mood had shifted by 4 p.m. One man hollered “They’re going to start looting at 6 p.m.!" to which another guy responded, “I’ll do it again! I’m down!” Shoppers reacted dismissively. “You’re just saying random times, nothing’s happening,” one said. NYPD officers soon arrived on the block.
Bandits who broke into Gabby’s Pet Shop swiped 15 dogs, more than three dozen canaries and a rare African grey parrot named Lola. They also caused $30,000 in damage. Chris Gomez, a manager at the store, vowed it would be better prepared this time around.
“We upgraded technology. Now we have better security. We now actually take turns sleeping here at night. So we can make sure the dogs, the store, everybody is safe,” Gomez said.
Others were taking a wait-and-see approach.
Carlos Rodriguez, a worker at Beverly Hills Furniture, said the store hadn’t taken additional measures to prepare for mayhem. Looters swiped over $300,000 in inventory during the June looting spree.
“For now we’re going about business as usual. If we start seeing movement, then we’ll close down. The owner hasn’t told me anything about [the election]. It just depends on how things are going outside. If we start seeing movement, we’ll put more extra protection," Rodriguez said.
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