New Chapter For Iconic CVS Destroyed During Riots
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — A new chapter for Penn North. Four months after unrest tore it apart, crews begin demolition of the looted and burned CVS drug store.
WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren with what it looks like now, and what's ahead for the property.
The company says the store will be rebuilt by the end of the year.
At daybreak, demolition crews clawed into the CVS that came to symbolize Baltimore's struggles.
It was the store seen around the world--at the epicenter of the unrest following Freddie Gray's death.
On April 27, looters took everything they could carry. Then, it was set on fire, burning as Baltimore erupted into a night of chaos.
"Seems like to me it did more harm than good by tearing down stuff that we really need," said Josephine Joyner, 36-year resident.
Joyner now has a long walk for necessities. For her, the destruction of the CVS became personal.
"We don't have nowhere to go," she said. "We need something now."
Watching the demolition also brought out deep emotions in Antonio Brown.
"It hurts because my grandmother goes to the CVS," said Brown. "Without this, what's this community going to have?"
You could really see the progress after just six hours. CVS says its going to rebuild a bigger store with more fresh, healthy grocery items for a neighborhood that sorely needs them.
Police eventually arrested a 24-year-old man for the arson--Raymond Carter. They say he caused more than $1 million in damage.
"Hopefully, it'll be bigger and it'll be better," said Troy Stepney. "It's going to mean more."
When it was built, the CVS was a beacon of hope--a big investment in a troubled neighborhood. Then, the unrest. And now, a new beginning.
Some are even taking home bricks as souvenirs of the iconic store, that, like its city, will rise again.
CVS says it is also rehabbing a store on West Franklin Street that was badly damaged in the unrest.