South Loop Left With Major Damage As It Prepares For Another Night Of Protests
CHICAGO (CBS) -- There was major cleaning up to do in the South Loop on Sunday, following violence and looting the night before.
As CBS 2's Steven Graves reported, glass was smashed at a Best Buy at Roosevelt Road and Jefferson Street, as well as a T-Mobile store. Police were staking out the area ahead of a curfew that was set to begin at 9 p.m. for the second night.
The people who targeted the stores were not protesters and were just busting through windows, Graves reported.
On South Wabash Avenue, an ATM was ripped out – suggesting an organized effort. A shop owner said he watched on camera as vehicles pulled up and drove off with groups of about 10 to 20 people. This was around 10 p.m. Saturday when a curfew was already in place.
At Buddy Guy's Legends, 700 S. Wabash Ave, there was blood at the scene of a broken window suggesting a fist had gone through it, and another window was also broken on the other side of the storefront.
Ald. Sophia King (4th) said the point of the protests has been lost.
"Nobody's talking about George Floyd anymore and that's unfortunate," she said. "They're talking about all the damage that's been done, you know, material damage, and so we've list the focus on the emotional damage that's been caused because of years and years and years of racism and killing indiscriminately of black men."
Meanwhile, snow plows were blocking the entrance to the downtown area proper.