In Destruction They Find #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd

In Destruction They Find #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd
June 24, 2020 Comments Off on In Destruction They Find #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd News Column, Op-Ed, RNHA News Articles, Uncategorized RNHA NEWS

Due to the video of police brutality displayed by former police officer Derek Chauvin, protests quickly sprang up in Minneapolis to seek justice for George Floyd. The protests quickly devolved into riots where property, both public and private were destroyed, and looting ensued. This started a chain reaction where more civil unrest is displayed throughout the country.

A viral video surfaced when Korbio (KB) Balla, a former firefighter, and owner of Scores Sports Bar, was interviewed by CBS. In the video he’s shows devastation with the destruction that came to pass as his business was set on fire and looted. During the interview, some looters went into the bar, through the debris, to try and steal a safe that they found. 

Balla said in his interview while holding back tears, “I don’t know what we’re going to do. It hurts, man. It’s not fair, it’s not right. We’ve been working so hard for this place. It’s not just for me, it’s for my family.” 

Twyana Balla, KB Balla’s wife, posted pictures of the destruction on Facebook and said, “I’m hearing people say F*** the business they have insurance WELL WE DONT AND THIS IS ALL OUT OF POCKET!!! Let someone come run in your home and loot for the cause then and let’s see you be ok with it! This is your neighborhood and if you have children you couldn’t even walk them down the street because everything is burning or destroyed. You wouldn’t understand unless you were in this position! Justice for George Floyd but not this kind of justice.”

Balla’s story isn’t the only one, more than 170 businesses were damaged or looted according to the St. Paul Police Department in Minnesota.

Business owners across the country had to put signs in windows to show rioters that they were minority-owned as a sign of solidarity, but it had little effect.

Moe Armin, the owner of 804 Tobacco Shop & Convenience Mart, in Richmond, Virginia, had his business broken into and looted after a protest turned into a riot.

Armin said, “A business is like someone’s house this my living this how I feed my kids, my family. I pay taxes, taxes pay for a lot of things like safety for public as we so that does not give anyone the right to do something like this.”

He also mentioned that $6,000 was taken from his register among the other items looted.

In the same town, Randy Adams DDS was vandalized too. According to NBC 12, the dentistry offered affordable care to minority children. Randy Adams himself said, “This business has a lot of blood sweat, and tears.”

The Baltimore Sun reported that the initial protests were peaceful and then erupted into rioting with a bank being broken into and set on fire along with a few storefronts.

Various shops in New York City were looted, police cars have been set on fire, and Governor Andrew Cuomo has said that the National Guard is on standby. The NYPD reported 345 people have been arrested, 33 police officers injured, and a total of 27 of their vehicles have been destroyed or damaged.

Washington D.C. had various historic monuments vandalized with graffiti. According to the Secret Service, there were many attempts to knock over barricades and approximately 50 agents have been injured. Due to the fear of dirty bombs around the White House and the growing civil unrest, President Trump was taken to a bunker.

NBC Los Angeles reported that in Santa Monica, California there were rioters with signs protesting the murder of Floyd while looting.  Mayor Kevin McKeown said that the protests were peaceful, and “Yet our solidarity with those honoring George Floyd was betrayed, as was his memory, by opportunistic and organized criminals.” On May 31, the National Guard Bureau issued a press release which stated, “As of this morning, approximately 5,000 Guard Soldiers and Airmen were activated in response to civil disturbances in 15 states and the District of Columbia, with another 2,000 prepared to act if needed

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