PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Businesses in and around Philadelphia are boarding up their storefronts ahead of the Derek Chauvin verdict. Many are in locations that were hit hard by looters following the death of George Floyd last summer.
In Center City, some stores covered up windows. A high-rise at 17th and Market streets put up a tall wooden fence that stretches along much of the block.
In Port Richmond, stores are covered up at shopping centers that previously saw looting not just after Floyd’s death, but following the shooting death of Walter Wallace Jr. by Philadelphia police officers in October 2020. There are similar scenes along the 52nd Street corridor in West Philadelphia and along 69th Street in Upper Darby.
“Every day, you see a new store boarded up because it’s that serious out here,” Meena Bel, manager at clothing store Madrag, told NBC10. “We don’t know what’s gonna happen, so it’s better to take precaution.”
Upper Darby police sent a letter to businesses urging them to board up and remove any valuables inside. Bel is concerned about those who try to take advantage of an already tense situation.
“Using protesting as an excuse to loot and riot. They don’t understand how much it damages the community and the people that shop in it,” she said.
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Philadelphia police say they have the staffing available to handle potential unrest. More than 1,000 Pennsylvania National Guard members have been activated to help in Philadelphia as well. Gov. Tom Wolf granted that request from city officials.
In an open letter to Philadelphians, Mayor Jim Kenney said the city will be calling for “citywide prayer” on the day of the verdict.
“This is a call for active peace,” he wrote. “So when the verdict comes, no matter the outcome, let us resolve to demonstrate peacefully, to voice the pain and anguish loud and clear but without destruction, and let us stay united working to ensure that Black lives matter today — and every day.”
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