Businesses in crime-riddled Chicago have already begun boarding up their stores ahead of the Democrat National Convention (DNC) on Monday, as massive riots and violence are expected.
Chicago businesses are boarding up their shops ahead of the DNC Convention this upcoming week.
Numerous business owners are in fear of mass riots.
This was not the case for the RNC.
🤣🤣🤣🤣
— Ryan Fournier (@RyanAFournier) August 16, 2024
As thousands of anti-Israel activists are descending upon Chicago to protest outside the DNC, thick plywood boards began appearing on Thursday morning outside of Chicago businesses in the area where the convention is planned.
“As we know, this city has a poor track record when it comes to protecting businesses,” Scott Shapiro, owner of Syd Jerome, told Chicago news station WLS-TV.
“We felt it was more prudent to board up, since our customers and their employers have told them to stay home throughout the convention for their own safety,” the business owner added, noting that he does not fear peaceful protesters and is only concerned about “the people that embed themselves and take advantage of those protests for their own agenda.”
Shapiro’s concerns are likely warranted, as his business was one of the many that was destroyed during the George Floyd riots in 2020. Plus, numerous media outlets have reported that violent groups have been organizing and planning for the DNC, including the domestic terrorist group ANTIFA and pro-Hamas activists.
Next week for the DNC convention some buildings will not be accepting deliveries until after the convention
Lots of companies are also keeping their employees at home because they fear protestors will riot #Chicago pic.twitter.com/y2CkhAKJdI
— Goofies Of Chicago (@Chicago_Goofies) August 15, 2024
Plywood barriers have been seen across the Loop area of Chicago and the downtown shopping sector, with one boarding company reporting that they have had 40 calls in just this last week to schedule appointments to board up businesses.
The Chicago Police Department (CPD) has warned that violence and destruction will not be tolerated, but many business owners do not believe that anything will be done to stop riots or punish rioters, as Chicago is known for being soft on crime.
CPD Superintendent Larry Snelling attempted to assuage those fears in a statement to CNN, warning that the First Amendment does not cover “criminal acts.”
“There is a distinct difference between the riot and a peaceful protest, or people who are simply actually exercising their first amendment rights,” the statement read. “The first amendment for tat [sic] actions does not include rioting, it doesn’t include criminal acts … It doesn’t include breaking the law. It doesn’t include violence, vandalism, those things that we are not going to tolerate in our city. But if people are showing up here to exercise their first amendment rights, they’re doing it peacefully lawfully, we’re going to protect their rights to do that.”
“The minute that starts, we have to put an end to it,” Snelling said regarding violence and rioting, according to Chicago’s WBEZ radio. “When people become comfortable committing acts of violence and vandalism, that’s when it turns into a riot.”
He also reported that many officers are going to be forced to work overtime in the next week, stating: “We’re going to have to extend hours; there are going to be day-off cancellations. But there [are] also wellness plans in place for our officers to make sure that, cognitively, our officers are effective when they’re responding.”
