The looters who roamed Chicago’s South and West sides on Sunday, and targeted commercial properties in the suburbs, brought crowbars and bricks to send their messages of destruction. Chicago and suburban residents responded Monday morning with brooms and garbage bags.
If there was a sign of hope in a city crushed by days of vandalism, rioting and pain over the senseless police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, it was the sight of Chicagoans showing up at damaged buildings to sweep. One by one.
Maya Bryant of Blue Island packed her car with cleanup supplies and headed to Marshfield Plaza at 119th Street and Interstate 57, where looters a day before busted through windows of restaurants and shops at the shopping center. Video games and new shoes were scattered across the parking lot of a Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois health center that recently invested in the neighborhood by moving into an abandoned Target store.
Joanne King of Chicago went to check the damage too. She hopped out of her car and ended up holding a dustpan outside a looted video game store. Adia Jackson of Alsip, who grew up in Chicago, saw the destruction as it unfolded Sunday afternoon, no police in sight, and returned Monday to pick up debris.
“We understand the things you’re very angry about, but your actions are wrong,” she said of the looters.
Jean, a 70-year old resident who didn’t want to give her last name, rolled down her car window, leaned over her Betty Boop steering wheel cover and wept through fogged eyeglasses as she questioned why anyone would want to put more black people out of work by destroying South Side businesses.
“This is ignorance at its best. They’re indignant. No self-respect, no dignity, no pride, no morals, no values, no nothing,” she said. “They have hurt more people than they could ever imagine. And this is really sad. Our children see this … this don’t solve anything.”
Chicago was quieter Monday morning, but the damage was done. Mayor Lori Lightfoot and police Superintendent David Brown had elevated downtown bridges, blocked access to the Loop and called in the Illinois National Guard to help protect the city’s downtown business district — too late for many stores.
With the Loop locked down, looting Sunday on the South and West sides spread like wildfire, Lightfoot said. One young group, including a child who looked no more than 12 years old, used bats and poles to break into a Walgreens at 119th Street and Western Avenue in broad daylight, a Facebook post showed.
Can Chicago recover quickly? Downtown and bustling North Side areas surely will, but parts of the rest of the city will need concentrated, consistent attention. They did before. They especially do now. Chronic gun violence in some neighborhoods is one obstacle. Then months of businesses shut down due to the coronavirus. Add a weekend of mass destruction, and will business owners reinvest? Or bolt?
Lightfoot promised she would focus city resources on struggling neighborhoods trying to recover. This is a city already strapped for cash and pressed to keep up with existing expenses, let alone new ones.
It’s also a city of limitless, unrelenting resilience and heart. The sight of brooms was one small reminder of that.
Editorials reflect the opinion of the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board, as determined by the members of the board, the editorial page editor and the publisher.
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