Brutal Battles for Businesses
Businesses continue to face hardship through the turmoils of COVID-19 and the repercussions from the death of George Floyd.
In the midst of the coronavirus, many large cities were finally re-opening some non-essential businesses in various fashions.
Restaurants were filling up with masked customers, following proper social distancing. Salons and even offices were up and running for the first time since mid-March.
Despite the large amount of anticipation and excitement, instead of flipping the closed sign and pulling up drapes, owners are sweeping up glass, washing off graffiti and boarding up their store.
Amid pain and unrest from the death of George Floyd, companies are now hurting more on top of the extreme lack of business.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot expressed her feelings to the Chicago Tribune, sharing, “It’s a terrible thing that after being shut down for so long, these businesses were preparing for opening on June 3, putting out patio furniture and doing other things to get themselves ready. Now instead of a moment of celebration, what they’re doing is experiencing a moment of despair.”
I am personally still digesting all of this recent news in these unprecedented times. I deeply empathize with the lack of work being done in this country to create progress towards justice, but I am also angered at the individuals who abuse these protests and take them as an opportunity to destroy surrounding cities.
While the overwhelming majority of protests have remained peaceful and furthered their movement, aggressive and destructive fringe groups have taken advantage of the chaos into the late hours of the evening.
While it is common for society to pay attention to the looting of big companies like Target, Walmart or Nike, small businesses bear the brunt of the destruction.
Across the country, mom and pop shops are determining if they can rebuild decades of hard work destroyed overnight.
In Portland, Oregon, this issue truly hits home.
Mercantile is a historical women’s boutique located in the heart of downtown near the developing Ritz Carlton. An employee here for over 25 years, my mother finally returned to work after a month off from COVID-19.
She was quickly forced, however, to remain at home after discovering the jewelry case had been shattered and looted with clothing displays sheathed in paintballs. My heart ached after hearing this story at dinner and I am still piecing together how these acts relate to the promotion of equality.
With the difficult times, I acknowledge that I do not have all of the answers. I aspire to reach out to my friends and family members in pain and strive to educate myself on these troubling systemic patterns.
Whether it be through social media or other means, I promise to build up small businesses while addressing the systemic injustices within society. I look forward to being part of the solution.
