Anger, disgust, outrage. The murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis has set off protests across the country to say Enough. This impunity, this racism, this callous disregard for one man’s life — and so many lives — cannot go unchallenged.
In San Francisco and elsewhere, we have had — and must continue to have — peaceful protests. In San Francisco and elsewhere, the police must respect the protests, even join them, and pledge deep, lasting reform.
In San Francisco and elsewhere, unfortunately, opportunists are using the moment as an excuse to steal and destroy. To illustrate the toll, we’re posting this photo essay, shot around Union Square on Sunday as all kinds of businesses — from theaters to local brands that have made it big, from mom-and-pop corner stores to luxury retailers — cleaned up after a night of looting and braced for more.
The coronavirus pandemic has imperiled our city’s shops, so dependent upon industries that have either completely halted (tourism and travel) or whose workers will be slow to return to business districts (tech).
Their losses aren’t a political statement or acceptable collateral damage for justifiable rage. They are our losses; their owners, managers, and employees are our neighbors.
Their losses aren’t a political statement or acceptable collateral damage for justifiable rage. They are our losses; their owners, managers, and employees are our neighbors. Their losses are not theoretical. They only add to the $1 billion-plus budget deficit San Francisco is bracing for, which we will all feel in the form of cuts to services, schools, and more.
So get out and protest. (Wear a mask, please!) And when you hear of local businesses of any kind being targeted, it’s not us versus them. We’re in this together.
Photos by The Frisc art director Jeremy LaCroix. Text by editor in chief Alex Lash.
