Downtown Raleigh businesses sustain $76,000 in damage during weekend protest
Fifteen businesses in downtown Raleigh sustained an estimated $76,000 worth of damage during a protest Saturday night, according to police reports.
Among the damaged businesses and buildings were Brewery Bhavana, Bida Manda, Pour House, Indy Week, One City Plaza and the Raleigh City Bus Terminal.
Among those reporting the most damage, Beasley’s Chicken+Honey on South Wilmington Street sustained an estimated $20,000 in damage to seven windows, according to police incident reports requested by The News & Observer. One City Plaza sustained an estimated $15,000 in damage to three windows.
Bill King, the director of the Downtown Raleigh Alliance, said in an email that seven storefronts had at least one broken window and several more had been tagged with graffiti.
In a phone interview, King said there was much less damage than during the late May protests shortly after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
“Being able to host forms of expression is part of being a state capital,” King said, “but we need to be able to do that without concern of vandalism and damage.”
Jennifer Martin with Shop Local Raleigh, a nonprofit that promotes local and independent businesses, said downtown businesses have been suffering because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the damage makes things more difficult.
“While there is insurance, they have to pay deductibles and some may be looking at increased premiums for their insurance policies,” she said in a phone call. “We all understand and support the need for social justice and reform, but violence is not the solution.”
Detective in Breonna Taylor case pleads not guilty
Saturday night’s protest came after a grand jury did not indict three officers last week in the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky. The only one charged in the incident, Detective Brett Hankison, pleaded not guilty Monday to “wanton endangerment” for firing into the home of Taylor’s neighbors, The Associated Press reported.
The Saturday night protest in Raleigh started hours after a peaceful afternoon protest ended in front of the Wake County Courthouse. About 100 people gathered to demonstrate against what they called the “corruption” of the criminal justice system and to call for the abolition of police.
During the night-time protest, 12 protesters were arrested. Eleven were charged with public disturbance and unlawful assembly, eight were additionally charged with resisting or obstructing an officer, one was charged with assault on a law enforcement officer and one with failure to disperse.
Mayor of Raleigh, Durham blame usurpers
At a protest in Durham on Wednesday night, at least 13 buildings were vandalized, said Durham Mayor Steve Schewel. Buildings were damaged by breaking doors and windows and spray painting graffiti.
There was tens of thousands of dollars of damage, but Durham police spokeswoman Kammie Michael said the police department still did not have an exact estimate of the damage Monday afternoon.
In both Durham and Raleigh the mayors have said those causing the damage, most of them white, have usurped local movements seeking racial justice.
This story was originally published September 28, 2020 at 4:21 PM with the headline "Downtown Raleigh businesses sustain $76,000 in damage during weekend protest."