Los Angeles Stores Begin Taking Down Plywood Boards As Protests Remain Peaceful
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — First there was the pandemic, then there were the protests that turned violent. With civil right marches staying peaceful this week, stores in Los Angeles are starting to take down the boards and reopen.
Plywood boards put up to prevent looting during ongoing protests after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis are starting to come down in the Fairfax District.
In Studio City, where many plywood boards remain up, owners say they are working on plans for reopening. They say they are more comfortable with taking down the boards and reopening because protests, like that one that took place in West Hollywood Tuesday night, have remained peaceful.
In Beverly Hills, the owners of the boutique Pol' Atteu say they were eagerly readying the store to reopen the store after closing abruptly because of the pandemic -- and then they were hit by looters.
"We came the next day, and you see your life's work just gone," Patrik Simpson said. A GoFundMe was set up to help the boutique recover from the looting.
Protests the weekend after Floyd's death turned violent, with stores being looted in Beverly Hills, the Fairfax District and in Santa Monica. A curfew was instituted for most of the first week of June in Los Angeles County.
