We’ve seen this twisted ritual too many times recently.
Restaurants, bars, and shops across the US once again boarded up their windows and doors, bracing for mass upheavals following the trial of Derek Chauvin. As the former Minneapolis police officer was convicted on all charges for the murder of George Floyd last night, many establishments kept their plywood shields in place, anticipating street celebrations and demonstrations this week. More than a nuisance, seeing storefronts poised for violence has a profound effect on our mental health and social relations.
Learning from the widespread looting and vandalism that occurred in June, as protests over Floyd’s murder came to a boiling point, businesses have been preemptively covering their façades. In New York City, San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Chicago—hundreds of miles from Minneapolis courtroom where the trial was held—establishments erected the now all-too-familiar plywood shields to protect their property. Stores who managed to survive the economic downturn also boarded up during the US presidential elections in November and every high-profile instance of police brutality since then. Emergency board-up assistance is a thriving line of business, a service that was once mostly prevalent in coastal states prone to flooding and hurricanes. Luxury stores are barricaded in branded coverings and even several Apple Store outlets—once bastions of soaring glass architecture—have resorted to hiding behind boards. It’s a grim trend that resulted in a plywood shortage last year.