After Nearly a Year of Unrest, Portland Leaders Pursue a Crackdown nytimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nytimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Insurance Woes Impede Recovery
A lack of affordable insurance puts Portland businesses at risk of property damage and theft.
On May 30, 2020, during demonstrations for social justice in Portland’s downtown, someone broke the storefront window of Mercantile Portland, a high-end women’s clothing store on the corner of Southwest Alder Street and Park Avenue. Over the next several hours, thieves stole goods and vandalized the interior.
The shop was closed for the next four months as the owner fixed windows and cleaned up the place. The total for the repairs and the stolen goods came to $1 million, says Eric Murfitt, controller of Mercantile Portland.
It doesn t cover civil unrest : Downtown Portland businesses face rising insurance costs, decreased coverage after riots
Insurance underwriters are taking riots and damage into account when choosing whether or not to renew some policies. Author: Katherine Cook Updated: 11:26 PM PST January 5, 2021
PORTLAND, Ore. In downtown Portland, plywood and graffiti are the new cityscape. Only, it isn’t new, anymore.
Since late last spring, businesses have been dealing with damage and looting from riots and protests, most recently a New Year’s Eve riot organized by an anti-capitalist group. In May, Mercantile Portland on SW Alder suffered over $1 million dollars in damage and looting during a riot in response to the death of George Floyd.