More than 100 people were arrested overnight on Sunday and into Monday morning as stores were damaged and looted in Chicago following the police shooting of a man in the Englewood area.
"We are waking up in shock this morning," Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in a press conference. "During the early morning hours of today, dozens of individuals came to our Loop, Mag Mile, River North and Gold Coast neighborhoods, as well as our commercial district around North and Clybourn. These individuals engaged in what can only be described as brazen and extensive criminal looting and destruction. To be clear, this had nothing to do with legitimate, protected First Amendment expression."
The Chicago Sun-Times said in a report that affected stores on Mag Mile included Coach, Nike, Burberry, Saks Fifth Avenue, Louis Vuitton, Dior, and more. Elsewhere, grocery shops and an interior design store—among several others—are said to have been hit.
While Lightfoot and police officials took a strict approach in condemning these actions, including—perBlock Club Chicago—the announcement that officers would have their off days canceled and will now temporarily be working 12-hour shifts, critics have pointed out that this approach sends the message that shows a greater focus on high-end shops than on the citizens of Chicago. Furthermore, critics of this approach note, a potentially higher presence of police will only escalate situations of this nature.
As for the police shooting that preceded the lootings, many have noted that it's difficult to accept police's account of the incident at face value due to the unfortunate history of police departments nationwide often working against the public by attempting to steer the narrative. While Chicago police say the Englewood shooting started with the suspect firing shots at officers, the department has thus far not made body cam footage or other evidence of this claim public.
