Business Owners Arming Themselves Against Civil Unrest

As riots and looting erupted across the country in response to George Floyd’s death after a police officer kneeled on his neck for several minutes on Memorial Day, business owners have found themselves fighting for everything they have built. Violent and destructive riots have burned down and destroyed businesses both in cities and suburbs.

Some storefronts escaped with minimal damage in the form of broken windows and spray paint vandalism, while others were urinated in, looted, or burned to the ground. Small businesses and big box stores were equally targeted by angry mobs. In many states, retail stores are just beginning to re-open after a multi-month closure due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Although Minneapolis was the sight of Floyd’s death, riots broke out in dozens of cities, from New York to Philadelphia to Los Angeles to Tampa. The destruction left in their wake was devastating to business owners still reeling from Coronavirus shutdowns.

In Cleveland, the owners of Corbo’s bakery brandished rifles as their store was approached by a group of protestors. The group moved on after a brick was thrown and broke a window.

In Minneapolis’s Powderhorn Park neighborhood, business owners sent those licensed to carry onto their roofs to protect their buildings. Black business owners were seen standing shoulder-to-shoulder holding AR-15s, AK-47s, pistols, and other guns to protect their livelihoods from looters.

In the Tri-Cities region of Washington State, a “Defend the Tri” group formed that sent armed citizens to patrol shopping centers as support for overwhelmed police forces.

In Van Nuys, CA, video was captured of business owners turning back would-be looters after walking outside armed.

Responses to armed business owners have varied, with some worried that incidents will escalate and more lives will be lost. Others, including Yucaipa councilman Bobby Duncan, defend the owners, saying they are well within their rights to defend their properties.

One fatality has been reported due to an armed business owner in Minneapolis, where a pawnshop owner fired the shot in response to looting. One person is in custody.

All of the armed business owners are licensed to carry and obeying local laws; in Minnesota, Ohio, and Washington State open carry is legal. Many groups are in contact with local police or are carrying weapons in the absence of police presence. In California, sheriff’s departments are reminding citizens of concealed carry laws and carrying firearms in public.

Thus far, armed business owners have had a 100% success rate of deterring rioters and looters and protecting their properties.

Up Next:

• Downtown LA Businesses Vandalized, Looted as Garcetti Announces National Guard on its Way
• George Floyd Protests: 14 Arrests After New Earlier Curfew for Downtown Orlando, Police Say
• George Floyd Protests in California Stretch from Biggest Cities to Rural Towns