Just as they try to reopen, L.A. Protests force beleaguered luxury retail stores to shut down

As thousands of demonstrators protesting the death of George Floyd by a Minnesota police officer  moved westward in Los Angeles, luxury retail started to board up in fear of riots and looting.

The entirety of famed luxury shopping strip Rodeo Drive was blocked to traffic by early afternoon on Saturday, as protestors were still miles to the east. The Beverly Center, a mall in West Hollywood that houses a number of luxury brands, also decided to close entirely on Saturday, a representative confirmed. The center had just reopened on Friday, after L.A. officials suddenly announced earlier in the week that in-store shopping could resume after months of being prohibited due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A number of the stores had slowly started to reopen since Wednesday, allowing shoppers inside and refreshing merchandise displays. But as of midday on Saturday, the same stores were again locked and emptied of all merchandise as police stood at traffic barricades. Gucci, Prada, Dior, Rolex, and Louis Vuitton located on famed Rodeo Drive, were being hurriedly boarded up by workmen. In Beverly Hills and the Downtown area of L.A., an 8 p.m. curfew was mandated by late afternoon.

Unfortunately, fears among retailers and brands that protests in Los Angeles over the death of George Floyd would devolve into looting have now been realized in many areas. Beginning at around 6pm Saturday evening, luxury retailers like Alexander McQueen and Gucci on Rodeo drive were broken into and looted. Display windows were tagged with “Eat the rich,” and “Make America Pay.”

In nearby West Hollywood, a Nordstrom department store within The Grove shopping center that had its rear entrance broken into, allowing the looting of merchandise to begin. The Apple store in the Grove was also broken into and looted, as was a Ray-Ban store. The Marc Jacobs on Melrose Ave. had also been breached by this time, with its glass door shattered. The store had not barricaded its windows, but from video on social media it appears the store was cleared of any available merchandise. Unbroken glass on the store’s window read “F*** capitalism.”

By 9 p.m. more stores were being looted, including an Adidas Originals location on Melrose, which also had a metal gate lifted, its glass door broken and saw most of its merchandise taken, and a nearby Urban Outfitters. Also on Melrose in West Hollywood The Real Real’s location was broken into and looted. A trio of small retail establishments on Melrose were also set on fire: Tony K. a shoe store, Reloaded, an apparel store, and a Dr. Martens store. A Target store in the Fairfax neighborhood was also being looted by this time. It’s a devastating turn of events for the fashion and retail industries, who have been so hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic and mandatory shutdowns.

This is the third night of protesting in L.A., which has been predominately peaceful. Other cities across the U.S. are seeing protests as well, including Seattle, Portland, Nashville, Washington D.C., Philadelphia Atlanta, Tampa, Brooklyn and Minneapolis, the city where George Floyd was killed.  “This is no longer protest, this is destruction,” L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti said on Saturday night. But the curfew did little to deter all people and protestors, thousands of which were still out on the streets of L.A. as 8 p.m. approached. L.A. police said later Saturday evening that it had mobilized the entire police force, close to 10,000 officers. This is the first time the entire police force has been mobilized since 1994, when severe earthquakes hit the San Fernando Valley region of L.A. County. By 8:30 p.m., California Governor Gavin Newsom approved the state’s National Guard to come to L.A. and assist the police. They were expected to arrive in the city by midnight.

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Photo Credit:  Alex Millauer / Shutterstock.com