“This time last year, shoppers on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile were waiting for Louis Vuitton to debut its whimsical holiday window decorations. Now those same windows are hidden behind a wall of wood panels painted bright orange. While still open for shoppers, stores like Gucci, H&M and Nordstrom are also boarded up after looters targeted the city’s famed retail district in the spring and summer, when protests gripped more than 100 U.S. cities.”
“As security experts warn that the U.S. presidential election could spark renewed civil unrest, those stores remain clad in plywood as retailers seek to keep property and employees safe in the event street violence flares anew. The Magnificent Mile shop was broken into and robbed during early morning mayhem that erupted after the police shooting of a young Black man in August. Aon Plc, the world’s largest insurance broker, told Reuters the majority of retailer clients it surveyed are considering boarding up stores because they are worried about looting around the election. Aon executive MaryAnne Burke said about 70% of these retailer clients did so during protests in May and June” – Reuters.