After vandalism, Tacoma business owners say there are bigger issues than broken glass
Up and down Pacific Avenue in Tacoma on Tuesday morning, shop keepers, restaurant owners and workers were sweeping up glass and assessing vandalism from the night before.
Some also were taking stock of the bigger picture, the reason why so many had marched passed their businesses the night before: ending racism and police brutality.
At least six businesses had windows smashed and items stolen by groups of black-clad vandals late Monday after an otherwise peaceful protest and march linked to the death of George Floyd moved through the area. Floyd died at the hands of police a week ago in Minneapolis.
While discouraged by the vandalism, clothing store UrbanXchange owners Nick and Brooke Casanova said it’s not the biggest issue affecting businesses on Pacific Avenue, many of which are owned by people of color.
“Our black community has been enduring so much pain for so long,” Nick Casanova said. “Brooke and I are more concerned about bringing justice to the black community than worried about windows on Pac Ave.”
Eric Powers was helping board up windows at the Harmon Brewing Co. Powers, who is the restaurant’s majority owner, estimated vandals caused $5,000-10,000 in damages. Three picture windows had been smashed. A stained glass window had a hole through it.
“It’s frustrating, for sure,” he said, looking around his now darkened interior. “It’s a very difficult time.”
Powers declined to board up his business as others had done on Monday. He had been buoyed by Saturday’s peaceful protest.
“Everybody was very respectful,” Powers said of Saturday. “I was really hopeful it was going to be the same.”
Vandals also broke out Indochine Asian Dining Lounge’s main window and stole several computers and bottles of alcohol.
“It could have been a lot worse,” said owner Russel Brunton.
On the northern side of the University of Washington campus, several businesses had windows smashed including Starbucks and a bubble tea restaurant.
Diamond Sanger, the owner of two boutiques on the block which were hit, was weighing the decision to board up her unbroken windows. She had not gotten any direction from the university, which is her landlord.
“I’m at a loss for words, for everything,” Sanger said. “We’re struggling as it is.”
She’s been able to make online sales during the COVID-19 shutdown, but it’s still been rough financially.
“I guess we’ll have to pay out of pocket,” Sanger said. “I’m just taking precautions.”
The university had a contractor board up the broken windows on Tuesday.
In an email to The News Tribune Tuesday afternoon, UW spokesman John Burkhardt said financial arrangements for broken windows have yet to worked out due to insurance claims submitted by various parties. It will take several weeks to replace the custom glass, he said.
Burkhardt said the university will work with tenants who want their unbroken windows boarded up as a precaution. The university is also extending its rent relief program through June.
The university will work with the city to get murals painted on the plywood.
“So, there will be a temporary change in the appearance of that part of downtown, shifting from the plate glass windows to an outdoor art gallery,” Burkhardt said.
The Casanovas had their store boarded up as a precaution before Monday night’s melee. They were assisting Sanger with window measurements Tuesday morning.
“We’re all trying to help each other out,” Nick Casanova said. “We’re the ones trying to keep Pac Ave together.”
Casanova is worried that Monday night’s violence will keep customers away from the area when stores reopen.
“I don’t think people are going to want to come down to this,” he said, surveying a long line of plywood where windows once were.
Still, he was sympathetic to the people who demonstrated peacefully.
“How many more George Floyds does there have to be to understand that our nation is inherently racist,” Cassanova said. “We have to talk about this.”
This story was originally published June 2, 2020 at 2:32 PM.
