AURORA, Ill. (AP) – One year ago, Elias Akwo and Chaz Nieponski dropped everything and raced to their Aurora storefront to find the windows smashed and an entire display of crystal merchandise shattered across the floor. The Wheaton couple had been watching the civil unrest unfold on TV when they received a dreaded phone call that their downtown business, The Crystal House, was among those being vandalized the night of May 31, 2020. Neighbors tried to stave off the destruction as best they could, Akwo recalls, fending off the looters, sweeping up broken glass and helping to board up the windows at the building where he and his wife had relocated their shop just months earlier. But thousands of dollars worth of intricate, custom-made pieces — engraved glassware, miniature figurines, a crystal replica of the Chicago skyline — had already been destroyed or stolen. After a challenging year of trying to recoup the loss while also navigating the COVID-19 crisis, Akwo said, ‘œwe’re still recovering.’� The murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer last May sparked a wave of protests nationwide, with some resulting in civil unrest — including in Chicago and its two largest suburbs. In Aurora, officials say what started as a peaceful demonstration took a violent turn when agitators infiltrated the crowd and caused more than $3 million in damage to the downtown area. A similar scenario played out the next day in Naperville when instigators arrived at the tail-end of a lawful protest and began smashing storefronts and burglarizing businesses. Other towns experienced vandalism, too, such as graffiti and broken windows in Arlington Heights and the looting of liquor and cellphone stores in Elgin. A year later, the physical evidence of the riots has vanished. But long after the plywood was taken down and the foot traffic picked up in the downtown streets, some small business owners and residents are still feeling the emotional and financial effects. ‘œThis didn’t happen in isolation. It (happened) amid a global pandemic that already caused businesses to shutter and lose money,’� Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin said. ‘œIt added insult to injury.’� On May 31, Naperville Running Company owner Kris Hartner stayed overnight in his downtown store, afraid the looting and vandalism occurring one town over in Aurora would cross city lines. It never did. But the next morning, June 1, 2020, local business owners were again on high alert as rumors of future riots circulated, he said. So Hartner solicited help from friends, loaded his entire inventory — nearly 5,000 pairs of shoes — into a U-Haul truck, and stashed it far away from the downtown. With the lights on and the racks empty, the Naperville Running Company remained untouched. But at least 30 other businesses weren’t so lucky, Police Chief Robert Marshall said. Looters smashed windows and entered stores, leaving with as much merchandise as they could carry. Rocks and bottles were thrown at police officers, who were vastly outnumbered as they tried to gain control of the downtown while practicing tolerance, the chief said. ‘œI cannot think of a time in my entire career where our downtown was victimized like that,’� Marshall said. ‘œInitially, residents and business owners were going, ‘˜How could this have happened?’ Then, once people got over the shock and the disappointment, there was definitely anger.’� Similar emotions emanated through Aurora, where police cars and businesses were set on fire, and family-owned establishments — some new, some longtime fixtures of the community — were cleared out within minutes.
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