The death of George Floyd has outraged a lot of people and stirred different emotions. Thousands of them chose not to keep quiet but instead respond by burning properties, destroying windows, vandalizing public properties, and stealing goods. These actions have affected a huge number of business owners.

Dan Buxton owns a business in La Mesa California.

And just like thousands of business owners, his Play It Again Sports wasn’t spared from looting. After a day of peaceful protests, destructive chaos ensued. Protesters targeted his shop and it happened very quickly. It was like a nightmare for him.

On a Saturday night, Dan watched as his life’s savings got taken away.

It only took a few minutes for opportunists to break the windows of his store and run off with some of his merchandise. And right after they stole his items, looters started burning his building. It was chaos.

It was devastating for Dan.

He shared:

“It’s just a roller coaster of emotions that we went straight from the bottom, straight to the top.”

The very next morning, he was surprised.

He woke up to see hundreds of strangers in his store. They weren’t there to steal things from him but to help him clear up the mess.

Then, a young man approached him.

The guy asked if he can talk to Dan outside. He felt bad and wanted to make things right.

Dan said:

“He said, ‘Can I talk to you outside?’ And outside in the car he said, ‘I feel horrible, I was not part of the rioting, but I did go into your store and I did take things.”

The young guy gave Dan back a couple of softball bats and some other items.

Dan’s reaction was even more surprising.

Instead of getting angry and pressing charges, he chose to forgive the stranger. He knew in his heart that it wasn’t the man’s real character. He was just carried away by his emotion during the protest.

“I told him that I forgive him and that I made bad choices when I was young, and you made a bad choice, but now you’re making a good choice.”- Dan said.

The business owner chose to be understanding instead of making things worse for him and the young guy. He chose not to focus on his anger.

Criminals are using peaceful protests as their cover.

Dan was fortunate to find strangers helping him get back on his feet right after his store was ransacked. Other business owners aren’t so lucky.

In some protests, criminals are disguising themselves as peaceful protesters. They’d come dressed in black with their hoodies, masks, and gloves on. None of them would say George Floyd’s name even once.

Instead of protesting against discrimination, they’d ransack shops and steal from one business to the next. Vehicles would trail them and stop right outside of high-end stores. After stealing items, they’d load them into the vehicles and move on.

Their typical targets include expensive and high-end stores, such as Prada and Gucci. Even Victoria’s Secret isn’t safe from these looters.

Jennifer Tejada, the police chief in Emeryville, California, shared:

“These were criminals, and they were using an opportunity. It’s all under the cover of George Floyd’s death… It’s disheartening.”

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Source: YouTube, Fox 5