Chicago police say investigations are ongoing after looters hit several businesses throughout the city, but for some downtown residents, this latest round of destruction feels like the final straw.
“It has to stop,” Ashley Jones, a Gold Coast resident, said. “It has to come from the highest level up top. We can’t have our city looking like this.”
Late Sunday night and into Monday, mobs of people forced their way into numerous retailers in multiple parts of the city, stealing merchandise and causing property damage in several areas.
Police say that more than a dozen alleged looters are already facing charges, but they say they’re not done.
“At this point, do the right thing,” CPD Chief of Detectives Brendan Deenihan said. “Look what the hell happened down there and let’s get these people identified and move on.”
While police are aggressively going after looters, some are demanding much more. In a letter obtained by NBC 5, Sudler Chicago, a property management company, called on Mayor Lori Lightfoot to take immediate and decisive action.
“The homeowners we represent do not feel safe,” the letter read, in part. “From Hyde Park to Edgewater, residents across the city are adjusting their daily routines out of fear, (and) without immediate change, I’m concerned homeowners will flee, properties will stand vacant and businesses will fail.”
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As the investigation continues, Chicago police have set up a website and a task force specifically designed to address looting in the city. Access to downtown remains restricted Wednesday night, and those restrictions will remain in place through at least the end of the weekend, Lightfoot said.
