The streets of Ferguson, Missouri, have seen calm in recent days, with none of the thrown bottles and tear gas that had been a near-nightly occurrence following the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown. But as the two-week anniversary of the unarmed teen’s death approaches, business owners whose stores were ransacked by looters worry it could all happen again.
“I have the cell phone next to my bed, the house phone by my bed, just to see if they ring,” said John Zisser, who watched his tire store being looted on live television late Sunday, Aug. 10, the night after 18-year-old Brown was fatally shot. “That’s the scary part, wondering what’s gonna happen.”
“I hope all this is calm tonight, but I’m afraid it might start again because it’s hot, it’s the weekend—and it all started on a Saturday night,” said Tanya Littleton, a worker at Feel Beauty Supply which was also looted. The owner of Sam’s Meat Market and Liquors, which was looted twice in the past week, has vowed to remain open. “We’re trying to prove a point—we’re still open. We’re not leaving,” owner Mike Jacob said.
IN-DEPTH
- Why Did Ferguson Erupt? The Answer Depends on Your Race
- Crowdfunders Raise $225,000 For Cop Who Shot Michael Brown
- Fixing Ferguson: What Locals Say they Need to Survive
