A Chicago Black Lives Matter looter shouted “I can’t breathe” as she ran through a luxury clothing store looking for something to remove security tags.
The phrase shouted by the looter echoes the final words of George Floyd, whose death in Minneapolis sparked months of Black Lives Matter protests across the country.
Looting luxury clothing for George Floyd? This is what BLM/ANTIFA has become. Perhaps, this is really all it ever was about.
Looter shouts “I can’t breathe” as she runs through store looking for something to remove security tags. #Chicago pic.twitter.com/uElON1OYmf
— The Columbia Bugle 🇺🇸 (@ColumbiaBugle) August 10, 2020
Black Lives Matter protesters held a rally to support more than 100 looters arrested after widespread rioting, destruction and looting in Chicago caused $60 million in property damage and injured 13 police officers on Monday night.
A BLM organizer defended the looting of designer and luxury stores including Gucci, Apple and Lamborghini as “reparations” that “makes sure that person eats.“
“That is reparations,” the BLM organizer told Fox. “Anything they wanted to take, they can take it because these businesses have insurance.”
The rally was organized by Black Lives Matter Chicago and was held at a police station in the South Loop where organizers say arrested looters are being held in custody.
“I don’t care if someone decides to loot a Gucci or a Macy’s or a Nike store, because that makes sure that person eats,” said Ariel Atkins, a BLM organizer, according to NBC Chicago. “That makes sure that person has clothes.”
There’s a caravan of dozens of cars filled with looters hitting Chicago’s luxury store fronts. pic.twitter.com/Ej4plpuLMP
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) August 10, 2020
“This was not an organized protest. Rather, this was an incident of pure criminality,” Police Superintendent David Brown told reporters. “This was an act of violence against our police officers and against our city.”
The Chicago Tribune reported the looters carried away “shopping bags full of merchandise” as “cars dropped off more people” and “at least one U-Haul van” was involved in the co-ordinated criminality.
