Looters ransacked a mom-and-pop pharmacy in the Bronx during Monday night’s free-for-all in New York City, destroying a business that took the family 14 years to build and leaving many unable to get their essential prescription drugs.
Surveillance footage shows looters breaking into Alico Pharmacy on Jerome Avenue and clearing the shelves as Monday night’s chaos slipped into early Tuesday morning. According to WABC, the Rodriguez family spent 14 years building the business.
The thieves can be seen stuffing bags and baskets full of store items and smashing the cash register. According to WABC, “the looters struck gold when they got into the narcotics cabinet, which they wiped clean.”
“Many of the shelves were filled with prescription medications for heart patients, cancer patients and people who desperately need their medicine,” the outlet noted, citing an employee who indicated that people have been calling about their medications. However, because of the looting, “they can’t serve them.”
“I felt so powerless,” said Andy Rodriguez, owner of the pharmacy. “Watching on cell phone. You can’t do anything”:
The heavy toll for victims of looting. Alico, a mom and pop pharmacy in the Bronx was ravaged early Tuesday morning. What took the Rodriguez family 14 years to build, was destroyed in mere minutes. @abc7ny #devastating pic.twitter.com/ZoXmJEJpKl
— Lucy Yang (@LucyYang7) June 3, 2020
Looting
This is what happened to a mom and pop pharmacy in the Bronx. They are devastated @ABC7NY pic.twitter.com/GFmF3WwPqU
— Lucy Yang (@LucyYang7) June 3, 2020
The family also owns another pharmacy in the Bronx, which was also “destroyed,” according to the outlet.
The Rodriguez family’s dire outlook is just one of many as emboldened rioters took to the streets of New York City, destroying businesses along the way:
Feels like a very organized effort tonight – kids have turned up with hammers and big bags, they have spotters on the corners and cars ready to go. Group of about 500 kids now running up Fifth Ave looting whatever they want pic.twitter.com/vP97YCLis7
— Rachel Olding (@rachelolding) June 2, 2020
Uncontrollable amounts of looting going on now at 14th St and fifth Ave. Stores being empties by hundreds of people. pic.twitter.com/0bvAu95Mj9
— Rachel Olding (@rachelolding) June 2, 2020
This is maddening. “Protestors” beat a woman w/ sticks as her husband screams & fights back. They were trying to protect their business in Rochester NY, which has been in the community since 1943. @NYGovCuomo what r you doing other than press conferences? pic.twitter.com/AJotmeZBkN
— Joe Borelli (@JoeBorelliNYC) May 31, 2020
Video taken from above a Nordstrom Rack in Union Square shows the chaos of the looting and riots in NYC: https://t.co/drRlIbUROk pic.twitter.com/WBuIsh1WzE
— Eyewitness News (@ABC7NY) June 2, 2020
#BREAKING: #looting has started on Madison Avenue. At least one store hit. Very tense scene with huge @NYPD19Pct presence. #abc7ny pic.twitter.com/yugmc4xI1P
— Josh Einiger (@JoshEiniger7) June 2, 2020
Progressive leader Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) on Tuesday mused that “those in power” are attempting to draw attention to countless examples of looters and property damage as a means to “distract us”:
Those in power who want us to focus on looting and property damage instead of the thousands peacefully protesting are trying to distract us from the terrible violence that engulfs the lives of working people every day. As Coretta Scott King reminded us, violence takes many forms. pic.twitter.com/Gz66Q2VWXs
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) June 2, 2020
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