Local Businesses Take Steps To Rebuild After Destruction

Curtis Pangle is the general manager at Jiffy Lube on 7th Avenue. He said that his shop was one of the “lucky ones,” but their door was kicked in and graffiti covered the building’s walls.

“Why would you want to do that to the community?” Pangle said. “You’re not just affecting yourself. You’re affecting all the workers and the people relying on the jobs to come to these businesses.”

The looting did not stop after Friday night’s events. On Sunday morning, Ronda Perkins, owner of Trev’s Bar & Grill received a call from an employee who said the bar’s front door was busted open.

Broken glass was not the only loss for the bar. Their office was ransacked, and their safe was stolen. Police were called, who are investigating the situation.

“They made off with about $10,000 in cash,” Perkins said. “Of course, the expense to fix the door will cost a couple thousand dollars and to replace the safe is pretty expensive.”

Perkins said things are difficult enough with the pandemic, so this is just another set-back.

“It’s really hard for us to even keep the doors open,” Perkins said. “We’ve been shut down. We’ve been working with limited resources. We’ve only been able to serve half the customers at best than we would normally be serving. We’ve lost out on all the events we’ve had in this town.”

Charles Richmond is the owner of Richmond Towing in Springfield. He has offered his willingness to help any businesses who have been affected.

“It doesn’t matter where we have to go,” Richmond said. “We will go there if people need the help. Showing the impact of community love is what builds our state. It’s what we stand for.”

Richmond said that this is a time for the community to come together, and he and his team are committed and prepared to serve.

“All of us are here for a greater good,” Richmond said. “That hits a heart really hard when you’re from here. That’s what we want to show these people is it’s not about vandalizing. If you want to protest, protest. Do it respectfully. Do it in a way that we can all come together and stand for a greater good.”