Businesses in downtown Chicago have started boarding up their doors and windows ahead of next week’s Democratic National Convention, when thousands of anti-Israeli protesters are expected to descend on the Windy City. The century-old Garland Building on Wabash and Washington Streets was covered in sheets of plywood and 2-by-4s on Friday, along with numerous other businesses along the Loop, the city’s main business district, NBC Chicago reported . Scott Schapiro, who owns the Syd Jerome menswear shop on Clark Street, said he wasn’t taking any chances during this convention — where thousands of protesters are expected — since his store has been looted by vandals four separate times in the past.
“You get that phone call in the middle of the night and your heart jumps out of your chest,” he told the outlet. “We want to sleep a little more soundly at night, and this gives us a little security, and we hope that there isn’t any incident obviously, but in the event there is, we want to have maximum protection,” Schapiro explained. Schapiro said the store will remain open but the boards will stay up for the duration of the DNC, which runs from Aug.
19 to Aug. 22. He said he won’t hesitate to temporarily close his shop at the first sign of trouble.
“It’s better to be safe than sorry,” he said. “Most retailers are eternal optimists. They always think tomorrow is going to be better than today, and you always hope for the best, but it doesn’t always work ou.