Did Westport & Greenwich Stores Need Boarding Up, Report Asks

WESTPORT, CT — At least one area legislator is criticizing the decision by some retailers to board up their stores in the shopping districts of Westport and Greenwich during recent Black Lives Matter protests, writes the Norwalk Hour.

State Sen. Will Haskell, a Democrat who represents parts of Westport, New Canaan and Wilton among other towns, recently called out Lululemon and Tiffany's on Twitter for their decision to board up their stores in the two towns.

Though some communities suffered looting in the days following Floyd's death, the vast majority of protests in the United States have been peaceful, including in Connecticut where all protests to date have been peaceful.

Both Greenwich and Westport have hosted peaceful protests in recent days following the death of George Floyd during an arrest in Minneapolis on May 25. Floyd, who was black, died after a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, placed a knee on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes, as shown in citizen videos.

Chauvin has been charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter; three other police officers at the scene also have been charged with abetting.

"Our community is engaging in an honest, overdue and peaceful conversation about race... and this is how you've responded," Haskell wrote, adding that it was "not productive," and urging the companies to "do better."

The two retailers were not the only ones in those shopping districts to board up their windows; in Greenwich, Apple, Hermes and Sunglass Hut were among the boarded up shops, according to the publication. In Westport, Peloton and Lucky Brand were among the stores to take similar action.

Read the Norwalk Hour story.