Hoboken Businesses Board Up Windows Before George Floyd Protest

HOBOKEN, NJ — After a group called Allies 4 Justice planned a Hoboken protest for Friday at 1 p.m. in the wake of the death of George Floyd, businesses on the main drag of Washington Street placed boards on their windows this week, fearing potential uprisings similar to those in New York City across the river.

[UPDATE: To see photos from Friday's protest in Hoboken, click here.]

The Allies group announced Thursday afternoon that the protest will be a "moving protest" that will start at a small uptown park and head south along the waterfront, ending at Pier A Park near the Hoboken train terminal.

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At least one store posted signs in support of the protestors on Thursday (see photos above).

Over the past four days, residents of Hoboken —a mile-square city of 53,000 people directly across the river from midtown Manhattan — have been asking in neighborhood Facebook groups whether Friday's protest will be peaceful (as were recent protests in Jersey City and Newark), or whether there might be danger, as in New York City.

Floyd died on Memorial Day at the hands of the Minneapolis Police Department. Four officers involved in the death have been charged with criminal offenses including manslaughter.

On Thursday, Hoboken business owner Roger Muller, who owns the century-old Muller Insurance on Washington Street, said that numerous homeowners and business owners have contacted him this week to ask if their insurance was paid up, because of the planned protest.

"They were looking to make sure they were paid up, and were worried about the protests," Muller said. "Before that, people didn't care as much. A lot weren't paying the last few months, because of coronavirus [quarantines], or they lost their jobs. Now they're checking their home, auto, and condo insurance."

He added, "Hoboken's a nice town, a lot of really nice people here. The business owners I spoke to are concerned because we're so close to New York City. That doesn't mean outside [people] won't cause problems, like in the city. I’m sure a lot of people want to protest, which is great, and aren't looking for trouble. Businesses are just being proactive. You own a business, you see what's happening in New York City, and you try to protect it."

He noted that some of the businesses were preparing to reopen soon. On June 22 (as of this writing), restaurants will be able to resume outdoor dining, and hair salons, gyms, and certain other businesses in New Jersey will be able to reopen, with restrictions.

Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla and Police Chief Ken Ferrante expressed concerns Tuesday night about the planned protest in Hoboken, saying it could cause problems with social distancing and people coming for the wrong reasons. Ferrante weighed in with a new statement on Wednesday night, condemned both the killing of Floyd by Minneapolis police officers and the city's response to protests afterward, saying New Jersey and Hoboken will handle the protests better.

When asked about the businesses boarding their windows on Wednesday, Ferrante said the department hadn't advised them on it. "Not at liberty to advise for or against," he said.

On Thursday, the bikeshare company JerseyBike sent out an email: "We wanted to reach out and remind you about the upcoming service interruption in Hoboken. As directed by the City of Hoboken, bikes will be unavailable in Hoboken starting tonight, June 4, 2020 at 11 p.m until further notice. In our remaining service areas, service will continue uninterrupted. We keenly aware that this is an incredibly difficult time to limit access to transportation options and we are doing everything we can to get service back up as soon as possible. "

Allies 4 Justice said on Instagram that the protest will be peaceful, and will occur rain or shine.

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