Protests and riots in Portland, Oregon have cost the city and local businesses around $30 million, the Portland Tribune reported Tuesday.
Local businesses reported a total loss of $23.2 million due to the protests, the Portland Business Alliance (PBA) said according to the report. A PBA survey found that most of the losses were because of store closures, which business owners said cost them a total of $18.4 million. The other $4.8 million was lost due to looting, vandalism, arson or other damage caused by rioters.
Businesses invited to help Portland assess damage after week of protests. https://t.co/hI2jDiTirV pic.twitter.com/ncATIPhEf6
— Fox12Oregon (@fox12oregon) June 5, 2020
PBA spokesperson Amy Lewin said that “it should be assumed that the total loss is higher for both physical damage and lost revenue.” (RELATED: National Arm Of Black Lives Matter Spent Millions On Travel And Consultants, Financial Statements Show)
“However, we clearly recognize that systemic racism is the root cause of the community outrage resulting in ongoing demonstrations,” Lewin added. “We stand with our community members’ expression of frustration.”
Portland’s protest-related police expenditures – totaling more than $6.2 million, according to Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell – brought the cost of protests up to over $30 million.
Lovell said that the $6.2 million doesn’t include overtime pay or emergency repairs for equipment or buildings that were damaged during the riots.
The total cost of police expenditures from the protests is “staggering,” Lovell said in a press release Tuesday, according to the Portland Tribune. “Many of us would rather those funds be used for the reinvestment so many truly desire,” he added.
Nationwide protests began May 25 following the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis. Some protests that began peacefully turned into violent riots that destroyed communities across the country.