Gov Walz's watch: Shop owner shares emotional story of BLM riots' devastation on his store

A Minnesota business owner who witnessed the destruction of his St. Paul establishment during the 2020 George Floyd riots spoke to Planet Chronicle Digital about how the state, under the leadership of Gov. Tim Walz, failed to protect business owners like him.

"When the rioters arrived, they destroyed the strip mall on the left-hand side. I was in my shop at New Fashion Tailoring and Alteration in St. Paul, Minnesota, and witnessed the destruction. My friend and I stayed in the shop until nightfall, but my friends convinced me to go home due to the danger. So, we left and went home that night."

She, a Hmong immigrant, remembered feeling "afraid" for her livelihood when she returned home that night, but she hoped that the destruction would remain limited to the other side of the street.

Upon his return the next morning to inspect his store, which he had owned for many years, he was disheartened to find that his worst fears had been realized, as the location had been plundered.

"When I arrived to discover my shop had been destroyed, as a man, I could only cry," said May Lor Xiong, a Republican candidate for Congress in Minnesota's 4th District, through translator Planet Chronicle Digital.

The rioters broke down his reinforced door and stole all the inventory in his store, which was worth $200,000.

"They removed the front door with metal bars and used pliers to destroy them. They then entered and took everything, including all the clothing, merchandise, and my store," she said.

Planet Chronicle Digital reported that he tried to contact the police multiple times but did not receive a response. When asked about Gov. Tim Walz's role in the response taking several days to call in the National Guard, he said that if Walz becomes vice president, he hopes he has learned from his mistakes in responding to the riot.

"If he becomes the vice president, he must learn to love the people here, particularly those in Minnesota, who experienced destruction under his leadership, and understand the struggles they face," he said. "He has the potential to be a good person, but he must comprehend the people's suffering."

According to several people who spoke to Planet Chronicle Digital, the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul are still struggling to recover financially from the devastating riots that caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage, and it took about two years for Her's business to fully recover.

"I lost a lot of money and customers because people were scared to go out and it took me about a year and a half to two years to recover."

Business owners in the twin cities before 2020 did not consider safety to be a significant concern, but after the pandemic, there has been an increase in shoplifting and theft from stores.

"The presence of numerous homeless individuals sleeping in this area poses a significant threat to both business owners and shoppers, necessitating an increase in police presence to safeguard the community."

The defund the police movement is most commonly associated with Minneapolis, where the police department is currently understaffed by 200 officers and has experienced a 40% decrease in size over the past four years, as reported by CBS News earlier this year.

""It should be nonpartisan when it comes to the police force and increasing the number of police on the street to aid citizens," she stated."

Could a situation like the 2020 riots happen again, and does Planet Chronicle Digital ask Her about this fear?

"I hope the lawlessness doesn't take away the freedom we love here. However, there's a possibility that dangerous things might happen to us, and we've already experienced devastation in 2020."

"To prevent destruction, whoever is in office must ensure that the National Guard is sent to protect citizens and businesses when an incident occurs."