- Credibility:
ENGLEWOOD — The Greater Englewood Chamber of Commerce is raising money to help neighborhood businesses make repairs after they were looted and vandalized.
The Joseph & Bessie Feinberg Foundation already pledged $250,000 to the fund to help family-owned small businesses in Englewood. The Chamber of Commerce is seeking donations to match that amount and gather a total of $500,000 for businesses.
Officials said people used protests over the police killing of George Floyd as cover to steal from and damage neighborhood businesses. The South and West sides were hit particularly badly — and many businesses were already struggling because the coronavirus forced them to close their doors for several months.
People can donate to the fund through a Paypal account set up by the Chamber of Commerce. Small businesses in the area that incurred damage are encouraged to complete a survey to receive money from the fund.
“As you may have seen all over the news, Greater Englewood small businesses suffered severe damages during the 72 hours of looting that took place as a response to the racial, social and economic injustices that plague our nation,” the Chamber of Commerce said in an announcement. “The actions of those compelled to pillage our community have left small business owners with busted windows, broken doors, security cameras ripped from outside fixtures and a few stolen cash registers.”
The Chamber of Commerce is in the process of sourcing two contractors to help small businesses repair their locations, according to the announcement.
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