Fresno mall, major retailer close as precaution amid George Floyd tensions
Fresno’s Fashion Fair mall closed for the day and at least four local Target stores shut their doors early Sunday as a precautionary move amid nationwide tensions surrounding the death of George Floyd.
“Out of an abundance of caution, and with the safety of our shoppers and retailers in mind, Fashion Fair is closed today,” its website stated. “We look forward to seeing you again soon.”
The mall reopened Tuesday after coronavirus-forced shutdowns of nonessential businesses in California.
The Target at River Park closed early at 5 p.m., an employee confirmed to ABC30 television. The store at Blackstone and Bullard avenues also was closed, its parking lot empty except for shopping carts, as were locations at Herndon Avenue near Highway 99 and Shaw and Marks avenues.
It was not immediately known if the Fresno stores would reopen as normal Monday. A call to Target headquarters went unanswered.
“We apologize for the inconvenience and will reopen our stores on their normally scheduled hours as soon as it is safe to do so,” a news release on the Target website stated.
Target’s corporate office had announced indefinite closures for six stores in Oakland, Atlanta, Chicago, Philadelphia and Minneapolis — all areas hard hit by protests in the wake of Floyd’s death during his arrest by Minneapolis police. Hundreds more were to close, according to an earlier announcement, but it appeared the chain shifted to more of a case-by-case decision based on local conditions.
“Team members are receiving direct communications updates from leaders regarding any store impact where they work,” the Target release stated further. “Additionally, team members impacted by store closures will be paid for up to 14 days of scheduled hours during store closures, including COVID-19 premium pay. They will also be able to work at other nearby Target locations.”
Fresno Police Chief Andy Hall said his department will “stay top of it” with regard to any threat to retailers and “obviously there is concern,” but officers also have been proactive in working with local protest groups, including organizers of a massive march Sunday in downtown.
“We want to keep our city safe,” Hall said in front of police headquarters, after the Sunday march that included a stop at the police station. “We want to move forward. We are going to continue to have a strong presence and we’re going to monitoring our retail business, and we want to work with groups.
“I understand people are struggling. They’re hurt by what they saw. Our officers are hurting by what they saw, and we all need to heal from that. We want to help them heal. If they need a voice we’re here to give it to them.”
Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was charged with third-degree murder after video showed him holding his knee on Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes even as Floyd faintly said that he couldn’t breathe.
Protests in Fresno, which have included three major demonstrations and a vigil in the past three days, all have been mostly peaceful. Three people were arrested Saturday night after multiple windows were smashed at a Les Schwab Tire Center near Blackstone and Ashlan avenues.
This story was originally published May 31, 2020 at 6:00 PM.