Businesses on Forbes Avenue discuss protest damage

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published: Sun, 27 Sep, 2009

Riot-gassed students and protesters were not the only ones affected by Thursday evening’s G-20 Summit demonstrations in Oakland.

Businesses along Forbes Avenue also suffered property damage as a result of rowdy protests.

“It has affected us tremendously,” Matthew Walsh, manager of Subway on Forbes Avenue, said of the restaurant’s broken windows. “It’s put quite a damper on business.”

Ten Oakland storefronts — including McDonald’s, Rite Aid Pharmacy, Bruegger’s Bagels and American Apparel — suffered broken windows and signs.

Walsh, who was not in the restaurant at the time of the property damage, said an employee called him Thursday night with reports that the restaurant’s windows had been smashed.

He said he arrived at the restaurant to find that someone had thrown a rock into it, shattering a window and a neon sign.

No customers were sitting near the window at the time of the vandalism, he said, but the damage was still significant.

“We’ve lost at least 75 percent of our business,” Walsh said on Friday. “We’ve already lost a lot of business already. We can’t afford to replace a window, too.”

Walsh, who said Subway was unaffected by damage caused by the recent post-Super Bowl celebrations in Oakland, said the restaurant owners plan to fund window reinstallation efforts this week themselves.

Pamela’s Diner also suffered property damage because of the protests. Its storefront windows had shattered.

Co-owner Michele Mazzella said she arrived at the restaurant Thursday night after an employee called to report the damage.

“My first thought was, ‘What were we going to walk in to?’” Mazzella said. “Then, when I crossed the street and I saw it ... I was very happy to see that there was no more damage than what there was.”

She said the diner’s insurance will cover most of the window replacements, but some of the expenses will be out of pocket.

Mazzella said she was impressed when one peaceful protester stopped in the diner to offer a donation.

“It was a small amount, but a dollar would have been enough,” she said. “Just the gesture, you know?”

The protester left without leaving a name, she said.

While she appreciated the offer, Mazzella said she still didn’t understand why protesters would vandalize local businesses.

“I don’t get it — the violence, the destruction. I don’t get any of that,” she said. “My question is, ‘Who did this, and what is the cause?’”

Walsh agreed.

“I was angry at first. I’m still angry about it,” he said. “I don’t get how breaking windows can change any policies.”

He said protesters damaging property gives Pittsburgh a bad reputation, especially in the international spotlight.

“We’re supposed to be opening up to the world, not pushing the world away and breaking things,” he said.

As protests continued on Thursday evening, crowds of students gathered along Forbes Avenue to survey the property damage.

Among those students was freshman Kevin Fastuca, who stopped to snap a picture of FedEx Kinko’s cracked windows.

He said the broken windows, which made an audible cracking sound, did nothing to help the protesters’ cause.

“It’s not doing anything besides ruining our campus,” he said.

Just a few storefronts down Forbes Avenue, Pitt junior Mike Seiler stopped by McDonald’s for a late-night snack.

He said he wasn’t aware of the protests occurring on campus, but as he walked to the restaurant from Atwood Street, he quickly saw the damage.

“It’s a little ridiculous,” he said while surveying McDonald’s shattered windows.

Seiler said he respects protesters’ opinions but thinks vandalism is not the “way to do it. Talk to your congressman. Do it the right way, not through anything that’s violent.”

Employees at McDonald’s were later seen knocking away the shattered glass and boarding the storefront with plywood.

They declined to comment on the store’s property damage, but a regional security manager later said safety is of large concern.

“Like other area businesses, we are working closely with local authorities on this matter,” John Webb, a McDonald’s regional security manager, said in an e-mail. “Safety and security will always be a top priority for us.”

By Friday morning, the restaurant’s boarded windows were a familiar sight on Forbes Avenue.

Pamela’s, Subway and Bruegger’s Bagels all had plywood-laden windows or doors.

Pitt senior Stephen Koscumb said he had planned to visited Pamela’s for breakfast Friday morning.

But when he arrived, he said he was surprised to be greeted with the storefront’s smashed glass and boarded-up windows.

“I think it’s unbelievable,” he said. “I guess you can sort of see McDonald’s and everything else, but why Pamela’s?”

Pamela’s was opened despite the damages.

Koscumb said some might have agreed with protesters, but that doesn’t excuse protesters from damaging local businesses.

“At this point, they’ve kinda used up all their goodwill by destroying the best thing Oakland has to offer,” he said.

On Friday, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl said the city has been working with property owners to repair damage caused by the G-20 protests.

He said officials from the Department of Public Works were in Oakland on Thursday to assist with window-boarding efforts and will continue to help as needed.

While most of the damaged stores are privately insured, Ravenstahl said he is willing to support local businesses with rebuilding efforts.

“In the event that the city can assist, we will,” he said.

But despite the boarded storefronts, Mazzella said Friday morning was business as usual — thanks to the support of local students.

She said many students approached her with supportive messages and sympathy for Pamela’s damaged property.

“I think the most heartwarming thing was hearing all the kids’ concerns,” Mazella said, adding that some even offered monetary donations to help replace the windows. “There is no doubt in my mind they had nothing to do with this.”