Target closing Oakland store and 5 others 'until further notice' amid widespread protests

OAKLAND, Calif. - A Target store in Oakland is among half a dozen Target locations around the country closed indefinitely due to safety concerns, stemming from widespread protests over the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

The retail giant said its store on Broadway in Oakland will be “closed until further notice,” along with a store in Atlanta, Philadelphia, Chicago, and two in Minneapolis.

Bishop Cecil Richardson, from the Light House Light of the World Christian Ministry in Fontana, Calif. prays as he surveys the destruction inside a Target store on E. Lake St. in Minneapolis on Saturday, May 30, 2020. (John Autey / MediaNews Group / St. Paul Pioneer Press via Getty Images)

In a press release on Sunday, the company began with, “We are heartbroken by the death of George Floyd and the pain it is causing communities across the country.”

The statement went on to say, “The safety of our team and guests is our top priority. At this time, we are making the decision to adjust store hours or close stores temporarily.”

Target said it had either adjusted hours or temporarily closed more than 200 of its stores over the weekend. Most of the locations have since reopened.

Target is based in Minneapolis. Some of the worst damage to its stores happened at the company’s Lake Street store near where Floyd was killed. Footage showed people walking away with merchandise as smoke filled the store. The company said Sunday it was boarding up the store.

“We’re providing community support and prioritizing the rebuilding of our Lake Street store,” the company said, adding that it hoped to reopen by the end of this year.

The Target store on Broadway in Oakland was the scene of looting and was heavily damaged on Friday night during protests.  

On Friday, Target CEO Brian Cornell issued a statement. “We are a community in pain. That pain is not unique to the Twin Cities—it extends across America,” Cornell said. “The murder of George Floyd has unleashed the pent-up pain of years, as have the killings of Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor. We say their names and hold a too-long list of others in our hearts. As a Target team, we’ve huddled, we’ve consoled, we’ve witnessed horrific scenes similar to what’s playing out now and wept that not enough is changing. And as a team we’ve vowed to face pain with purpose.”

Cornell added that the company would be providing first aid equipment, bottled water, and other essentials to help ensure that people living in areas that were hit the hardest by protest damage will not be cut off from necessary supplies. 

Other U.S retailers including CVS, Walmart, and Apple said on Sunday that they had temporarily closed or limited hours at some locations for safety reasons. In some places, their stores have been burned, broken into or looted as protests turned violent.

Walmart said it closed hundreds of stores late Sunday afternoon to protect employees and customers. Scott Pope, a spokesman, said several dozen stores were closed all day Sunday because of damage from protests. He said he didn’t know when those stores would be able to reopen.

CVS didn’t say how many stores it closed but said it shuttered locations are in more than 20 states and the District of Columbia. The company said pharmacies at closed stores will reroute customers to a nearby CVS so they can get prescriptions filled.

“We are continually monitoring protests as they occur in the communities we serve and will close stores, if needed, to help ensure the safety of employees and customers,” CVS said in a statement.

Apple said it decided to keep some of its stores closed Sunday. It didn’t say how many were affected.

Amazon said that it has adjusted its routes and suspended deliveries to keep its drivers safe in some cities, including Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Minneapolis. The company also said it was abiding by local curfews that have required people to remain off streets after a specified hour at night.

Floyd, who was black, died while being arrested by Minneapolis police for suspicion of passing a counterfeit bill on May 25. Cellphone video showed that a white officer, Derek Chauvin, pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for several minutes while Floyd, who was handcuffed, pleaded for air and eventually stopped moving. Chauvin now faces murder and manslaughter charges. The three other officers who took part in the arrest were fired but haven’t been charged.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.