Target reopening looted, ransacked Minneapolis store — but with new focus on catering to black shoppers
Company met with Black residents, employees & community organizers for store's rebuild
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A Target location in Minneapolis that was severely damaged during protests in the days following the death of George Floyd has reopened with efforts to improve its image with Black customers.
The store's interior was overhauled after it was looted and ransacked during riots. The pharmacy was moved up front for easy access for elderly customers and the grocery portion will stock spices and foods requested by locals, Bloomberg reported.
An additional entrance was constructed and the assortment of goods in the toy and beauty catergories were expanded. A nearby rail station was upgraded and the entrance to the store was affixed with murals and plants.
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A remolded Target in Minneapolis features an expanded food and beverage section (Target)
"By being based in Minneapolis — by being based in the eye of the storm of George Floyd — they had a huge responsibility to produce a pretty elaborate plan," Anthony Thompson, a professor of clinical law and a founding faculty director of the Center on Race, Inequality and the Law at New York University, told Bloomberg.
George Floyd, 46, was a Black man who died on May 25 after a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on Floyd's neck for at least 8 minutes during the arrest.
The company said it met with Black residents, employees and community organizers via Zoom to ask for their input into what they wanted in a reconstructed store.
"When George Floyd was murdered nearby, I felt the same anger, despair and exhaustion that I know many of our Black team members and guests across the country also felt," Target group Vice President Cephas Williams said in a letter published in September. "As demonstrations for racial justice followed, I’ll admit I struggled to ground myself in Target’s purpose, especially as a Black man who knows the challenges people of color face in this country every day."
The company announced earlier this year it had pledged $10 million to advance social justice causes. Part of its goal, it said, is to make Black customers "feel overtly welcome" inside its stores.
A Target location in Minneapolis plans to reopen with a focus on Black guests after it was looted and ransacked following the death of George Floyd. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
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"Not saying you need to have signs all through your store that say ‘Black Lives Matter,’" said Malik Watkins, who told Bloomberg he plans to shop at the store. "But I think it’s important that they join the discussion, especially if that’s the community that you’re in and taking people’s money."