Dealership showrooms vandalized during protests

Over the weekend at least five dealerships on the West Coast were vandalized during protests stemming from the death of George Floyd last week in Minneapolis.

Mercedes-Benz of Oakland, in California, is one of the dealerships that was looted. Photos show broken showroom windows and vehicles that had been smashed and spray-painted with words such as "eat the rich." CBS BayArea reported that the store also had severe smoke damage from fires in the area.

On Saturday, the dealership posted a video on Facebook of its cleanup effort and said, "Our family is rebuilding. We are part of the community. #protectoakland."

Customers of the dealership commented on the post with supportive messages.

"This is so sad," customer Kathy Ryan wrote. "I will be back to support you when you reopen."

Down the street from the Mercedes-Benz dealership is Honda of Oakland. A video from Friday shows a vehicle being stolen and driven through the showroom windows with other people cheering and smashing the store.
 

In Washington, the showroom windows at Ferrari of Seattle were spray-painted and broken, but the dealership's inventory had been moved in anticipation of the demonstrations.

As the protests continued to turn violent throughout the weekend, the Volkswagen of Oakland dealership was vandalized in San Francisco's East Bay on Saturday night. A video by The San Francisco Chronicle's Matthias Gafni showed protesters smashing the windows of the store.

Toyota Santa Monica also sustained damage, with a YouTube video showing several cars in its lot with smashed back windows.

In addition, Mercedes-Benz of Scottsdale in Arizona also was damaged in demonstrations Sunday. A photo by Mark Henle of The Arizona Republic shows a smashed window, although the cars inside appear to be intact.

Attempts by Automotive News to reach owners or managers at the affected dealerships were not immediately successful Sunday and Monday.

The protests started in Minneapolis on May 26, a day after Floyd, an African American man, died in police custody, and spread to other cities across the country and around the world over the weekend. As of Monday, more than 40 U.S. cities had implemented curfews in response.

Sunday marked the sixth consecutive night of demonstrations in at least 75 cities across the country.

On Sunday night, the Oakland Police Department posted a statement on Twitter. It said, "We will arrest those who would loot, vandalize or otherwise harm our city."