June 6, 2020
The GoFundMe page is at the bottom of this article
The daughter of Beauty Supply & Western Beauty Supply in Bronzeville, Chicago, Sandra Na wrote a gut-wrenching piece on her GoFundMe page. She explains the hardships her father went through, only to have it all destroyed within minutes.
“My dad is the hardest working individual I know. He is one of nine siblings and grew up in rural South Korea. With no formal education, he left his family behind and immigrated to the United States in 1985 in order to pursue the American Dream. He sacrificed everything, working tirelessly 7 days a week to establish a humble business and provide his family with a better life than he had. In a single day, his entire livelihood was destroyed by looters and vandals.”
Na continues to explain since her father’s business was categorized as non-essential, he was adversely impacted by the COVID-19 quarantine, which took effect mid-March for Bronzeville residents. Na’s dad was excited to finally re-open on June 3rd but ended up getting looted on May 31.
A call from the alarm company in the middle of the night did little to help. The metal security gate had been breached, the door and windows were all shattered—causing multiple alarms to go off. The alarm company was not able to get through to 911 dispatch because of the riots. Na’s dad rushed to his business, only to watch helplessly from his car as looters ran out with handfuls of merchandise, tore everything off the walls, toppled shelves, smashed display cases, and the cash register.
“The goods which weren’t stolen were thrown to the ground and trampled on,” explained Na.
“My husband and I drove the 12 hours straight from New York to Chicago the next morning. We had seen the escalation of events on the news, the live streams of looting and vandalism throughout the country, but now it hit very close to home. Seeing the destruction in person as we sifted through trying to salvage what remained, was nothing short of traumatic,” continued Na.
“My dad has been rooted in the South Side of Chicago for over 35 years, employing many residents of the Bronzeville and surrounding communities. The amount of loss is devastating and far exceeds anything insurance will cover. The loss of merchandise, property damage, and costs to repair and rebuild exceed $500,000. Along with decades of hard work, his sense of security has been taken from him. He fears that he won’t be able to recover from the physical and emotional toll of seeing everything he built up senselessly destroyed, knowing no one was coming to help.”
“What’s given us hope are the helpers who have stepped forward during these trying times to offer a caring hand. Whether it’s strangers from the neighborhood cleaning up debris, the friends who took time off of work to pack up salvageable materials, or my dad’s employees who came in to help despite my dad having no way to pay them.”
“The most important thing is that my dad is home safe after this ordeal, something that can’t be said for George Floyd and the many before him. Our hearts and thoughts go out to those who have suffered discrimination, oppression, and violence. We cannot even begin to fathom what it means to be in their shoes, but we remain committed to taking action needed to bring about change.”
“As my family takes steps forward, we humbly ask for your assistance, no matter how small, in rebuilding my dad’s livelihood. Although it’s a long way to recovery, we hope to get there with your help,” Na ended.
The GoFundMePage can be found by clicking HERE
Feature Images GoFundMe