The ongoing protests on the streets of El Cajon in response to the deadly police shooting of an unarmed black man are impacting businesses in the community.
Some businesses – including Parkway Plaza Mall – temporarily closed their doors as a safety precaution amid the demonstrations. Some businesses have been closed for the past two days.
On Thursday morning, owners of some small businesses lining Broadway feared the protests were scaring customers away, despite being open for business.
One woman, who did not want her business or her name in the news, told NBC 7 that her customers don’t feel safe going to her shop. She worried more protests would continue to drive business away.
Meanwhile, many other shops located at the shopping center where Tuesday’s police shooting of Alfred Olango took place were operating normally. This included Pancho’s, the taco shop located close to the scene of the shooting.
An employee there told NBC 7 the business supports the community, equal rights and peaceful protests. The owner of the Windy City Liquor Store in the same shopping center also said the public has the right to protest.
Many business owners in the area told NBC 7 they’re concerned about more protests this weekend, and if those demonstrations will force them to close their doors.
The Downtown El Cajon Business Partners organization said Wednesday it was cancelling a couple of public events in downtown El Cajon this week due to the unrest in the community – a car show and a concert. The City of El Cajon also postponed a Planning Commission Meeting, set to take place in early October, for later in the month.
