Owner of Warehouse Liquors Looks to Reconnect with Woman Who Protected His Store During Looting

A nice read about a stranger protecting a South Loop Liquor Store during protests and looting (via Block Club):

The owner of Warehouse Liquors was attacked and his store robbed during recent looting — but one woman helped save him and his business, standing guard and keeping people at bay for hours.

Now, Gene Charness, the store owner, is trying to reunite with Ceondra Porter, the woman who stood outside Warehouse Liquors and tried to keep him safe. Charness and his wife, Leslee, want to thank Porter.

On May 30, Porter, 22, of Avondale, was Downtown to join a large protest over the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

At the same time, Charness, 62, got a call from his alarm company and went to his store, 634 S. Wabash Ave. He saw multiple people looting the store.

That night saw widespread looting and vandalism in the Downtown area. Officials have said people used the protests for Floyd as cover to steal and damage local businesses.

Security video from Warehouse Liquors shows a large group of people breaking the store’s doors to get inside and then carrying out bottles and boxes. The video shows shelves pulled down with debris everywhere.

Charness got to the store and tried to get the people looting it to leave. Someone threw a bottle at Charness’ back and another person knocked him down and stole more items from the store’s shelves.

Charness got the people out, though, and then held up a security gate to try to keep them away — until someone attacked him with a fire extinguisher.

(Hat tip:  GC!)