Target Richmond boarded up amid unrest

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Target Richmond remains open amid unrest
Target Richmond has been boarded up as a precaution amid ongoing unrest over the death of George Floyd. (Photos by Mike Kinney)

By Kathy Chouteau

Target Richmond remained open Monday morning amid national unrest since the recent death of George Floyd while in the custody of Minneapolis, MN police. However, we received reports from readers Monday afternoon that the store was among East Bay locations evacuated and closed early in anticipation of possible protesting.

On Saturday, May 30, the store at 4500 Macdonald Ave. in Richmond had been included on a list of Targets that were temporarily being closed in light of nearby protests and looting.

However, by Sunday, May 31, Target’s corporate office in Minneapolis had removed the Richmond location from an updated list that currently includes a handful of larger metropolitan cities.

When reporter Mike Kinney visited Monday at about 11 a.m., the store remained boarded up, but was open. Only about an hour later, readers began reporting the store was evacuated and closed.

“Like many businesses, we are making the decision to reduce hours or temporarily close stores for the safety of team members and guests,” said Aryn Ridge of Target’s Corporate Communications Dept. in response to The Standard’s inquiry about the Richmond store.

“We anticipate most closures will be temporary. We are not providing a count on the number of stores impacted by reduced hours or temporary closures as the situation remains incredibly dynamic,” Ridge added.

The Standard will be monitoring the Target Richmond’s status. Click here for the store’s contact info and hours of operation, which have not been officially amended to date.