Among the unrest across the country this week over the disturbing video showing a Minneapolis police officer kneeling on George Floyd's neck was the looting of Target stores.
Videos on social media show people ransacking the shelves of the Minneapolis-based company. But despite the damage and loss of property, Target's CEO Brian Cornell wrote a memo Friday acknowledging the pain that inspired the unrest.
"We are a community in pain. That pain is not unique to the Twin Cities—it extends across America. The murder of George Floyd has unleashed the pent-up pain of years, as have the killings of Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor. We say their names and hold a too-long list of others in our hearts."
Protesters, Enraged by Black Americans Killed, Gather Nationwide
Cornell went on to say that the 200 "displaced team members" at the Lake Street store in Minneapolis and employees at other Target stores that were damaged will receive their full pay and benefits in the coming weeks. He also vows to "rebuild and bring back the store" in the Seward, Longfellow, Phillips and Powderhorn communities.
Target will be making donations to affected communities "for the areas of heaviest damage" in the form of first aid equipment and medicine, bottled water, baby formula, diapers and other essentials.
"As a Target team, we’ve vowed to face pain with purpose," Cornell said.
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You can read his full statement here.
