Anti-Cruelty Society Keeps Animals Safe As Building Gets Damaged

CHICAGO, IL — The weekend protests against the death of George Floyd might be over, but the city is grappling with major damages to buildings and businesses in its wake. One building in the heart of downtown Chicago that wasn't immune to it belongs to this nonprofit that protects and cares for hundreds of animals.

As Tracy Elliott, president of the Anti-Cruelty Society, drove to inspect the building at 5:30 a.m. Sunday, he saw the larger windows plastered with graffiti and five of the smaller ones broken. The entrance to the facility was also completely littered.

"I was mostly concerned about the large plate glass windows along our LaSalle and Grand entrance because they overlook our adoption area and people looking in can see the animals," Elliott said. "Those weren't broken but some others towards our other entrance were. But because we have insulation and a wall on the other side, they weren't damaged all the way through."

He said he feels fortunate because the buildings right across the street were looted during the protest. Chicago was one of the many U.S. cities to see protests Saturday regarding the killing of Floyd, a 46-year-old black man who died in Minneapolis May 25 after a police officer knelt on his neck while trying to arrest him.

ABC Chicago reported many convenience stores, fast-food restaurants and clothing stores had smashed windows and graffiti scrawled on the building. Chicago police reported "mass arrests" after the unrest.

The Anti-Cruel Society was also hit by angry protesters who demanded justice. Fortunately, none of the animals were hurt because the staff members had relocated them to the second floor Saturday afternoon in anticipation of any turmoil.

"They were up in more secure locations because we knew that this would be the wiser thing to do, Elliott said. "Even though people could see them, it would have been quite impossible to reach them because the lootings were mostly smash and grab."

The animals could remain in the building while the windows were boarded up. But with no sign of the rage the masses are feeling getting assuaged any time soon, he said there's always a chance of this happening again.

"Some of those front windows could be broken again if there was another riot," he said. "Luckily with the curfew in place, no one can enter that area now."

To be prepared, the nonprofit has arranged for evacuation opportunities for the animals.

"Some of the other sheltering facilities in our area, we worked really closely together, have offered space, and that would be a possibility if the area was vulnerable again," Elliott said. "So cordoning off Division Street in the north to all the way to 26th Street in the south secures us because we're right there."

He said he believes the mayor will not relax this provision and no one other than an essential worker with a valid ID can enter the area.

"But we need to be prepared, and we will be," he said.

Since a lot of the workers live in neighborhoods farther away, the organization is having to carpool them in staggering schedules after public transport was suspended. This is an acceptable situation right now because since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, they only have 175 animals in the facility while usually they house around 600 of them.

As soon as the Illinois shelter-in-place began, the society increased their efforts to get animals adopted and increased its foster network. After 367 adoptions, they haven't restarted the process to ensure safety and contain the spread of COVID-19.

Elliott said if situations turn dire, they have about 300 foster parents who are waitlisted and can take care of the animals.

The news about the nonprofit being impacted drew a lot of anger from animal lovers across the city who feel animals should not have to bear the brunt of human actions.

Elliott said animals are innocent and should have no part in this, however, he also thinks the attack wasn't targeted.

"If it was, the damage would have been much worse like at some of the other stores," he said. I'm not happy it occurred but it's very possible that because we are one of the few buildings in the vicinity that wasn't seriously damaged and looted, that perhaps there might have been some consideration because of the animals."

He said he has not received news of any other shelters being damaged although many came precariously close to it.

"We will band together and help each other," Elliott said. There's a coalition of about 12 shelters in town that are reaching out to one another and offering help. We hope things will not get worse, but we need to anticipate and be ready in case that does not occur. We weren't unprepared this time either, but we will have a more proactive plan in case this occurs again."