Tim Thomas, general manager of Honda of Oakland, said damages included broken windows in the showroom, flipped over desks, and computers thrown through office glass windows. He said there was an attempt to set a car on the showroom floor on fire along with broken windows on cars on the showroom floor. Computers and electronics were stolen, he added.
Thomas said cleanup began Sunday morning, with the glass cleaned up and windows boarded. Employees came in to help on their day off. Dealership vendors offered to store cars on their property and to send employees to help clean up.
“There was a lot of outreach for help for us, which was nice to see,” he said.
Despite the damages, the dealership has not closed its doors and even sold eight cars on Saturday, the day after the damage occurred.
Thomas said that the dealership had “semi-prepared” for the protests on Friday night by moving cars off the lots and into its service department.
He also said that this is not the first time the dealership has dealt with damages, noting the May Day Riots in 2015 when demonstrators broke windows on the showroom floor and damaged cars.
“We got through it then and we’ll get through it now,” he said.
In Washington, the showroom windows at Ferrari of Seattle were spray-painted and broken, but the dealership’s inventory had been moved in anticipation of the demonstrations.
As the protests continued to turn violent throughout the weekend, the Volkswagen of Oakland dealership was vandalized in San Francisco’s East Bay on Saturday night. A video by The San Francisco Chronicle‘s Matthias Gafni showed protesters smashing the windows of the store.
California troubles
Toyota Santa Monica also sustained damage, with a YouTube video showing several cars in its lot with smashed back windows. The dealership is part of LAcarGuy dealerships.
Mike Sullivan, owner of LAcarGuy dealerships, said that three of his Santa Monica locations were damaged with one suffering more destruction than the others, although he declined to name them. The damages consisted of computers torn off the walls, key machines broken open, stolen cars and cars crashed into each other.
“It was really horrible,” he said.
He told Automotive News that he closed ten out of his twelve dealerships in response to the incidents. He said that the people who damaged the dealerships are not from the area and are unrelated to the George Floyd protesters. He also said he is currently in the process of trying to hire armed guards for his dealerships.
“We can protect our lives, but not our property,” he said. “So we all have to understand that clear line.”
A message pops up on the LAcarGuy website that says, “Due to Civil Unrest, we will be temporarily closed today to ensure the safety of our guests and employees.” Also on Facebook, a post says, “Update: for the safety of our employees all LAcarGUY dealerships will be temporarily closed today. Thanks for your understanding. Please stay safe out there.”
‘Very fluid situation’
Brian Maas, president of the California New Car Dealers Association, said it was too early to tell how many dealers in his state were impacted, noting that “dealers located in downtown areas are more likely to be impacted.”
“I think it’s probably too soon to tell, it’s a very fluid situation,” he said. “The hope is that it dissipates and protests stay peaceful.”
In addition, Mercedes-Benz of Scottsdale in Arizona also was damaged in demonstrations Sunday. A photo by Mark Henle of The Arizona Republic shows a smashed window, although the cars inside appear to be intact.
Automotive News has left messages seeking comment from all of the affected dealerships.
The protests started in Minneapolis on May 26, a day after Floyd, an African American man, died in police custody, and spread to other cities across the country and around the world over the weekend. As of Monday, more than 40 U.S. cities had implemented curfews in response.
Sunday marked the sixth consecutive night of demonstrations in at least 75 cities across the country.
On Sunday night, the Oakland Police Department posted a statement on Twitter. It said, “We will arrest those who would loot, vandalize or otherwise harm our city.”
