Indian, Asian Businesses Hit Hard By Unrest In U.S. Town

WASHINGTON: Even as a semblance of order was restored in a small city in Missouri after nearly two weeks of unrest, Indian and other Asian-American-owned businesses were reported to be in a mess after days of looting.

The Daily Beast cited the lawyer of an Indian-American store owner as saying the authorities let the looting happen as protests engulfed the predominantly black St. Louis suburb of Ferguson in the wake of the police shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed, 18-year-old black man.

The Ferguson Market, where Brown allegedly grabbed a handful of cigars before his deadly encounter with police, looters have twice targeted the store owned by the Patels, an Indian-American family, the Beast reported. Several other stores owned by Asian-Americans have also been looted. These include Northland Chop Suey, a Chinese restaurant, a second market, a beauty shop, and a cell phone store, it said.

Jay Kanzler, the Patels' lawyer, told The Daily Beast he believed that law enforcement authorities allowed the looting of Ferguson Market on Friday in part because it is a minority-owned small business. However, local Asian-American business owners cited by the Beast said they don't think looters targeted them because of their race.

Even as the protests continue, many of the owners are already back in their stores, rebuilding and serving Ferguson residents, it said.

"We support this community and this community supports us," Priyanka Patel, daughter of the Ferguson Market owners was quoted as saying.

"We love Ferguson and are proud to be business members of this community."