Bronx Small Business Owners Fear For Safety After Attack During Looting
By Ron Lee The Bronx
PUBLISHED 7:49 AM ET Jun. 08, 2020
BRONX, N.Y. - As New York City restarts its economy this week with phase one of the city's reopening plan, several businesses that were devastated by looters last week find themselves in despair.
NY1 caught up with Jerry Shen and his daughter, Jessalyn, as they returned to GoldCash Inc, their pawn shop on East 188th Street in the Bronx.
The Shens know they will eventually have to sort through all of the mess that was left behind after looters ravaged the family's shop last Monday night. But for now, their main priority is Jessalyn's 68-year old mother, Wendy, who opened the pawn shop 20 years ago.
Wendy Shen is in the ICU and is expected to have another surgery this week, after her family says she was attacked by looters and severely fractured her femur.
"They smashed our windows," said Jessalyn Shen, who recently finished medical school. "They smashed the car doors to the point where you can't even close them anymore and they started pulling us out one by one. They pulled my mom out and we tried to get her back in. They started attacking with crowbars and lead pipes and bricks, and in the process of trying to get my mom back into the car, they ended up breaking her leg."
This nightmare on East 188th Street began as the Shens left their home to drive to the store, after they received a security alert about a break-in. When the Shens and Jessalyn's boyfriend went into the store, they tried but failed to get the looters to leave.
Fearing for their safety, they rushed back to their car, where they were attacked.
"When we finally were able to get back into the car, they followed us," said Shen, who says looters grabbed jewelry that was on her neck. "We drove down 188th trying to escape, they got back into their vans, and they tried to ram us off the road. We got down to Webster and they tried to crash into us multiple times!"
The Shens say they eventually made it to safety, when they approached a police barricade and begged the officer to save them.
With the police investigation ongoing, and with his wife suffering nightmares, Jerry Shen says he may try to re-open the shop on a short term basis, to tie up loose ends with customers. But he says who knows what the future holds.
"It makes you think, is it worth it?" asked Shen. "Maybe we just close the store and leave the community. It's not worth your family's life to keep the business going."
To help customers recover their losses and to help rebuild not only this store but the business of other family members who had their jewelry store looted that same night in the Bronx, a GoFundMepage has been set up.
To help out, search Fordham GoldCashInc on GoFundMe.
NYC Asian Family Robbed and Viciously Attacked By Looters, Mom Sent to ICU
An Asian family who owns the Gold Cash Inc. pawn shop in Fordham, Bronx, New York was viciously attacked while trying to defend their business from looters. According to NY 1, the store located on East 188th Street was vandalized and looted on Monday night. The family got an alert that their store was being broken into so they got into their car and headed to the store. Unfortunately, the looters assaulted them resulting in a broken leg for the mother.
Share
Gofundme
Jessalyn Shen told NY 1 that her mother Wendy Shen is currently in ICU with a broken femur. She said her family and her boyfriend arrived to the store and found looters inside. They tried to get them to leave but it turned dangerous so they got back inside their car and tried to get away. However, the looters started to attack and follow them.
A family who has operated a pawn shop in NYC for decades recently had their shop looted and vandalized during a riot in the Fordham neighborhood.
When the Shen family tried to stop the looters, they were chased, attacked and robbed, leaving one person seriously injured.
What happened: The Shen family has been running GoldCash Inc, a small pawn shop on East 188th Street in the Bronx for the last 40 years. On June 1, the Shens received a security alert about a break-in and rushed to the store. When they got there, hordes of looters allegedly forced their store gate open and flooded in. The family tried to keep important items safe but to no avail.
The aftermath: Wendy Shen, Jessalyn’s mom, initially entered the ICU with a severely fractured femur but was recently downgraded after two surgeries. She is currently waiting for a third surgery later this week.
The future of the store: Jerry says he might re-open the store on a short-term basis but is unsure of its future.
“It makes you think, is it worth it?” Jerry told NY1. “Maybe we just close the store and leave the community. It’s not worth your family’s life to keep the business going.”
Separating looters from protestors: Despite the incident, Jessica and her family emphasized the importance of supporting the #BlackLivesMatter movement and protestors.
“Black lives matter. Black communities matter. This movement matters. These protests matter. We need to bring justice to the lives lost and healing to the communities. The Fordham community needs healing now. Please support the families and businesses that have been affected. I thank everyone that has come to the aid of my family and the heroes that work at St. Barnabas Hospital and SeniorCare EMS,” she wrote.
How you can help: Donate to the family’s GoFundMe which has a goal of $50,000. If anyone has information regarding the individuals caught on the security camera footage below, contact the 46th Bronx precinct at (718) 220-5211.
See also
October 27, 2017
South Korean Anti-Donald Trump Group Denied Entry Into the United States
By Ron Lee The Bronx
PUBLISHED 7:49 AM ET Jun. 08, 2020
BRONX, N.Y. - As New York City restarts its economy this week with phase one of the city's reopening plan, several businesses that were devastated by looters last week find themselves in despair.
NY1 caught up with Jerry Shen and his daughter, Jessalyn, as they returned to GoldCash Inc, their pawn shop on East 188th Street in the Bronx.
The Shens know they will eventually have to sort through all of the mess that was left behind after looters ravaged the family's shop last Monday night. But for now, their main priority is Jessalyn's 68-year old mother, Wendy, who opened the pawn shop 20 years ago.
Wendy Shen is in the ICU and is expected to have another surgery this week, after her family says she was attacked by looters and severely fractured her femur.
"They smashed our windows," said Jessalyn Shen, who recently finished medical school. "They smashed the car doors to the point where you can't even close them anymore and they started pulling us out one by one. They pulled my mom out and we tried to get her back in. They started attacking with crowbars and lead pipes and bricks, and in the process of trying to get my mom back into the car, they ended up breaking her leg."
This nightmare on East 188th Street began as the Shens left their home to drive to the store, after they received a security alert about a break-in. When the Shens and Jessalyn's boyfriend went into the store, they tried but failed to get the looters to leave.
Fearing for their safety, they rushed back to their car, where they were attacked.
"When we finally were able to get back into the car, they followed us," said Shen, who says looters grabbed jewelry that was on her neck. "We drove down 188th trying to escape, they got back into their vans, and they tried to ram us off the road. We got down to Webster and they tried to crash into us multiple times!"
The Shens say they eventually made it to safety, when they approached a police barricade and begged the officer to save them.
With the police investigation ongoing, and with his wife suffering nightmares, Jerry Shen says he may try to re-open the shop on a short term basis, to tie up loose ends with customers. But he says who knows what the future holds.
"It makes you think, is it worth it?" asked Shen. "Maybe we just close the store and leave the community. It's not worth your family's life to keep the business going."
To help customers recover their losses and to help rebuild not only this store but the business of other family members who had their jewelry store looted that same night in the Bronx, a GoFundMepage has been set up.
To help out, search Fordham GoldCashInc on GoFundMe.
NYC Asian Family Robbed and Viciously Attacked By Looters, Mom Sent to ICU
An Asian family who owns the Gold Cash Inc. pawn shop in Fordham, Bronx, New York was viciously attacked while trying to defend their business from looters. According to NY 1, the store located on East 188th Street was vandalized and looted on Monday night. The family got an alert that their store was being broken into so they got into their car and headed to the store. Unfortunately, the looters assaulted them resulting in a broken leg for the mother.
Share
Gofundme
Jessalyn Shen told NY 1 that her mother Wendy Shen is currently in ICU with a broken femur. She said her family and her boyfriend arrived to the store and found looters inside. They tried to get them to leave but it turned dangerous so they got back inside their car and tried to get away. However, the looters started to attack and follow them.
A family who has operated a pawn shop in NYC for decades recently had their shop looted and vandalized during a riot in the Fordham neighborhood.
When the Shen family tried to stop the looters, they were chased, attacked and robbed, leaving one person seriously injured.
What happened: The Shen family has been running GoldCash Inc, a small pawn shop on East 188th Street in the Bronx for the last 40 years. On June 1, the Shens received a security alert about a break-in and rushed to the store. When they got there, hordes of looters allegedly forced their store gate open and flooded in. The family tried to keep important items safe but to no avail.
- The Shen’s tried to escape in their car but were followed and attacked.
- “They smashed our windows. They attacked with crowbars, pipes, and bricks. They pulled my mom from the car. As my boyfriend Chao held onto her, they broke her leg,” Jessalyn Shen, daughter of the owners, wrote on GoFundMe. “My jewelry, shoes, and phone were torn from me as they pulled me out from the trunk of the car while Chao tried to hold me in.”
- Jerry Shen, Jessalyn’s dad, tried fighting off the looters and the family was able to drive away. However, the looters reportedly followed them and tried to ram them off the road. They eventually drove off after the Shens flagged nearby police officers for help.
The aftermath: Wendy Shen, Jessalyn’s mom, initially entered the ICU with a severely fractured femur but was recently downgraded after two surgeries. She is currently waiting for a third surgery later this week.
- The family car has been declared “totaled beyond repair”.
- The Shens estimate their losses in the six digits.
- A police investigation is still ongoing and Wendy has been suffering nightmares since the incident.
The future of the store: Jerry says he might re-open the store on a short-term basis but is unsure of its future.
“It makes you think, is it worth it?” Jerry told NY1. “Maybe we just close the store and leave the community. It’s not worth your family’s life to keep the business going.”
Separating looters from protestors: Despite the incident, Jessica and her family emphasized the importance of supporting the #BlackLivesMatter movement and protestors.
“Black lives matter. Black communities matter. This movement matters. These protests matter. We need to bring justice to the lives lost and healing to the communities. The Fordham community needs healing now. Please support the families and businesses that have been affected. I thank everyone that has come to the aid of my family and the heroes that work at St. Barnabas Hospital and SeniorCare EMS,” she wrote.
How you can help: Donate to the family’s GoFundMe which has a goal of $50,000. If anyone has information regarding the individuals caught on the security camera footage below, contact the 46th Bronx precinct at (718) 220-5211.
See also
October 27, 2017
South Korean Anti-Donald Trump Group Denied Entry Into the United States
