By Mark Ellis —
Thousands of people converged on downtown Chicago August 9-10th, looting high-end stores, smashing windows, clashing with police, and causing widespread damage along the Magnificent Mile.
But who would have thought The Ronald McDonald House near Lurie Children’s Hospital, a charity for families with children in the hospital, would have their doors smashed in the melee.
“[We were] very concerned there was a lot of activity right in front of the house, people making choices that could put them at risk and put our families at risk so the staff was frightened,” Lisa Mitchell, with Ronald McDonald House, told WLS-TV.
More than 30 families and their ailing children were huddled inside the charity along with staff as they watched the mayhem outside.
“They are already in a really, really difficult spot, and having this kind of additional stress and worry about getting to and from the hospital even-though we are 5 blocks away because of safety concerns is just doubling the strain,” Mitchell told WLS-TV.
There were no damages or injuries inside the charity house and they will press on with their mission despite the risks.
“In total, two people were shot, 13 police officers were injured and more than 100 arrests were made Monday, Chicago police said. The city had deployed more than 400 officers after seeing social media posts instructing people to loot the downtown,” according to WLS-TV.
