Denver business owner 'frustrated' with city over payments to BLM protesters
Zach Monks, whose business was damaged during the 2020 riots, joined 'Fox & Friends' to discuss his take on the payments and what action he wants the city to take moving forward.
A Denver business owner spoke out Thursday against the city, expressing his frustration that it agreed to pay millions to Black Lives Matter protesters that "devastated" storefronts in the area during the 2020 George Floyd riots.
Zach Monks, who owns Sole St. Shoes, said he lost $170,000 worth of merchandise due to the riots, but he never received a penny from the city despite the million-dollar payout to BLM protesters.
"I'm frustrated with the city for sure, for the lack of support that they've shown all the businesses downtown," Monks said on "Fox & Friends."
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"It's been devastating… It'll probably take us anywhere from five to 10 years to recover from what happened," he continued.
City councilors agreed to the settlement unanimously earlier this week, agreeing to pay $4.7 million to settle the class-action lawsuit. The latest development brings the grand total of payments in settlements and verdicts to more than $20 million.
According to the lawsuit, Denver police allegedly unfairly targeted protesters for violating the city's 8 p.m. curfew while not enforcing the same rules for other bystanders.
It also claimed hundreds were taken to jail during the protests when they should have been ticketed for curfew violations instead.
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Despite the city's pushback, it agreed to the settlement because of the "burdensome and expensive" nature of the lawsuit.
Co-host Steve Doocy asked Monks if the rioters who ravaged his business had been held accountable for the damage done to his company and others in the area.
"None that I'm aware of," Monks responded. "We provided the city with the information that we had, the videos and everything that was posted, even to social media."
He also said he wasn't certain city officials even tried to locate the perpetrators.
Nonetheless, he urged the city to take action in order to protect business owners like himself moving forward.
Monks called on city officials to foster an environment in which businesses like his can flourish, saying something must be done about open-air drug use and the homeless population.
"The biggest thing the city can do for us is just make it a viable place to do business going forward," he said. "The money… from the loss, it's almost too late to replace that. Those businesses are already gone. We just need a viable place to do business."
"Make it a safe and… clean environment… where… people are willing to come down and… experience what we have to offer downtown," he continued.
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