The Mike Brown Ferguson protesters caused millions of dollars of damage to local businesses.
The Ferguson QuikTrip was just one business hit by vandals. The QT was looted and torched during the riots in Ferguson.
The Missouri Department of Public Safety is reporting that the riots and violent protests cost taxpayers $5.7 million, so far.
KMOV reported:
The massive police response to Ferguson in the wake of the shooting death of Michael Brown on Aug. 9 will take nearly $1.5M from the Missouri state budget.
According to the Missouri Department of Public Safety, the Missouri State Highway Patrol costs total $1.1M while activating the National Guard will cost the state roughly $384,000.
This estimate is solely for the initial response: from the time protests erupted right after Brown died to the last few weekdays of August.
St. Louis County officials estimated the county’s initial cost will be $4.2M. That’s a combination of money going to police overtime, fixing damaged cop cars and food and supplies for first responders.
It is unclear what will have to be cut to make up for the impact on the county’s budget.
The violence is also hurting businesses in Ferguson. One business owner called the protesters “terrorists” and said his business is down 40% since the protests started. Several of the local businesses have been looted and vandalized.
