Apple closes stores across the US over safety concerns amid George Floyd protests

• On May 25, a 46-year-old black man named George Floyd died in Minneapolis after a white police officer pinned his knee to Floyd's neck for several minutes during an arrest.
• Following Floyd's death, protesters took to the streets and have continued protesting throughout the week.
• Apple closed an undisclosed number of stores in the US on Sunday amid looting concerns, including stores in San Francisco and New York City.
• Employees were photographed boarding up the primarily glass exteriors of stores in Austin, Texas, and Washington, D.C., and a large fence was erected around Apple's flagship Manhattan storefront.
• "With the health and safety of our teams in mind, we've made the decision to keep a number of our stores in the US closed on Sunday," the company said in a statement over the weekend. It's unclear if stores will remain closed.

A 46-year-old black man named George Floyd died in Minneapolis after a police officer kneeled on his neck for several minutes during an arrest.

A widely circulated video showed the incident, and Floyd can be heard pleading for his life before becoming unresponsive. "Please, please, please, I can't breathe," he says in the video. "Don't kill me."

Floyd's death has sparked peaceful protests, riots, and looting across the United States.

In response to the protests, Apple shuttered several locations across the US on Sunday, and employees were seen boarding up windows in several major cities. In New York City, Apple's flagship Columbus Circle storefront has a multi-layer fence surrounding its entrance:

—alana (@AlanaMarie) June 1, 2020

"With the health and safety of our teams in mind, we've made the decision to keep a number of our stores in the US closed on Sunday," Apple representatives told 9to5Mac this weekend.

Photos and videos that circulated on social media over the weekend appear to depict looters breaking into and/or damaging Apple stores in a variety of cities — from Philadelphia to Washington D.C.

It's unclear how many Apple stores are being closed, or how long they will remain closed. The store pages of many prominent locations reflect unexpected closures. Philadelphia's downtown Walnut Street store, for instance, is listed as closed indefinitely, as is the store in Minneapolis.

Apple representatives did not respond to a request for comment.

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