Détroit Is The New Black makes statement by boarding up windows

Days after a social media dust-up over boarded-up windows, fashion boutique Détroit Is The New Black has now boarded its windows up as well — and used the opportunity to make a statement.

The boards have been painted with the names of Black people who have been killed, including Emmett Till, Malice Green, Trayvon Martin, Aiyana Stanley-Jones, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and others. They went up over the weekend.

A number of downtown businesses have boarded up their windows as Black Lives Matter protests continue in Detroit and across the world. When Détroit Is The New Black's neighbors Le Labo and Madewell boarded up their windows last week, the Black-owned company suggested its landlord Bedrock was boarding up some businesses and not others, though a spokeswoman for Bedrock said that wasn't the case – the decision to board up the windows belongs to the tenants.

"Did we miss the memo? Will our shop be boarded up as well??" DITNB wrote on Instagram. "OUR businesses matter. SMALL businesses matter. BLACK businesses matter."


Previously, DITNB had a hand-drawn sign in its window saying "Black owned please don't loot." The nearby House of Pure Vin had similar signs in its windows, while several big-name brands like Nike, H&M, and Lululemon had all boarded up their windows.

Bedrock said it reached out to all of its tenants to see if they needed help boarding up their windows after the social media post drew negative attention.

While other cities have seen Black Lives Matter protests turn to looting and vandalism, Detroit's have been largely peaceful after several days of conflict. On Sunday, Detroit saw its fourth consecutive day of peaceful protests.

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