Rite Aid Pharmacy Reopens After Baltimore Riots

One of the largest pharmacies damaged during the Freddie Gray riots in Baltimore has reopened.

The Rite Aid on Martin Luther King Boulevard in West Baltimore was looted and heavily damaged back in April 2015 following Gray’s death, which was caused by a spinal injury during police custody and led to chaos in the city.

The store reopened on October 20, 2015—about 6 months after the riots began.

During the riots, some pharmacies were set on fire, while others had windows broken. Surveillance footage showed looters stealing prescription drugs, which also created privacy concerns for patients, CBS reported.

Police reported that the stolen drugs spurred murders and shootings, as well.

“I remember going with our health commissioner to deliver prescriptions to our seniors throughout the city,” Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake told CBS. “I can’t even tell you how devastated they were.”

While some were uncertain about whether the store would be rebuilt at all, Rite Aid began restoration, and a trailer was used to serve patients in the meantime.

“Right after the disturbances, the mayor along with many others of us … met in the White House,” Rep. Elijah Cummings, (D) Baltimore, told CBS. “One of the first calls that I made after the disturbances was to Rite Aid because we really wanted to make sure that Rite Aid rebuilt.”

In May, Rite Aid reported that 7 other locations in Baltimore that had closed because of the riots were reopened.

The Rite Aid Foundation also donated $10,000 to the elementary school that Thurgood Marshall attended, CBS reported.

“We are thrilled to be back doing what we do best: serving the local community,” Rite Aid executive vice president of store operations Bryan Everett told CBS.

A riot-damaged CVS pharmacy, which was referred to as the “symbolic flashpoint of the Baltimore riot,” is also being restored.