Is the looting just a sign of an uprising against the current regime?
Bernardo Morillo, 60, who built and manages the mall told Bloomberg: “It’s hard to swallow. The national guard stood by as this vandalism happened and the firefighters didn’t even show.’’
Ricardo Costa, vice president of the Zulia state chapter of the Fedecamaras business group said: "...security forces were useless as people took anything of value, including cash machines, door frames, ovens, computers and surveillance cameras..."
The country's Centro 99 food market saw looters pick its shelves clean. “They even carried off the lard and flour to bake bread in their bare hands,’’ the store's manager said.
The looting started last Saturday afternoon after an ice company, on a hot day, demanded that it be paid in dollars. A crowd instead tore through its factory and then continued onto nearby pharmacies and stores. By the evening, the entire city was taken over by people seeking out life's necessities by any means necessary.
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