The Glenview TV Incident of 1999

Briefing

On the 14th of February, 1999. A group of angry individuals entered the Bamna7 Tv store and started an altercation, because a week earlier apparantly one of the employees promised that the store was organizing a 'free tv day'. But after the store opened in the morning of the 14th, they quickly found out it was all a ruse. Young mobs started looking for trouble and caused havoc in the store, later going down the street screaming and attempting to engage in a fistfight with multiple people looking at the situation unfold. A patrol car showed up but things quickly started to go south, with people now looting several other stores which most of them were Tv or other electrical appliance stores.

Young rebellious people saw this as an oppertunity to create chaos, as they now started throwing items at police cars, and going as far as looting even non-tv or appliance stores. And repeatingly screaming 'Free tv's! free tv's! Get YOUR free tv's!

Location and spread

The scene originally formed at the Tv store Bamna7 which was located on Prieta Highway in upper Glenview. But things quickly reached throughout the whole avenue and on most of the streets in Glenview. When the event reached an all time high. Disturbances were reported all over Glenview, Ashfield, Clinton and even spreading into areas such as Westwood, Whitestone and majority of Downtown and it's vicinity.

Aftermath

The riots lasted from February 14th all the way to the 16th. Though the effect was greatly minimized. Despite a lot of looting and fistfights, the riots were not as destructive as people anticipated. Property damage was estimated to be around $2-4 million.

Crime had a slight increase for the following years but quickly decreased and stagnated when Glenview's gentrification wave hit. But this event is still remembered to this day, and has made a lot of stores be more secure and protected as they were before.