Rite Aid Damaged In Riot Reopening Tuesday

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A sign of rebirth in one Baltimore City community. A pharmacy looted and heavily damaged during the Baltimore riots reopens. It's something nearby residents desperately need.

WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren with more on the ceremony and what it means for the community.

At one point, police said enough prescription drugs were stolen from Baltimore pharmacies to keep the city high for a year. The riots were six months ago, and there's been an incredible turnaround at the Rite Aid on Martin Luther King Boulevard in West Baltimore.

This moment marks a new beginning in West Baltimore. One of the largest of the 27 pharmacies looters destroyed in the riots after Freddie Gray's death is back in business.

"They need these pharmacies in their neighborhoods," said Adrian Jefferson. "Baltimore will be back. Baltimore is strong."

"We are thrilled to be back doing what we do best--serving the local community," said Bryan Everett, Rite Aid executive V.P.

Surveillance video showed the ransacking of pharmacies, alarming customers who had personal information stolen. Police even claimed the looted drugs fueled the city's surge in murders and shootings. The DEA plastered pictures of the suspects around the city.

"I remember going with our health commissioner to deliver prescriptions to our seniors throughout the city. I can't even tell you how devastated they were," said Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.

"Worrying can put some hurting on your body, and it made me sick for awhile," said Lillian Harmon.

"Our community does matter, Baltimore matters--because a lot of people sometimes put Baltimore down," said Lynnette Minton.

"Everything is so clean in here. It's a pleasure shopping here," said Harmon.

There were questions about whether there would even be a re-development.

"Right after the disturbances, the mayor along with many others of us, joined, actually, met in the White House. 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," said Rep. Elijah Cummings, (D) Baltimore.

The CVS at the epicenter of the riots at Penn and North is also being rebuilt, and most of the looted pharmacies have now reopened. They are more than gleaming new aisles, they're signs of hope of a rebirth in Baltimore.

"Since the events of last April, I've made it clear that I do not believe we will be defined by the events that week," the mayor said. "Our city will be defined and continue to be defined by how we respond, how we choose to work together."

The Rite Aid Foundation also donated $10,000 to Samuel Coleridge Taylor Elementary, which is the alma mater of Thurgood Marshall.

Rite Aid opened a temporary trailer on the site during reconstruction of the store.