Kellen Daniel was angry, sprinting down Malcolm X Boulevard in Deep Ellum, hoping he’d get there in time to save the sneaker store he manages.

He knew a small group of protesters had smashed a window of the shop, Sneaker Politics, after a night of otherwise peaceful protests against the killing of black Americans by police officers.

Daniel was getting ready to go out for drinks Friday night when he got a text from a friend who was at the protests.

“Bro,” the text said. “They just looted Politics.”

“I’m [on] the way,” he fired back.

When he couldn’t get close to the store by car, Daniel got out and ran.

He said Saturday he couldn’t remember the details. He said he was so mad at the people who were running off with Nikes and Adidas that the next several minutes were a blur.

Broken glass was everywhere. The racks of clothes were empty. Just a few looters were still there, but when Daniel turned on the lights, they dropped the shoes they had snagged and ran off.

Daniel, who is black, says that he understands why people in Dallas and across the country are protesting and that he supports the demonstrations. But to see a small group that chose to smash windows and steal sneakers, he says, was disappointing.

“I’m angry and hurt,” Daniel said Saturday. “It’s just sad that a few people will diminish what the protest is about.”

‘It’s a good family’

Daniel didn’t leave the store until nearly 4:30 a.m. He didn’t sleep well, he said, and was back just a few hours later. He told his employees that the store was closed, but they showed up anyway to clean and hang out.

It’s a small, tight-knit group. Most of them moved to Dallas this year after working at Sneaker Politics stores in Louisiana. The shop opened in Deep Ellum last fall, and has become a source of community for sneaker-heads across North Texas.

“It’s weird to say, but it’s deeper than just sneakers and clothes,” Daniel said. “It’s a good family.”

Inside, employee Mike Hayes dribbled a basketball after most of the cleaning was done. He’s worked for the company since 2012, and was part of the group that moved from Louisiana in January.

Still, he says, hitting local businesses — especially stores like Sneaker Politics that are a source of community, he said — sends the wrong message.

“It hits a little different,” he said. “I wouldn’t look at it as a win for activists.”

Just a few shoes remained on the shelves Saturday. A couple T-shirts and pairs of pants were stacked on a table next to chunks of brick thrown through the window late Friday night. Daniel estimated at least $100,000 worth of damage.

But the cash register was still intact, and it didn’t appear that much was missing from the store room in back, where the shop keeps boxed pairs of shoes.

The looters, Daniel and the other employees joked, would probably be disappointed when they realized they got away with the displays, which are only filled with left-foot shoes.

New beginnings

All afternoon, people came by to check on the store. Friends dropped off pizzas. A customer brought a box of doughnuts and a plant, “for new beginnings.”

Strangers offered to help. One man opened his wallet and asked if he could donate cash to the store. Another said he was part of a group of veterans who volunteered their tactical gear to protect the store from future protests.

Regular customers Erick and Laurena Bertot were watching Friday’s protests on Facebook Live when they saw looters smash the window at Sneaker Politics. They wanted to come right away, but live far away in Wylie.

Saturday morning, however, they were at the store before 11 a.m. Erick grabbed a broom and started sweeping.

“I’m so angry,” he said. “You’re using the protest to do all this damage to our city.”

In the early afternoon, Daniel decided to board up the store completely. More protests were gearing up downtown, and nearby shop owners were worried that this time they’d burn buildings down.

Hayes pulled a yellow face mask over his nose and mouth and opened Snapchat on his phone. He panned around the room, showing the empty store full of empty shelves.

“They took everything,” he told his social media followers. “But we’re still here.”