Protests over the death of George Floyd, a black man in Minneapolis who died on Monday after a police officer knelt on his neck while pinning him to the ground despite repeated pleas that he couldn’t breathe, have continued across the country for a third night, with demonstrations in Minneapolis leading to repeated public clashes with the police, looting, and fires. According to the Huffington Post, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz declared a state of emergency and activated the National Guard on Thursday evening after protestors took over a police precinct and set it on fire.
With several fires rolling throughout the city, some small businesses are getting caught up in the damage. That isn’t stopping small business owners from standing in solidarity with those calling for justice, like Ruhel Islam of the Minneapolis restaurant Gandhi Mahal, who seems undeterred by the unintended destruction of his own restaurant, which caught fire Thursday evening.
Sadly Gandhi Mahal has caught fire and has been damaged. We won’t lose hope though, I am so grateful for our neighbors who did their best to stand guard and protect Gandhi Mahal, your efforts won’t go unrecognized. Don’t worry about us, we will rebuild and we will recover,” writes Hafsa, the daughter of Gandhi Mahal’s owner, Ruhel Islam. “I am sitting next to my dad watching the news, I hear him say on the phone; “let my building burn, Justice needs to be served, put those officers in jail.”
The post is tagged #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd and #BLM to stand in solidarity with the protestors on the ground level in Minneapolis. The police officers involved in Floyd’s arrests, including the officer who pinned Floyd down have been fired but have not yet been charged with a crime.
Source: https://uproxx.com/culture/minneapolis-restaurant-owner-calls-for-justice/