Wednesday, September 23, 2020

Riot damage

 (cont'd from yesterday's post)

 Minneapolis' Lake Street neighborhood was hard hit by rioting, looting, burning this summer. About 20 years ago Hispanic and East African entrepreneurs opened ~100 businesses here. They struggled under the pandemic restrictions, and now this happens.

Insurance is not going to restore the time, work and emotional investment that went into these businesses. There will be massive "hardships to the business community and to the community as a whole."

Korboi Balla's sports bar was a dream turned into a nightmare. When he heard the next morning that it was burned up, he was serving a shift at the fire station. When he came to see it for himself, all he could do was cry.

Restaurant owner Ruhel Islam saw his business burning and said, "Let my building burn, justice needs to be served . . ." 

But the burning of minority businesses serves no justice. 

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