Residents of Minneapolis have created a fundraiser to gather donations to restore Bangladeshi owned restaurant Gandhi Mahal, which was burned down along with other restaurants by demonstrators over the death of George Floyd.
A fundraiser on gofundme.com has already raised more than $96,000 to help the family-owned business rebuild, according to a post on the restaurant’s Facebook page.
Meanwhile, another fundraiser on Facebook has also gathered a significant amount for the restoration of the restaurant.
On May 29, The Gandhi Mahal Restaurant was severely damaged by fire, but a courageous response from its owner went viral on Facebook. Owner Ruhel Islam responded to the damage saying: “Let my building burn, Justice needs to be served, put those officers in jail.”
Gandhi Mahal was opened in 2008, during the Great Recession. Although Ruhel believes in nonviolent protest — he named his restaurant in honour of Mahatma Gandhi — he empathizes with the frustration of many Minneapolis residents.
“I am going to continuously promote peaceful ways and nonviolent movement,” he told the media following the incident.
“But our younger generation is angry, and there is reason to be angry.”
The restaurant is just a few doors away from the Third Precinct headquarters of the Minneapolis Police Department, which was set ablaze by protesters on Thursday night. Other buildings also burned, and the fire eventually reached the restaurant.
At the same time, funds to gather donations were raised to restore other restaurants damaged in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, including Town Talk Diner & Gastropub, Bolé and Bole Express, DuNord Craft Spirits, and Midtown Global Market.
