The owner of a Minneapolis restaurant damaged by fire during George Floyd protests said: 'Let my building burn, justice needs to be served'
- The Gandhi Mahal, an Indian restaurant in Minneapolis, was damaged early Friday morning by fire set during protests against the death of George Floyd.
- Owner Ruhan Islam's daughter posted on Facebook: "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.'"
- Islam later said, according to BuzzFeed: "Life is more valuable than anything else. We can rebuild a building. But we cannot give this man back to his family."
- Four nights of angry protests in Minneapolis have left many businesses in ruins due to fires and looting.
The owner of an Indian restaurant in Minneapolis, which was set on fire during protests against the death of George Floyd, has said he bears no malice to those who burned down his business and sympathizes with the anger at the killing.
In an early Friday Facebook post, owner Ruhan Islam's daughter, Hafsa, wrote:
"Don't worry about us, we will rebuild and we will recover ... 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.'"
Floyd, an unarmed black man, died on Monday in Minneapolis after a white police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes. Video published Thursday showed three other officers pinning him to the ground with their knees.
Protests over Floyd's death started in Minneapolis on Tuesday and have since spread to at least 20 other cities in the US.
The restaurant, which is three blocks from the Minneapolis Third Police Precinct, was set ablaze on Thursday night, and damaged by fire early Friday morning.
Islam, who is originally from Bangladesh, later said: "Life is more valuable than anything else. We can rebuild a building. But we cannot give this man back to his family," according to BuzzFeed.
His daughter Hafsa, 18, had briefly witnessed the fatal arrest of Floyd while delivering takeout orders from the restaurant.
"I remembered how he was crying and in pain," she said, according to BuzzFeed.
Many businesses, large and small, have been attacked during the four nights of protest in Minneapolis. Some have been set ablaze, while others were looted.
All four officers involved in Floyd's death were fired on Tuesday. Derek Chauvin, the officer who was filmed kneeling on Floyd, was charged with third-degree murder on Friday.