A restaurant that cheered rioters who burned down its building during the George Floyd riots now complains that Minneapolis has too much crime after being victimized again.
“Let my building burn,” immigrant restaurant owner Ruhel Islam declared as his business was set ablaze during anti-police protests last summer. “Justice needs to be served, put those officers in jail,” he said on Facebook. His daughter, Hafsa Islam, even penned an op-ed for The Washington Post praising those who torched Gandhi Mahal, their restaurant.
“For years, protesters tried peace. It didn’t work. If this is what it takes to get justice, then it will have been worth it,” she said.
However, now this family has changed its tune after a night of riots turned into a year of crime.
Since losing his last restaurant, Islam has opened a new establishment: Curry in a Hurry. Over the last several days, thieves have stolen his catering van full of newly-purchased supplies and his building was burglarized, resulting in the loss of $500 from his cash register. It seems that whoever stole the van used a key to the restaurant that was inside the vehicle to perpetrate the second crime, which occurred Monday.
“My question is why did this have to happen? Why are we in a first world country and have to face this here? There’s something wrong,” Islam complained to Fox 9, which provided sympathetic coverage.
Islam now wavers between telling local media he just wants his van back and does not want to press charges and asking his Facebook followers to call the police if they see his vehicle.
The business owner told Fox 9 he will give the thieves free food for life and even a job if they return his property.
Meanwhile, Islam’s catering vehicle has been sighted at Lake Street and 38th Avenue — the George Floyd autonomous zone. This area has been effectively off limits to police since Floyd died there over one year ago and protesters have maintained various types of barricades and guard checkpoints keeping emergency services, media and most members of the public out.
Kyle Hooten
Kyle Hooten is Managing Editor of Alpha News. His coverage of Minneapolis has been featured on television shows like Tucker Carlson Tonight and in print media outlets like the Wall Street Journal.
