When unrest in Minneapolis spread to the city’s Longfellow neighborhood last year, Ruhel Islam opened his restaurant, Gandhi Mahal, for medics to treat injured protesters. The next night, rioters set fire to the police building and dozens of businesses in Longfellow, and by dawn, his restaurant lay in ashes.
In a Facebook post that went viral the same morning, his teenage daughter, Hafsa, quoted him as saying, “Let my building burn, justice needs to be served, put those officers in jail.”
His words resonate a year later as more than an expression of forgiveness. Mr. Islam has helped form a neighborhood collective called Longfellow Rising that intends to rebuild the triangular, three-block zone that included Gandhi Mahal to further elevate – and celebrate – the neighborhood’s racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity.
Renderings of rebuilt Minnehaha Lake Liquor revealed, 10 other businesses to receive grants
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With Chauvin trial looming, Minneapolis faces balancing act on police
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On the Street: January 8
The Greater Alexandria Area Association of Realtors was one of 13 associations that participated in a statewide fundraiser. 8:00 am, Jan. 8, 2021 ×
Heather Ahrens, CEO of the Greater Alexandria Area Association of Realtors, and Brian Flaten, 2020 Association President, hold up a certificate for participation in a statewide giving campaign. (Contributed)
Realtor giving campaign raises more than $250,000
Realtor associations around Minnesota have collected over a quarter million dollars in donations for businesses that were damaged during civil unrest in Minneapolis and St. Paul last year.
Starting in June 2020, Minnesota Realtors Rebuilding Community spearheaded the effort to engage realtors on housing issues related to racial diversity, equity and inclusion.