Korboi Balla is a black firefighter who worked hard his entire life to be able to open up a sports bar in Minneapolis. His dreams were crushed by the Minneapolis looters.
Initially, Balla planned to open the bar in March. The coronavirus took care of those plans and it was delayed. The opening was rescheduled for June 1, just days away.
By Friday morning, protesters had completely destroyed Balla's dreams.
“I don’t know what we’re going to do,” Korboi Balla said to CBS News on Thursday morning while overcame with emotion. “It hurts, man. It’s not fair, it’s not right. We’ve been working so hard for this place. It’s not just for me, it’s for my family.”
Luckily they caught the looters before they were able to make way with his safe.
Fortunately, this story looks like it could have a happy ending.
Many people heard the news about Mr. Balla's great loss and have come together to donate just under $700,000 to his GoFundMe build which is set up to help him rebuild his beloved "Scores Sports Bar."
Here is an excerpt from the GoFundMe page created by Mr. Harris:
I have been an entrepreneur in the State of Minnesota for many years, and my community really showed their love in the rawest form. Many of you know that Scores Sports Bar was my DREAM. It was all coming together and when COVID-19 hit, the reality of not being able to open for a grand opening was difficult. With the help of my family and friends, I pushed through. To find out that the countless hours, hard work, late nights away from my kids, and family had all been for nothing was soul shattering. It is not the material things, more so the time that cannot be reclaimed.
I went to Scores yesterday and all I could do was cry. As a firefighter and public servant, I am used to saving lives and being strong, but this broke me. The glass was broken, it was looted, and vandalized. While filming for CNN, people came in trying to steal the safe and I wondered what next? My community, that’s what. Strangers showed up with brooms, cleaning supplies, trash bags, and food. They helped me and my family clean up in 20minutes what would have took days. THIS IS WHAT GIVES ME HOPE! I want to thank and shed light on the real true Minnesotans who helped many of us small business owners clean up yesterday.
In times like this, it's especially beautiful to see people coming together to help one another. Imagine how incredible of a moment it's going to be when Mr. Ball is able to pour his first beer for a customer and achieves his dream of having his own sports bar.
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