Mahmoud Abumayyaleh, the owner of the Cup Foods store that called the police when George Floyd allegedly used a fake 20 dollar bill, has condemned police brutality and says that he wishes the call to the officers was never made.
Minneapolis state policy requires businesses to call the police when somebody tries to use counterfeit money. However, when a store clerk at Cup Foods called the officers, this led to the death of Floyd. The store owner Abumayyaleh wasn’t at the store at the time of the call but he is devastated about what happened.
“We want to share our feelings about what transpired and led to the death of George Floyd. He was murdered and executed in cold blood. Thankfully, it was recorded and there needs to be some accountability of those officers who were involved,” Abumayyaleh told theGrio in an interview. People are applauding the store owner’s response to what happened.
The owner of the Cup Foods store, Mahmoud Abumayyaleh, was outraged at George Floyd's death
Abumayyaleh's reaction to Floyd's death and his demand to end police brutality received a lot of attention online
Image credits: Nooran A.
Here's what the store owner said about what happened
Image credits: Mahmoud Abumayyaleh
Abumayyaleh is known as Mike in his community. His family has owned the Cup Foods store, found on the corner of 38th and Chicago Avenue, for 30 years—this is the first and only job that he has ever had.
According to Abumayyaleh, the local community is close-knit, people support one another and nearly everyone knows everyone else by their first names.
Abumayyaleh spoke to theGrio in a video interview
The Cup Foods store released a statement claiming that Floyd did not resist the officers who arrested him and also stated that the man “likely never knew” that he was using a fake dollar bill. The store has been keeping in touch with Floyd’s family nonstop and will be doing its part to cover the costs of the man’s funeral.
“The police brutality and racial injustice in this country must be stopped,” Abumayyaleh called out the abuse of power, adding that the protests and outrage will continue until justice is served.
This is the Cup Foods store where one of the clerks called the police after Floyd presented a counterfeit bill
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People set up a memorial at the spot where Floyd died
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The Cup Foods store put out an official statement about Floyd's death
Image credits: Cup Foods
Abumayyaleh knew Floyd as a customer and said that he was someone who was always pleasant. However, the owner of the store didn’t find out about Floyd’s death just outside Cup Foods until May 26, the day after the police confronted him. “We were all outraged,” the owner said.
Ever since Floyd’s death over a week ago, Abumayyaleh and his 3 sons Samir, Adam, and Mahmoud, have gone into hiding. They have been receiving threats and even had to disconnect their landline phone and take down the store’s Facebook page.
Here's how people reacted to Abumayyaleh's response
Internet users supported the store owner and his demand for justice
Some people stepped in and defended the store for calling the police, stating that it's the routine thing to do
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