Bar Lost in Riot Flames

October 16, 2005 -- No amount of money can replace what one man lost. Lou Ratajski is looking at 54 years of charred memories. This is where he worked, this is where he lived.

He was inside his bar when the angry mob began to swarm around the building. Rioters broke down the doors, ransacked the bar, and set fire to the second floor. Friends and family called from across the country as the riot made national news.

Even though race played a factor in the riot, Ratajski says race had nothing to do with the mob destroying his building.

"Prior to this we never had any problems. No racial problems." Ratajski Said.

With the furniture destroyed Ratajski says he will not rebuild the bar. It's a realization this family is only beginning to accept. Yesterday Lou Ratajski had a bar, a living, and a home. Now he only has the shirt on his back.

Ratajski is staying with family for a while. Several attorneys have volunteered to represent the family for free.

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