Philadelphia café vandalized multiple times over support for Palestine, owner says
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The owner of Lombard Café in Philadelphia's Society Hill neighborhood, Jasmine Taibi-Bennoui, said she is frustrated and no longer feels safe after vandals hit her business multiple times within the past seven months.
Taibi-Bennoui said she feels her support for Palestinians made her a target.
"I'm not OK with being constantly harassed," Taibi-Bennoui said.
Taibi-Bennoui said the latest incident happened on Wednesday before 7:30 a.m.
She said there was damage to the back door at the café. She also noticed the register had been tampered with but nothing appeared to be taken.
Instead, Taibi-Bennoui said she found stickers indicating support for Israel on the front of her café.
"I'm frustrated about it," Taibi-Bennoui said.
Taibi-Bennoui, who is Arab, said this has been an ongoing problem ever since she held an event in support of the people of Palestine.
"Since then we have been at the end of incessant targeting intimidation [and] bullying," Taibi-Bennoui said.
She said vandalism is one thing, but she and her employees have also been harassed in person and online.
Rosalie Swanna, who is an employee at the café, experienced it first-hand.
"It's just unbelievable and it needs to stop," Swanna said. "I want police to treat this as a hate crime."
Customers like Blithe Grey said the café has been great for the community and believes it doesn't deserve what's happened.
"It feels very cowardly. It is such a cowardly act," Grey said.
Philadelphia police officers were at the café Thursday to take a statement from Taibi-Bennoui.
A spokesperson for PPD did not say if they are investigating the incident as a hate crime but did say police will investigate all possibilities.
Taibi-Bennoui said she doesn't feel safe knowing those responsible could return.
"I'm afraid to be outside my café," Taibi-Bennoui said. "Now I'm afraid to be in it too."
Taibi-Bennoui said when the suspect or suspects broke into Lombard Café, the first thing they did was cut off access to the security cameras, so the café doesn't have any video of the incident.
CBS News Philadelphia was told police are canvassing the area to see if cameras in the neighborhood captured the incident.
