Vandal destroys sign pleading for tolerance in Raleigh
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- A sign pleading for tolerance lead to an act of intolerance in Raleigh.
Earlier this month, someone tore up a poster outside the Lucky Tree Cafe on Hillsborough Street asking people to "Stop Profiling Muslims."
Lucky Tree's owner recently replaced the sign after a customer reportedly came in and vandalized the original poster while going on a rant.
"He found it insulting," said owner Amanda Almazan. "He couldn't believe the nerve of us to have the posters up, that he was offended by it."
Almazan says the customer became irate and created a spectacle in the middle of the store. He started yelling and ripping the poster apart.
She said there have been some negative comments about the poster, but the customer's reaction was a first.
"I actually apologized to him that he was so full of hate, cause it was very clear it wasn't a normal exchange. He was very angry about it," Almazan said.
There was a heated back-and-forth between the two, and she said she tried to kick him out. She eventually took his coffee and he left, but not before one last insult.
"He actually took his hand and reached into our tip jar and took his money back," Almazan recalled.
Almazan said she doesn't know the vandal who came into the store and she didn't file a police report.
Loyal patron Shadi Sadi heard about the incident and decided to take action. He organized the Hangout Against Hate event, and is now calling on the community to come to the store and support the business owner who stood up to intolerance.
Check out more about the Hangout Against Hate event here
"I feel like that's really commendable and they should be supported for something like that," said Sadi.
"It's touching. It's beautiful when something that's meant to be negative actually draws from that momentum and turns into something positive. For us that's exciting," said Almazan.
The Hangout Against Hate event is Saturday from 1-3 p.m.
