A San Francisco restaurant that calls itself a safe place for people of color has apologized for refusing to serve uniformed armed police officers because they made the staff “uncomfortable.”
Hilda and Jesse announced on Instagram that the restaurant politely asked three SFPD officers to leave the premises on Friday due to “their multiple weapons.” The report says that the restaurant is grateful to the department for the work and welcomes anyone in law enforcement agencies off duty and without weapons.
On Twitter, co-owner Rachel Silcox asked for understanding in part because the diner it is a heaven for queers and BIPOC people… But the head of the SFPD, William Scott, responded with a reproach. He tweeted that the department encourages officers patronize business they vowed to protectand that he was disappointed and discouraged by the restaurant’s actions. He added that, in his opinion, most of San Franciscans “welcome their cops.”
The restaurant has also received many bad reviews on Yelp, as well as backlash on social media, according to SFGate. On Sunday, he responded with another Instagram post of apology.
“We made a mistake and we apologize for the annoying incident,” Silcox and co-owner Christina Lidags wrote to Compton on Instagram.
“These are tough times and we have handled it badly,” the statement said.
As of Monday morning, the Yelp restaurant page had an “unusual activity alert” to indicate that consumer reviews may reflect opinions about the restaurant’s activities rather than the dining experience. All views are temporarily disabled.
San Francisco Chronicle / Hearst Newspapers via Getty Images via Getty Images
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