Vandalized Chicago restaurant receives show of support from community
CHICAGO (CBS) — Sunday evening, a local restaurant that was recently vandalized received a show of support. A window was shattered, and no one is in custody.
Much of Sunday's foot traffic came from an organized effort by the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, which asked many of their supporters to come down and support the cafe after that incident a week ago.
New surveillance footage obtained by CBS News Chicago provides a glimpse of what happened outside the cafe. The footage provided by the owner shows a man pacing back and forth late Sunday evening last week. The man appears to be on the phone at one point and then makes his way to the front of the business, where the sounds of glass breaking can be heard. This, the owner says, is when the man smashed the window and fled.
Since the news broke about the incident, many from the community have come down to support the owner, Eyad Zeid, who has only been operating the business since July.
A fundraising effort proved to be successful in the first 24 hours, which Zeid says showcases the true power of community.
"It's only a window, but we were able to raise funds for its repair in the first 24 hours. We really hope that this shines a spotlight on the power of community because now we're raising money for chairty," he said.
That organization the owner mentioned, Middle East Children's Alliance, provides emergency relief to families in Gaza.
Chicago police continue to investigate this incident, but have not classified it as a hate crime.
No arrests have been made
