'Show these folks some love': In Phoenix, an outpouring of support after vandals hit Middle Eastern eatery again

It reads "Peace on Earth" in gold writing on the large front windows of the Middle Eastern Bakery and Deli in Phoenix. But the owners of the beloved local restaurant have been experiencing quite the opposite recently, some customers say.

Marnee Burrus, a regular at the small grocery and restaurant, which serves lamb kebabs, baba ghanoui and baked treats such as baklava, stopped by Saturday afternoon only to see that a window had been smashed, leaving cracks resembling a large spiderweb on the decorated front, according to a Facebook post.

In her post, Burrus wrote: "I asked the store owner what happened and she told me this is the second time this has happened to them since the election and they can't afford the expense of replacing the glass a second time right now."

Burrus called for the community to rally support for the owners, whom she described as "the kindest people," with this plea: "Please, if you have the chance to soon, stop by and grab some food and let them know you're behind them."

She told The Republic Sunday she was overwhelmed by the outpouring of support being generated on social media. Her original Facebook post had generated more than 1,000 shares as of Sunday afternoon.

"I just wanted people to know that this is happening,'' she said. "Some people say incidents such as this have been overblown or exaggerated. But it hasn't been. This is happening everywhere,'' she said, adding that the owner mentioned that some plants also were damaged at the restaurant.

A Go Fund Me effort also was launched Sunday seeking to raise $1,500 for the restaurant. By late in the afternoon, it had raised nearly $4,000.

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'Good is always going to win'

The words spread on social media, and people started leaving notes on the business' Facebook page, sharing their personal stories and experiences and asking how they could help. Burrus announced in another post hours later Saturday evening that a local business owner has stepped up and offered to replace the windows free of charge.

Rick Pyle, owner of  M & M Glass Company in Phoenix, told The Republic Sunday he decided to donate the window in an attempt to “make a wrong a right.”

“There’s got to be a line drawn in the sand. Between good and evil, good is always going to win,” he said. “I’m going to take care of this one.”

The owners, Isam and Tina Saed, did not return multiple attempts by The Republic for an interview.

Rallying around the restaurant

Sunday morning, Rachel Shipp, 51, stood looking at the crack that had slowly made its way across the entire left window pane of the building — a white brick structure that has housed the business for decades on 16th Street just south of Earll Drive in Phoenix.

"Isn't it just so awful?" she asked. "It's just very sad to see it in person."

The Saeds take their slogan, "When you're here, you're family," very seriously, according to Shipp, who said she truly feels at home when she stops by. She and her husband even ate breakfast at the restaurant on the morning of their wedding day, she said.

Shipp came to the store Sunday to talk with the Saeds after she heard what had happened from her friends. She said many others apparently had the same idea as several cars loaded with people stopped by throughout the morning, only to leave when they realized the business is regularly closed on Sundays.

"I want to let them know we sadden by recent events and that love, care and support go way beyond violence," Shipp said. "It's not what America is about and they are a part of our community ... especially in this neighborhood."

Shipp said she hopes to talk with the Saeds about planning an event to bring people to their business and to have a type of festival in their back parking lot for the community to come together. She said a fundraising page was in the works Sunday morning.

"It's important for people to meet them and learn who they are so that this doesn't happen again," she said. "Either way, get ready for a business boom. We're gonna show them how much they mean to us."

As of Sunday, Phoenix police were unable to confirm if any reports had been filed on the incidents.

A pattern of vandalism

Silvana Salcido Esparza, chef and owner of Barrio Cafe, located just south of the Saed's business, said broken windows have been common along the 16th Street corridor.

This summer, she had to fix four broken windows on two separate occasions after someone came along and smashed them. One of the windows wasn't on her property, but as the self-proclaimed "keeper of the grounds," she felt the need to take care of it, Esparza said.

But rather than simply replace the windows, she decided to board them up and ask local artists to come by and create murals.

"Good things come out of bad things," she said. "For every bad person there are a thousand good people."

Esparza asked the community to "show these folks some love. Our neighbors from 16th Street," posting photos of the Middle East Bakery and Deli on Facebook Sunday.

When asked if she believed the vandalism was racially-charged, Esparza answered "I don't think that way."

"I can't fathom the thought of someone getting in their car and going out of the way to come hurt me because because of race," she said. "In this case we moved the car out of the way, so to speak. We've got each other's back here in our community. That's what Phoenix does."