08/17/2026
Last Friday (8/14/2026) at around 7pm, we had a serious incident at the shop that I feel is important to address.
Three young girls (presumably aged 12-13) came into the shop visibly nervous & kept looking outside. They told me that a group of boys outside had followed them from McDonald’s harassing them calling them racial slurs, fatshaming them and making fun of one of their self harm scars. When the girls came inside, the small group of boys sat on their bikes and scooter outside looking through the window smiling at and taunting them.
My first instinct was to keep the girls inside the store and make sure the people harassing them could not enter. One of the boys outside attempted to enter the shop, I yelled at him to leave to which he quickly did and asked the girls to contact their parents and tell them what happened. I had the girls stay inside the store, comforted them and made sure it was completely safe before they left.
After having time to process what happened, I keep thinking about what else I should have done. I wish I had immediately thought to document the incident, contact the appropriate authorities and take the right steps to hold the people responsible accountable. But in the moment, my focus was purely on keeping the girls safe. I did that but I really wish I’d done more- and for that I am so sorry to these girls and their parents.
Since the incident, I have spoken with neighboring businesses in our area. Some recognized the group of boys involved and were able to provide additional information about them and their presence in the area. I am also in communication with those that have security footage from that day and reviewing our own footage. I am doing this so that I can better understand what happened and determine what appropriate steps can be taken from here.
I share this to raise awareness, be transparent & so that we can all be better prepared to protect the children in our community.
Thank you very much for reading.
