The U.S. Department of Justice is suing a North Oakland coffee shop over allegations that it discriminated against Jewish customers, federal prosecutors announced this week.
The suit alleges that Fathi Abdulrahim Harara and Native Grounds LLC, the owners of the Jerusalem Coffee House located on Telegraph Avenue, violated Title II of the Civil Rights Act by refusing to serve two men wearing Star of David baseball caps on two separate occasions.
“It is illegal, intolerable, and reprehensible for any American business open to the public to refuse to serve Jewish customers,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division.
The suit alleges that a shop employee told a Jewish customer who was trying to buy a cookie, “You’re the guy with the hat. You’re the Jew. You’re the Zionist. We don’t want you in our coffee shop. Get out.”
It also alleges that Harara accused another Jewish customer who was with his 5-year-old son of wearing a “Jewish star,” being a “Zionist,” and supporting “genocide.”
“It is illegal, intolerable, and reprehensible for any American business open to the public to refuse to serve Jewish customers.”
Harmeet Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division
Harara allegedly demanded that the customer and his son leave and falsely accused them of “trespassing” to the Oakland police, according to federal prosecutors.
The suit says neither customer mentioned their political views while at the coffee house.
Glenn Katon, Harara’s lawyer, says the lawsuit is a political stunt by President Donald Trump’s administration “to intimidate people who oppose Israel’s genocide and our government’s support of it” by labeling them anti-Semitic.
“The customer who was asked to leave harassed customers,” Katon said. “He has a history of inciting conflict and this is just another staged incident for him to bring attention to himself.”
“Neither the owner nor staff are anti-Semitic and they would not tolerate anti-Semitism in their cafe,” Katon said.
The suit was filed Monday in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California and seeks an order for the cafe to change its allegedly discriminatory policies and practices.
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