Residents walking down Valencia Street between 20th and Liberty streets stopped in their tracks this morning to discover Smitten Ice Cream’s storefront smashed to pieces, and the one remaining front window covered in graffiti: “FREE PALESTIEN,” it read, with the second word misspelled.
The other windows and two doors were covered in plastic, and shards of glass were visible on the pavement, as well as inside the shop.
Smitten Ice Cream has been a local favorite for years. The store’s founder, Robyn Sue Fisher, who is Jewish, began selling homemade ice cream from a cart around San Francisco and later opened stores in San Francisco and San Jose. The location on Valencia Street opened in 2017.
A spokesperson from the police department wrote that at 2:49 a.m., officers from Mission Station responded to an alarm activation at the store, and arrived to find shattered front windows.
“When they met with the victim, they were able to determine that the business had been vandalized for unknown reasons,” the police said in a statement. No arrests have been made at this time.
It is not clear whether anything was stolen during the incident, nor is it clear whether the vandalism and defacement will be investigated as a hate crime.
Fisher could not be immediately contacted for comment. A manager at the store declined to speak about the incident.
This is a breaking story and will be updated as possible.
In my opinion, the headline should read “anti-Jewish”; not “pro-Palestinian”. Most Jewish people, in my experience (myself included) are 100% pro-innocent Palestinians, but 100% anti-Hamas. There’s a big difference
100% pro-innocent = 100% pro-subjugated.
Mmm, this message is about Palestine, not being jewish.
No, it’s not about Palestine. It’s about “PALESTIEN”.
Actually, this was a targeted attack on a Jewish business; so it was about being Jewish. There is a word for this type of action: “antisemitism” — if you can’t recognize that here, then you never will.
There is no justification for this action.
This is disgusting. Hope SFPD finds the perps.
Windows says “Free Palestien”
Cops say “Unknown reasons”
Michelle, you should identify precisely who wrote that report, or that statement.
Did that come from the Mission SFPD or from Downtown?
How do they account for the “Free Palestein”
Is there a link to a go-fund-me to donate for their repair?
Important context that Palestine was spelt incorrectly- likely someone who was truly pro Palestine would not make this error. Seems to me like someone is using the war as an excuse to be anti-Semitic, which is even worse.
“Important context that Palestine was spelt incorrectly…”
Yikes.
If it were spelled correctly then it’s not antisemitic to vandalize a Jewish business?
Be like Brian: “Romanes eunt domus”!
Joking aside, you are right, this hasn’t been done out of support for Palestine. I’ll make it a point to get some ice cream at the place next time I’m on Valencia.
Why do you think someone who is truly pro Palestine would not make a spelling error? I have not been impressed with the quality of discourse coming from many of these people
The attack was undoubtedly nonconstructive, backward and politically ignorant; but to equate illiteracy with “these people” who rightfully condemn Israel’s war crimes seems at best kinda snotty. If only we who support the Palestinian cause could work harder to “impress” you!
I’m wondering this too. Would be yet another reminder that white supremacy is our enemy, not each other!
This is how it started in 1930s Germany. Call it out for what it is, please, Mission Local. This is antisemitic vandalism. Let’s not cut these thugs any slack. We need to arrest and prosecute those who did this with hate crimes. Note the spelling “PaleSTEIN.” Does anybody believe that this is an accident?
Let’s put an end to this, and let’s stop making martyrs out of Hamas. They understood very well what would happen as a result of their pogrom.
Barbara —
Respectfully, we can agree that anti-Jewish hate crimes are bad without comparing them to to Kristallnacht, a state-sponsored night of murderous terror that preluded the Holocaust.
The vandalism was actually spelled “PALESTIEN” not “PALESTEIN,” which, if one had to guess, points more toward semi-literacy than a veiled swipe at a Jewish name.
Things are bad, but please, pretty please, let’s keep things in context and perspective here.
Yours,
JE
Point taken, Joe, and I didn’t compare it to Kristallnacht. We have not had anything like that. But the hateful mood and graffiti are unsettling. It pays to remember the past.
Best,
Barbara
Barbara —
I agree. We will keep an eye on this, and hopefully it receives the attention it merits.
JE
@Joe: But the motivation here is the same: antisemitism.
I was wondering why they were completely boarded up today. So disturbing that someone would attack and hurt a Jewish business like this in our neighborhood. No other business was vandalized in this manner on Valencia last night?
The lack of the words “anti-Semitic” in this article speaks volumes.
You can’t claim anti-semitism if you are not speaking one of the semitic people languages!
Sir or madam —
The article clearly notes the potential of this being investigated as an anti-Jewish hate crime, so I’m not sure what you’re getting at here.
Best,
JE
I suspect what they’re getting at is that if something similar had happened to a Black-owned business, the word ‘racist’ would almost certainly have been used. In the headline, most likely.
Helen —
I think this is a pretty weak contention. Things are bad enough without folks coming up with double bank-shot hypotheticals to get worked up over.
JE
I’m only saying that in my view, this article serves as a good example of how the media often has distinct double-standards in how it treats these sorts of incidents.
Agree or disagree, that seems like a fairly straightforward idea to me. But I guess I’ll just choose to be flattered if you feel it qualifies me as a dialectic pool shark.
Why hasn’t there been an update? And shouldn’t the article be corrected to clarify the antisemitism behind this? I’m confused.
Mannys, another Jewish owned business in the Mission has also been repeatedly vandalized. Is it a trend? Are any other businesses targeted?
The anniversary of Kristallnacht is in 2 weeks. IYKYK.
I know! How terrible! the 2006 Qana massacre anniversary was 3 months ago, and the 1996 Qana massacre one was 6 months ago.
is our children learning?
If local progressives feel shame, they should feel it now. Look what you’re supporting.
The most frequent meaning of
“Free Palestine”
is removal of Jews from the land and destruction of the State of Israel, replacing it with a Palestinian state.
This chant is *not* calling for human rights for Palestinians, or an end to the occupation of the West Bank. You will often see pictures of the entire State of Israel, West Bank and Gaza labeled as “Palestine” on signs, T-shirts and in literature.
This language is a rejection of the two-state solution. This is language violent and threatening, and for those with Israeli family and friends, this may feel all the more aggressive and threatening.
“Free Palestine” is anti-Semitic now? That sounds very, very much like a rhetorical ploy specifically designed to kill any real life discussion of a two-state solution whatsoever.
Not true. “Free Palestine” is about all of the basic rights that have been stripped from Palestinians. Freedom of movement. Freedom from military occupation. Freedom from police violence. Basic stuff. You are projecting your own prejudices and ethnic fears onto people protesting for human rights. White supremacists said exactly the same thing during the Civil Rights movement in the 1960’s. Perhaps you should question why you oppose a Free Palestine.