The San Francisco Police Officers Association tweeted on Thursday that one of its members was refused service at Arab bakery Reem’s at 25th and Mission streets, accusing the store of “anti-police bigotry.”
A representative from Reem’s confirmed that the bakery has a policy of not serving anyone who is armed, including on-duty police officers. Reem’s prohibits guns in its stores. The policy has been in place since Reem’s opened its first store in 2017, a spokesperson told Mission Local.
“Reem’s has a deep commitment to uplifting social and racial justice in our communities,” a Reem’s spokesperson wrote in a statement to Mission Local. “This includes fostering an environment of safety for our staff and customers. In a time of increased gun violence — particularly impacting people of color, youth, and queer people — we believe that maintaining a strict policy of prohibiting guns in our restaurant keeps us safer.”
However officers are welcome to come in when they’re not on duty.
“The policy is for armed officers, and we let police officers know that we welcome them back to our establishment when they’re off duty and unarmed.”
The Mission location is currently closed, until September 5, as a scheduled break for the team. But a Reem’s spokesperson said they’re still open for catering.
Reem’s came to the neighborhood just before the pandemic, taking over the 25th and Mission spot from Mission Pie. The Mission location was their second, after founder and chef Reem Assil opened the first Reem’s by the Fruitvale BART station in 2017. Assil, a Palestinian-Syrian hailing from Boston, was a graduate of La Cocina’s restaurant incubator program, which aims to help women found food businesses like Reem’s.
Assil is a fledgling culinary darling, with a slew of awards local and national as a chef and restaurateur, though she’s taken flack before for her progressive politics, such as controversy around having a mural of pro-Palestine figure Rasmeah Odeh in her Oakland location. That store closed in August 2021.
On her website, Assil describes herself as a chef “working at the intersection of food, community, and social justice.”
“At Reem’s, we aim to provide a space where people can eat delicious Arab food and work together to strengthen our community, without fear of violence or harassment,” the email statement said. “We invite our community to step up and join us in creating that culture of care and resilience.”
The POA people are such snowflakes.
The cop-apologists posting here need to watch retired judge LaDoris Cordell’s testimony to the Board of the Supervisors on 79 years of SF police misconduct.
I am done eating here. Our officers should get the same service as anyone else. They are here for us and we must be there for them. I am done Reem’s.
if only the sf poa were actually interested in fostering a relationship with it’s community instead of getting being the petulant child in a 1990’s flame war.
Reem’s has deliciius food and supports the community. Police officers are welcome when they are unarmed, like anyone else. POA should perhaps brush up on their reading skills and think twice about the public relations affect of bullying a legitimate and responsible small business. This behavior is immature and does not represent its officers well
Good on Reem’s for not folding like a cheap suitcase.
Sure and they’ll be the first to assume the fetal position when an armed bad guy comes in verses a good guy who puts their life on the line to serve and protect. Looking forward to seeing a for rent or sale sign in all their businesses
One of their businesses already folded in Oakland. Read the article. Trying to run and business in a capitalist society whilst at the same time push radical ideology is gonna end one way — bankruptcy.
As far as I can tell, SFPD is a jobs program that exists solely so incompetent thugs can pay themselves exorbitant overtime while roughing up skaters and homeless people. If they want adulation from the neighborhood so badly, maybe they should focus on being less worthless!
As a veteran I will boycott this establishment for sure, in the same time will go out of my way to encourage others to do the same!
I hope they need the police one day & the way sanfrancisco works the cops won’t show up until it’s too late. After all they’re short staffed at this time due to cutbacks so why protect people that won’t serve them?
who are they gonna calll when there is real trouble and they need help?
They will have to depend on other anti-police people because armed, on-duty cops will stay away. They will need to live (hopefully) with their decisions. Good luck.
Wrong. Just like healthcare workers and other public servants who are sworn at, spit upon, and hit, the police must suck it up and do their jobs.
The SFPOA lied in order to slander and harm a business that went against their political opinions. Not allowing anyone to carry a gun inside a private business makes total sense. The only people against this are gun advocates. The SFPOA should not exist because they are unelected government tyrants making up and enforcing their own laws based on their own biases. Citizens should have the freedom to not allow any weapons in our homes or businesses, and anyone who believes this can now expect retribution from the SFPOA, and that type of harassment should be criminal!
A block from Reems is the BART stop, where criminal sell stolen goods. That fencing drives package theft from our lobbies. It drives the local Walgreens another block away to lock up everything and raise prices. The police are all that stand between us and criminal anarchy. I support our police. I won’t be supporting Reems anymore.
It is entirely reasonable to not allow armed people in your business, and it is also entirely reasonable to not allow police officers. The SFPD and POA are being such babies here. They treat this neighborhood like its little play thing, beating up kids, crashing thru walls, arresting sex workers and drug users, using rubber bullets and tear gas in crowds full of kids and families. Maybe don’t brutalize a community and then cry foul when they don’t want to sell you a coffee lol.
Can’t wait to see this place
Shut down.. what has happened .. you just can’t help stupid !!
The Twittersphere is all aflutter with this piece. I think this is so cool and will increase my business there. This is just like the Wild West over a century ago when everyone from sheriffs to “bad guys” had to “check their guns at the door” in saloons, churches, etc.
Even the misguided Scalia-infused DC vs. Heller decision on gun rights (was for militias only) never protected brandishing guns in private or sensitive places.
a lot of the comments confirm the dirty secret that in order for citizens to get service from members of their police force, they must subjugate themselves to the will of the police or face the consequence of no police service or retaliation from their police force members.
so many readers stuck in medieval thought who have clue about why this country is unique because we have system of governance that subjugates the state to the people.
it’s why all middle east/north african leaders feared and quashed the ‘arab spring’: the universal desire for freedom from tyranny is a threat to autocratic leaders (and the sfpoa).
I am boycotting Reem’s and invite others too as well. This woke crap and stupid policy destroying our City and fostering hate and crime is disgusting. Reems is ungrateful for the protection and service police officers provide. More ideology, division and hate! I want a donut, not politics at my bakery!
They should put up a metal detector and check all their customers for firearms not just uniformed cops. Not sure if this sign is still in their front window but at one time the sign said, “Existing while black should not be a death sentence. Don’t call the cops”.
Absolute disgusting “policy!!!” Seem to part of the problem, not the solution!!!
Such a naive standpoint. The only people with a gun likely to enter their store is the person robbing it. Congrats!
You will never know if a legal gun owner enters your store. They will come in, purchase something, and leave without any issue…heck…they probably will even leave you a good review if the food is good.
You just alienated half this Country as potential customers and the only other people likely to protect your store from an armed robbery…Congrats!
Who would Reems call if 150 off duty uniformed and armed officers entered the store to place after work orders but were refused service and then refused to leave? Ghostbusters?
What a disgrace. This is a heavily anti-Israel political operative. I can’t wait until they go out of business.
I completely disagree with their policy. In my eyes this does not encompass basic common sense in alienating the folks who are putting their lives on the line for you and your fellow citizens. Just a shame that you are discriminating the blue shield. Good luck in your next 911 call/ response.
I give them 2 months before they are closed. And I hope every one of their windows gets smashed and they need a police report for insurance purposes. Awkward!! I had a rat in my cobb salad from that place, hope the health inspector knows!
live in Texas, let a business try this here, I think it won’t stay around long, never been to CA, and don’t plan on going, will not support a state with such weak political people in power and living there. It’s no wonder why the sensible people are leaving, can’t blame them. There is a phrase from many years (Ca is known as the welfare state), it’s because of liberals who live there thinking everything should be handed to them, and don’t have to work for it, and the government who gives it them. So I hope the folks living in this city wake up, and see that they need to support their police, because with out them, see how many businesses stay around.
In California, we also believe in democracy, women’s autonomous rights, and not banning books. You’re welcome to stay in Texas and swelter the next time you fossil-fueled a.c. fails in a blackout.