Police Warn Against 'Vigilante' Behavior
POSTED: 3:00 pm PST November 29, 2005
OAKLAND, Calif. -- As investigators try to determine who was involved in the brazen attacks at two neighborhood stores and the arson of one of the shops, police and city officials on Tuesday urged other liquor merchants and store owners not to purchase firearms or engage in "vigilante" behavior.
In a statement, Oakland Police said it would be counterproductive for owners to arm themselves, but promised protection for merchants. And Oakland City Council member Desley Brooks discouraged merchants from arming themselves for protection, saying "It's the same type of behavior these (vandals) engage in.
"I wouldn't want people to expose themselves to harm," Brooks said.
About a dozen men dressed in suits and bow ties stormed into the New York Market and the San Pablo Liquor and Market last Wednesday. Vandals smashed liquor bottles and refrigerators and toppled food racks. They questioned why a Muslim-owned store would sell alcoholic drinks when it is against the teachings of Islam.
The incident at San Pablo Liquor was caught on surveillance tape.
Early Monday morning, the New York Market was gutted by fire and a clerk was abducted from the front of the store. Abdel Hamdan told police he was kidnapped around midnight, forced into the trunk of his car and locked inside for approximately 13 hours. He was found unharmed Monday afternoon in a grocery store parking lot in nearby El Cerrito.
Oakland police are seeking warrants against six suspects on charges including terrorist threats, felony vandalism, conspiracy and robbery.
Police had no suspects in the arson, which was reported about 1 a.m. Monday. They have refused to say whether they believe the blaze at New York Market was connected to last week's vandalism.
Markets that sell alcohol and cigarettes in high crime communities are often viewed as nuisances because they attract alcoholics and drug users. But such markets are often the only places where neighborhood residents can purchase fixtures like milk and paper towels.
Mohammed Ahmed, 30, had only worked at San Pablo Liquor for about a week when the attacks occurred. Police cruisers now patrol the front of the shop.
"I'm scared but I have to work," Ahmed said Monday as two police cars sat outside.
Ahmed said the vandals marched into the shop and asked him if he was Muslim. The men then asked Ahmed why he was selling alcohol to the black community.
The group spent about 10 minutes trashing several large refrigerators packed with beer and wine, Ahmed said. The men then told Ahmed they'd return.
Another Oakland store owner, Sam Wong of Sam's Liquor Store, said he wasn't worried about the spate of attacks and wasn't taking additional precautions. He said he doesn't sell fortified wine like many small urban markets and didn't think he'd be viewed as a target.
"I'm not worried that they are going to attack me -- my business is very legit," he said.
Brooks said she hopes the vandalism, which was initially linked by some to the Nation of Islam, sparks discussions about race relations in Oakland. Police said Monday that the Nation of Islam was not involved in the vandalism.
"I'm sitting here looking at e-mails from citizens who haven't found out that the Nation of Islam wasn't involved," she said. "Clearly there needs to be a dialogue."
She added, "The hype was that the Nation of Islam was caught doing something wrong. If a white man in a bow tie and suit had committed the crime would they have associated this with the Nation of Islam?"
Oakland Deputy Police Chief Howard Jordan has declined to say whether a separate black Muslim group, which operates the Your Black Muslim Bakery store chain and whose members also wear suits and bow ties, was under investigation.
In January 1993, Muslims affiliated with the bakery were involved in a similar incident at a Richmond store, according to police.
http://www.nbc11.com/news/5429519/detail.html
POSTED: 3:00 pm PST November 29, 2005
OAKLAND, Calif. -- As investigators try to determine who was involved in the brazen attacks at two neighborhood stores and the arson of one of the shops, police and city officials on Tuesday urged other liquor merchants and store owners not to purchase firearms or engage in "vigilante" behavior.
In a statement, Oakland Police said it would be counterproductive for owners to arm themselves, but promised protection for merchants. And Oakland City Council member Desley Brooks discouraged merchants from arming themselves for protection, saying "It's the same type of behavior these (vandals) engage in.
"I wouldn't want people to expose themselves to harm," Brooks said.
About a dozen men dressed in suits and bow ties stormed into the New York Market and the San Pablo Liquor and Market last Wednesday. Vandals smashed liquor bottles and refrigerators and toppled food racks. They questioned why a Muslim-owned store would sell alcoholic drinks when it is against the teachings of Islam.
The incident at San Pablo Liquor was caught on surveillance tape.
Early Monday morning, the New York Market was gutted by fire and a clerk was abducted from the front of the store. Abdel Hamdan told police he was kidnapped around midnight, forced into the trunk of his car and locked inside for approximately 13 hours. He was found unharmed Monday afternoon in a grocery store parking lot in nearby El Cerrito.
Oakland police are seeking warrants against six suspects on charges including terrorist threats, felony vandalism, conspiracy and robbery.
Police had no suspects in the arson, which was reported about 1 a.m. Monday. They have refused to say whether they believe the blaze at New York Market was connected to last week's vandalism.
Markets that sell alcohol and cigarettes in high crime communities are often viewed as nuisances because they attract alcoholics and drug users. But such markets are often the only places where neighborhood residents can purchase fixtures like milk and paper towels.
Mohammed Ahmed, 30, had only worked at San Pablo Liquor for about a week when the attacks occurred. Police cruisers now patrol the front of the shop.
"I'm scared but I have to work," Ahmed said Monday as two police cars sat outside.
Ahmed said the vandals marched into the shop and asked him if he was Muslim. The men then asked Ahmed why he was selling alcohol to the black community.
The group spent about 10 minutes trashing several large refrigerators packed with beer and wine, Ahmed said. The men then told Ahmed they'd return.
Another Oakland store owner, Sam Wong of Sam's Liquor Store, said he wasn't worried about the spate of attacks and wasn't taking additional precautions. He said he doesn't sell fortified wine like many small urban markets and didn't think he'd be viewed as a target.
"I'm not worried that they are going to attack me -- my business is very legit," he said.
Brooks said she hopes the vandalism, which was initially linked by some to the Nation of Islam, sparks discussions about race relations in Oakland. Police said Monday that the Nation of Islam was not involved in the vandalism.
"I'm sitting here looking at e-mails from citizens who haven't found out that the Nation of Islam wasn't involved," she said. "Clearly there needs to be a dialogue."
She added, "The hype was that the Nation of Islam was caught doing something wrong. If a white man in a bow tie and suit had committed the crime would they have associated this with the Nation of Islam?"
Oakland Deputy Police Chief Howard Jordan has declined to say whether a separate black Muslim group, which operates the Your Black Muslim Bakery store chain and whose members also wear suits and bow ties, was under investigation.
In January 1993, Muslims affiliated with the bakery were involved in a similar incident at a Richmond store, according to police.
http://www.nbc11.com/news/5429519/detail.html
