'Not tolerated': Mayor responds after Asheville restaurant vandalized with hate symbols

ASHEVILLE - After a North Asheville restaurant was vandalized June 4 with marks considered to be hate symbols on its front windows, community members came out to help remove the paint, show support for the eatery and fly the flag of Israel.

One North Asheville resident says a masked man threw eggs and voiced threats at them shortly after.

Arriving to work Tuesday morning, an Avenue M employee saw a large red swastika and upside-down pitchfork painted on the storefront facing Merrimon Avenue, and sent a photo to Tony Creed, co-owner of the restaurant, around 7:45 a.m.

By the time Ralph Lonow, the other owner of the restaurant, received the photo around 10 a.m. and an Asheville police officer called to inform him about the graffiti, most of the symbol had already been removed by a nearby café owner, he said.

“That’s just testament to how great this neighborhood is,” Lonow said, referring to the removed paint.

Lonow said waking up to the tag on their building was disheartening, and he has “no clue” why Avenue M was chosen to be defaced.

“There’s a lot of businesses on Merrimon, so I’m really not sure why mine was picked,” Lonow, who’s co-owned the restaurant for nearly five years, told the Citizen Times.

“They picked two really large windows on a really busy street, and it could have just been because of that.”

APD opened an investigation into the graffiti. No arrests have been made as of June 5, according to police spokesperson Samantha Booth.

“We are investigating and working with the business owner and surrounding businesses to gather more information and further evidence in the hopes of identifying the suspect in this incident,” Booth said.

More: Asheville's Jewish community gathers amid Israel-Hamas war, local threats

David Moritz, a managing partner of a North Carolina-based real estate private equity firm, went to the restaurant after seeing a social media post about the markings.

“I don’t stand for any hate. When I saw the swastika near my house, I felt a call to go and show support for the restaurant and show haters that the Jewish community is not going anywhere,” said Moritz, whose father was a Holocaust survivor.

Moritz stood out front of the restaurant for a couple hours, waving the flag of Israel. About an hour in, a brown sedan drove by, and a driver called out “stay right there, I’ll be back to get you,” Moritz said.

A little later, a masked person ran toward him and another flag holder, he said. The assailant threw items at him, including an egg that broke on his shirt. While he was being chased off, Moritz said the masked person vocalized threats.

Moritz called 911, and a police spokesperson confirmed APD’s major case detectives are conducting further investigation into the assault.

More: Asheville synagogue targeted with bomb threat; part of national 'hoax' pattern

Asheville Mayor: 'It will not be tolerated'

Lonow said the “community outpouring” in the hours after the graffiti has “been incredible," including a group from the Asheville Jewish Alliance who dined at the restaurant the day of the incident. But others have left hateful comments through calls and on social media.

The symbols painted on his restaurant “hit home” for Lonow, he said, due to his own Jewish family and ancestry. But he doesn’t think that’s why his business was targeted since he’s not active in the Jewish community and not many people know that about him.

“We know that the world is a divided place right now. However, our team will always stand together to condemn hatred and bigotry of any kind,” Lonow said in a social media post. “Also, please remember that independent restaurants are just trying to do their best to care for our neighborhoods and create safe community spaces.”

Mayor Esther Manheimer expressed a similar stance on the incident, saying, “I strongly condemn the actions of people who espouse hate speech against any race, religion or ethnicity, and it will not be tolerated.”

“Asheville is a welcoming community that invites respectful individual expression, thoughts and ideas. It saddens me that anyone would choose to use hate speech to intimidate any member of our city.”

Asheville’s Jewish community has been a target of antisemitic threats, which have been on the rise nationally in the months since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, and the ensuing war.

More: Asheville man arrested for sending antisemitic emails to synagogue, police report

In January, a reform synagogue in North Asheville, Congregation Beth HaTephila, received an email about a bomb threat – part of a nationwide pattern of falsely threatening bombs at Jewish institutions, previous reporting shows.

Manheimer said people need to engage in conversation, but instead, they “see a sign or symbol, and they make a lot of assumptions about somebody and express their hate toward them.”

APD encourages anyone with information about this incident to send an anonymous tip by texting TIP2APD to 847411. The TIP2APD smartphone application can also be used (search "Asheville PD" in the app store), or contact APD at 828-252-1110.

More: After monthslong calls for Israel-Hamas ceasefire resolution, Asheville mayor responds

Ryley Ober is the Public Safety Reporter for Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter @ryleyober

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville restaurant defaced with hate symbol; man assaulted, APD says