Farley’s East (located at 33 Grand Ave in Oakland, California) is a compact cafe supplying Italian-style coffees, light meals & bakery fare. it is part of the Farley’s chain, which also consists of Farley’s Potrero in San Francisco.
This is how Farley’s describes itself on its website:
Established in 1989, Farley’s has been the hub of the community. We believe that coffee is best when shared with others and that coffeehouses hold an important place in a connected, healthy community. From magazines, to board games to cornhole in the street, Farley’s is much more than just a place to grab your morning cup, it is a place to connect, be inspired and to touch into your community.
They definitely try for a welcoming vibe:
Except, of course, if you object to anti-Israel (crossing the line into antisemitism) graffiti and signage in their establishment.
Oakland, CA – 3 antisemitic employees at Farley's East coffee house (33 Grand Ave.) are filmed denying a Jewish woman's access to a bathroom after she complained that it was filled with antisemitic graffiti.
— nycphotog (@nycphotog) December 7, 2023
After FINALLY allowing her inside the restroom, the employees start… pic.twitter.com/t3rFMyRIDH
Oakland seems to be a hotbed of Woke, anti-Israel extremism with terror-bakery Reems having started there. So I am not terribly surprised to see this. But I am always appalled.
Following a backlash, the following was posted on Farley’s East Facebook page:
Dear Community, In response to the recent incident at our family-owned cafe, we want to offer an acknowledgement and a sincere apology. As context, hate speech graffiti was written in our bathroom. We do not support hate speech; this does not reflect our values. After a customer used the bathroom and wished to return to document the graffiti, they were initially denied access and then allowed to enter the bathroom to film the graffiti. We apologize for this error and the distress caused to the customer. We’ve taken corrective measures with our staff and removed the offensive graffiti. We’re not anti-Semitic; we value diversity and inclusivity. We’re committed to ongoing staff training for a safe and welcoming environment. Thank you for understanding that we are a small business doing our best to operate a community business in a difficult environment.
It is still not clear what “We’ve taken corrective measures with our staff” actually means. If it means anything less than firing them, this is not acceptable.
