Nov 18, 2023

KarunaNews: San Francisco Shop Owner Responds To Hate Crime With Message Of Love

When her ice cream shop was vandalized, owner Robyn Sue Fisher was shaken. Someone had smashed the front windows and spray painted the store with graffiti that said, “Free Palenstien,” and “Out The Mission.” Fisher, who is Jewish, initially closed the store. “At first I felt fear and then I felt anger and then I felt a deep sorrow. And then I got to empathy, and that’s how I got to love,” she said. She’s determined, in a world filled with division and hate, to add a little sweetness. She has decided to reopen Smitten Ice Cream as soon as the new windows come in. And she’s creating a new line of T-shirts and sweatshirts that say, “In the spirit of ice cream, I choose LOVE.” All of the proceeds will benefit the Courage Museum, which will open in 2025 and will focus on “ending the public health crisis caused by violence, and the hate that fuels it.”

Read the full story here.