Anti-Gentrification Vandals Target Pilsen's Bow Truss Coffee

By Kate Shepherd in Food on Oct 26, 2015 9:28PM

by Phil Tadros via Eater

Bow Truss Coffee Roasters in Pilsen has been hit by anti-gentrification graffiti again.

"White people out of Pilsen!" was written on a Chicago flag sticker on the shop's window, according to Eater. The business' owner Phil Tadros said he would like the people responsible to come forward.

"I know Chicago is known to be segregated, but I don't really live in that frame of mind," he told Eater.

It's not clear if the racist message is meant for staff or customers. The shop's staff is full of people from different ethnicities, he said, and Tadros himself is of Jordanian descent.

"Maybe it's my ignorance, but I guess I'm having a hard time believing that we're a negative thing," he said to Eater.

In addition to the vandalism in January, there have been five incidents over the last few weeks. Stickers that resemble the Chicago flag have been posted with different messages such as "Pilsen still doesn't want you." A door was tagged with "Pilsen is not for sale!" graffiti.

Hoping to spark conversations, Tadros kept the vandalized signs in the store in January. Because of their offensive nature, the latest stickers won't be kept.

Despite the vandalism, Bow Truss is continuing to grow in Pilsen and outside of Chicago. They're opening a location in Beverly Hills, CA, soon.