Manchester coffee shop vandalized with hate symbols

Crime

Police say they are investigating the incident as a hate crime

When the owners of a Manchester, N.H., coffee shop discovered spray-painted swastikas, offensive language, and broken windows at their storefront Wednesday morning, their rallying call was simple: One person won’t ruin their day.

Police responded to The Moka Pot, located along Hanover Street, just before 7 a.m. Wednesday to vandalism they are now investigating as a “hate crime,” Manchester police wrote in a news release. 

Co-owner Nick Carnes told Boston.com the perpetrator’s actions had “the opposite effect” due to an outpouring of support from the community.

“This action was committed by someone who wanted to either spike some controversy or spread a little bit of hate, and that’s not what we are about,” Co-owner Nick Carnes said. “We’re not going to let him do that on our dime and our property.”

Police released photos of a suspect taken from a nearby surveillance camera in a Thursday social media post. The suspect is wearing light pants and a dark long sleeve top below a white mask and black hat. 

Carnes said he woke up around 6 a.m. Wednesday to photos of the vandalism in a text message. When he arrived at the store, he found three broken windows and “white power” spray-painted on a wall, along with swastikas. He added the perpetrator didn’t enter the building.

Since people were at the restaurant for a comedy show up until 11:30 p.m. the night before, police estimate the vandalism occurred between midnight and 4 a.m., according to the post. Police wrote they notified the New Hampshire Department of Justice Civil Rights Unit.

“This was more than property damage,” said Manchester Police Chief Peter Marr in the statement. “It was a deliberate act intended to intimidate and instill fear, and we will not tolerate that in Manchester.”

While the investigation kept the shop from opening at its usual 7 a.m., Carnes said they cleaned up the glass and had their doors open at 8 a.m.

“There was no way that we were going to let this guy take a day away from us or get us down,” he said.

Since then, several businesses and community members spoke in support of the coffee shop. 

Honey Cup Café & Tearoom, located along Bridge St. in Manchester, asked followers to support The Moka Pot in a Facebook post: “We are standing with you.”

Rep. Chris Pappas, a Democrat running for a Senate seat this November, wrote in a message on Facebook that the vandalism was “shocking and disgusting.” Meanwhile, the Jewish Federation of New Hampshire wrote in a statement they condemn “the antisemitic attack” at the coffee shop. 

“Standing against hate means refusing to look away when it happens to someone else,” the federation wrote in the post. “Our communities are stronger when we recognize that an attack on one group affects all of us.”

Carnes said many people have stopped into the coffee shop and spread joy. Many people have asked to donate money to the coffee shop, but Carnes and the other co-owners are asking people to instead donate to a local Manchester nonprofit or charity. 

“I don’t think I have the words to show how much gratitude I have towards everyone,” Carnes said. “It’s not about [the person who did this]. It’s about the community and how much we can come together and support each other in times like this.”