Reem’s in San Francisco, an Arabic restaurant, refuses to serve cops in uniform or those carrying a gun

An Arab bakery in San Francisco refuses to serve uniformed police officers or anyone carrying a gun.

Reem’s California, a local bakery chain, was reprimanded online Aug. 24 by the San Francisco Police Officers’ Association for not serving uniformed officers.

“NO COPS ALLOWED. That is the confirmed policy of bakery chain Reem’s,’ the association writes on X, with a screenshot of an e-mail.

The bakery’s founder, Reem Assil, has defended the policy, saying they don’t serve anyone in uniform. In a social media post, the restaurant stated that the measure was intended to create “a safe environment for our staff and customers.”

The decision was met with outrage online, with a poster posted on social media noting, “SF, born here, I will never return here, this city has gone to shit and it’s things like this that keep it going, i feel 10,000% safer when a law enforcement officer is around.. there are much better bakeries in the area, i will tell friends and family not to come here’

“All officers are welcome in our establishment when they are not on duty and not armed,” he continued.

In a post on Twitter, the union had shared a photo of the grocery store’s signage with a screenshot of an email from a “Reem’s California” email address.

It said, ‘Hello, thank you for your email. At Reem’s, we have a policy of not serving anyone armed in uniform. All officers are welcome in our establishment when off duty and unarmed.’

They explained that one of their officers was disbarred after visiting in uniform.

“One of our officers was disqualified last weekend for wearing a uniform. Reem’s confirms that they will not serve anyone armed and in uniform. Presumably this includes members of the US military.”

In a follow-up tweet, the association explained why they shared the email.

“We are not asking Reem’s or any company with bigoted policies to serve our officers.

“We are asking them to face their discriminatory policies and put up a sign so we know we are not allowed to spend money at your establishment, whether on or off duty.”

The association’s objections come days after Reem posted on Instagram that the bakery has “a profound commitment to advancing social and racial justice in our communities.”

“That includes promoting a safe environment for our staff and customers,” the restaurant wrote in the post. “At a time of increasing gun violence – which primarily affects people of color, youth and queer people – we believe that enforcing a strict no-gun policy in our restaurant keeps us safer.”

The post added that many members of “our community” have been affected by gun violence — whether in San Francisco, a war zone, or out of fear of political extremism.

“All too often black and brown people and poor people are victims of this violence,” Reem’s said.

Many social media users were outraged by the measure and expressed their anger in posts.

“At no time is anyone afraid of an armed police officer in a bakery…unless it’s a criminal…do what you preach about inclusion and safety…I would have officers in my store all day to give my customers a feel safer,” real estate agent Michel M. Francis wrote on Instagram.

Another, Michael Rullan, commented, “What a stupid post. You create more divisions and refuse to serve the officers who protect your establishment. Who are you going to call if an armed robber enters your bakery??? Guns in the hands of the right people make our community a safer place… Because there will always be guns in the hands of the wrong people. Waking!!’

While Jeremy Besse hoped that Reem’s would soon go out of business.

“I hope to hear soon that your company will be closed permanently. Shameful “inclusive” behavior, he noted.

Reem’s isn’t the first San Francisco establishment to actually ban police officers, according to Reem’s SFGate.

In 2021, the owners of Hilda and Jesse, an all-day brunch restaurant, apologized after public backlash when three uniformed officers were asked to leave the establishment.

This year, a Pizza Squared employee was fired after telling police officers they weren’t welcome.

The San Francisco Police Department has faced heavy criticism and anger in recent years due to liberal policies and cries of “defund the police.” That has led to a spike in crime across the Bay Area — which has been accompanied by increased drug use and homelessness — since the end of the pandemic.

By 2023, San Francisco’s homicide rate is up nearly 13 percent. The number of robberies increased by 14.5 percent from 1,450 to 1,660.

However, the overall number of crimes is down about 4 percent this year.

The city also suffers from rampant drug use, with many dealers plying their trade openly on the streets.

As a result, figures from the city show that there have been more than 268 drug overdose deaths in the first six months of 2023 alone — a 41 percent increase from 2022.