‘Watch your restaurant:’ Black business owners say they were threatened with racial slurs

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — Owners of a new Black-owned business in Gwinnett County say an ‘act of hate’ is forcing them to take security measures.

Channel 2′s Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Matt Johnson was in Lawrenceville, where the owners of Scrum-did-dly-ump-tious say they were threatened with racial slurs.

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A worker was packing up her stuff in the back of the restaurant when she says two people in a truck shouted a racial slur, made a threat saying, ‘you better watch your restaurant,’ and drove off.

The owners say the encouragement from the community is helping them move forward.

“I really feel like we were targeted,” co-owner LaShonia Turner said.

Before the owners of Scrum-did-dly-ump-tious could celebrate their first full month of opening, they say a racial slur and a threat shook them to their core.

“We just all looked at each other in disbelief because that has not been the norm,” co-owner Aasiya Muslim said.

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The black-owned restaurant in downtown Lawrenceville opened its doors for the first time last Monday.

On Sunday afternoon, the owners say their DJ was packing up in the back of the business when she told them two men shouted at her from a truck on Luckie Street.

A Lawrenceville police report shows the two men said, ”We don’t like [expletive] around here” and “You better watch your restaurant.”

“It’s disheartening and shocking. I don’t think we could have fathomed that this would happen,” co-owner Marisa King said.

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On Tuesday, Lawrenceville’s new Police Chief John Mullin came by to reassure the owners that his department was investigating and stepping up patrols in the area.

The owners say that the act of hate has been drowned out by people coming by to offer support and encouragement.

“They’re just letting us know they’re standing with us and we appreciate it,” Turner said.

The business owners say they are considering adding security and security cameras.

The truck police are searching for is described as a gray, older F-150.

Police are working to find out of any surveillance cameras in the area may have helped capture the truck to identify the men inside.

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