San Francisco bakery restricts entry of cops in uniform, sparks controversy

'At Reem’s we do have a policy to not serve anyone that is armed or in a uniform. All officers are welcome to come our establishment when they are off duty and not armed,' the bakery said.

Amid the ongoing buzz over a Seattle police officer ‘joking’ about an Indian student who was hit and run by a patrol car, a San-Francisco based bakery has made headlines for refusing to serve police officials in uniform and those carrying weapons.

"NO COPS ALLOWED. That's the confirmed policy of the bakery chain Reem’s. One of our officers was denied service last weekend because he was in uniform. Reem’s confirms that they will not serve anyone armed and in uniform. Presumably, this includes members of the US military,” the San Francisco Police Officers’ Association (POA) posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) calling out the bakery.

In their tweet, the organisation also attached a screenshot of an email response from the bakery which read: “At Reem’s we do have a policy to not serve anyone that is armed or in a uniform. All officers are welcome to come our establishment when they are off duty and not armed."

Continuing the thread, the San-Francisco POA slammed the bakery for discrimination and asked the establishment to put a sign board indicating the same. 

“We are not asking Reem’s or any business with a bigoted policy to serve our officers. We’re asking them to own their discriminatory policy and put up a sign so we know not to spend money in your establishment—on or off duty. “

Defending their stance, Reem’s put out a statement saying that at a time when gun violence is prevalent, having a policy in place that prohibits possession of weapons in the restaurant helps them keep their space safer. 

“Reem’s has a deep commitment to uplifting social and racial justice in our communities. This includes fostering an environment of safety for our staff and customers. In a time for increased gun violence—particularly impacting people of colour, youth and queer people, we believe that maintaining a strict policy of prohibiting guns in our restaurant keeps us safer," read the post on Instagram.

The group went on to "invite" people to join them and help create and environment of "care and resilience".

San Francisco Police Officers’ Association President Lt Tracy McCray told Fox News Digital that the post targeted police officers as he urged for a cleared communication, as per a report in The Times of India. 

“Let’s just put all kidding aside, that’s directed at police officers. Because who do you see visible most of the time? So, just cut out the bulls, just say what you mean and we can move on.”

Reem’s' decision to prohibit cops from entering their bakery garnered mixed reactions online. While some called for a boycott of the restaurant, others agreed that the police also do not own up to discriminatory nature.

“This woke business makes me sick !!! I hope they go broke for refusing to serve the police," a user wrote as a few other social media users found irony in the fact that though the establishment does not entertain police at present, they will call the cops if a break in takes place. 

“On the flip side, do police own up to their discriminatory policies so easily? Also, it seems like they have an issue with armed individuals. If the area is so heavily crime ridden, how do you have time for this petty internet war? Shouldn’t you be fighting the crime,” another user responded to the San Francisco POA post.