An Oakland man reported being asked to leave a café because he was wearing a hat emblazoned with a Star of David. Oakland police confirmed they are investigating the incident.
Jonathan Hirsch recounted the event on Saturday, saying that the owner of the Jerusalem Coffee House at 54th Street and Telegraph Avenue told him, "This is [a] violent hat. You need to leave."
Hirsch said he was playing chess with his five-year-old son in the back of the coffee shop when "he comes back with another guy who grabs me by the shoulder and puts his hand on my back… they tell me I'm trespassing, and I say I'm absolutely not trespassing. This guy just said I can't be here for wearing the Jewish star."
As tensions escalated, other customers called the police. But when officers arrived, Hirsch told NBC he felt they didn't do much to de-escalate the situation. "We then stepped further down the street, he followed us and continued berating us… and the cops kept acting the whole time like there was some mutual disagreement here," Hirsch said.
The Oakland Police Department confirmed to NBC Bay Area that officers responded to the coffee shop on Saturday, adding that the incident is currently under investigation.
"Officers responded to the scene and are looking into the incident to determine if it meets the criteria of a hate incident," OPD stated.
The owner of Jerusalem Coffee House declined to comment when contacted by NBC Bay Area.
Hirsch expressed disbelief that the event unfolded in the city his family considers home.
"I feel like in the 80s and 90s in America, this was kind of a laughable idea that kind of thing could happen here," he said. "I don't understand how the discourse has changed."
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