Community rallies around Lititz restaurant owner after hate message

• By Laura Knowles/LNP | LancasterOnline

This story is published in partnership with our sister newsroom LNP | LancasterOnline.

It wasn’t the first time Hamzah Dawood found hate messages at his Lititz business.  

On Oct. 23, the owner of Greco’s Italian Ices and Homemade Ice Cream said he found a white sheet of paper in the mailbox just outside the shop. On it, written in red ink and all capital letters: “LEAVE LITITZ YOU HAMAS TERRORIST.” 

Dawood said he immediately crumpled the paper and considered throwing it away. Then he decided to do something different.

He smoothed out the note and posted a photo of it to Greco’s Facebook page, along with a message stressing “love and inclusivity.” 

He wrote, “It’s easy to turn a blind eye to the atrocities happening around the world. It’s no secret today’s news has all eyes on Israel and Palestine. Many of us forget those atrocities can carry to even the coolest small town in America. … (W)e believe that our diversity makes us stronger. Regardless of our differences – if and how we practice faith – we can all agree that love is good, caring for our neighbors is right, seeing and honoring our shared humanity is the way forward.”  

The post drew nearly 200 responses. A few commenters offered to set up a reward to catch whoever left the note.   

The experience reminded Dawood something similar that happened in March, soon after he opened Greco’s. Inside a box placed near the cash register for customers to offer ideas for new flavors or vote for their favorites, he said he found derogatory notes. He removed the suggestion box and posted about the messages online, drawing a wave of support from customers and the community. 

Dawood can only guess at why Greco’s has been targeted for hate messages. 

“Maybe it’s because of the color of my skin and that I have a beard,” says Dawood. 

The 26-year-old Realtor with Realty One Group Unlimited was born and raised in Lititz. He graduated from Warwick High School in 2015 and went to Penn State. His family is Muslim and lived in Uganda and Great Britain before immigrating to the U.S. Their ancestry goes back to Turkey.

After Dawood posted about the most recent letter, he took a break from social media. He reported the incident to Lititz Borough Police Department. Police Chief Kerry Nye confirmed the matter is under investigation.  

Asked about the latest incident, Lititz Mayor Tim Snyder said, “I am very disappointed that someone in the community— if they are in the community, and I hope not— would do this. (Dawood) is a small business owner here in Lititz, and this should not be happening here.”  

“The message sent to Hamzah is not Lititz. Lititz is the response that followed—  families heading straight to Greco’s to order ice cream and offer support,” said Rebecca Branle, director of Venture Lititz, the local tourism and visitor bureau that has worked with Dawood on community events like Lititz Farmers Market and Lititz Fire and Ice.  

Dawood wrote a followup Facebook post on Oct. 28, thanking the community for their support, saying, “To know you all fully see myself and the Greco’s staff for who we truly are in this community is heartwarming.”