It’s been a three year sprint to get to where we are. We’re grateful for the lessons, the love, and the trials we’ve touched along the way.
We’ve been fighting three lawsuits in both state and federal court since 2024. The United States Department of Justice, the Anti-Defamation League, and the Brandeis Center for Justice brought three separate and duplicative lawsuits over two incidents of zionist harassment of the cafe and its staff in 2024. These lawsuits represent the ongoing efforts of zionist organizations and the federal government to use the courts as a tool to repress free speech and public political commitments to Palestine.
Since these lawsuits began, the federal government and the ADL have used their immense resources to target our small business in and out of the courts. From critiquing our menu on Fox News to using the legal process to make invasive requests into personal social media accounts, text messages, and other sensitive information, they have done their best to make our cafe a target. We’ve faced harassment, property damage, and hate messages since. Despite it all, we’ve continued building the work that matters most to us.
As joyous as this sprint has been, we’ve been exhausted, unable to truly attend to the concerns we’re facing legally and operationally, to ensure we can keep serving our community to the degree we’d like. We’re two months out from trial in federal court, set for October 26, 2026, and we need to turn our full attention there.
We’re going to take some time to prepare, so the decisions we make reflect our moral character and ensure the safety of ourselves, our business, and most importantly, our community. This upcoming weekend will be our last operating day for some time. We’ll be holding a bake sale with Bakes not Bombs and our dear comrade Bake Sale Betty on Sunday, August 23 — come out and make it.
While we’re closed, the best way to keep supporting us is to shop our new merch (use code LOVE143PALI for 20%) and support our Defensefund . Your contributions during this time will truly be invaluable as it will sustain us during a period of uncertainty, but faithful hope.
The DOJ, ADL, and everyone involved in bringing these lawsuits hoped to make an example of us, and of what it means to be truly committed to Palestinian liberation. Despite what we’ve endured, it’s thanks to our community that we’ve been able to keep operating and expanding our programs and events.
We’re grateful for everyone’s love and support this past three years, and we’re looking forward to litigating these cases successfully so we can get back to doing what we do best. We appreciate whatever you’re able to contribute, and look forward to building with you, again soon.