Mediterranean market, restaurant heavily damaged in vandalism
Dec. 8, 2022
Hayder Hayyawi and Reem Alsulaimawi had shut off the lights and locked the front doors of Neighborhood Market, their grocery store on East 12th Street, on Wednesday night. But the couple, who opened a restaurant in the store this fall, remained in the kitchen, scrubbing away any grease that had attached itself to the oven’s hood.
Suddenly, they heard the crash of breaking glass. Hayyawi grabbed a kitchen knife and wanted to go out front, but Alsulaimawi held him back. Instead, they sought refuge in the restaurant’s walk-in freezer and for at least 10 agonizing, icy minutes, they huddle together on the floor.
“We didn’t know what to do other than panic, cry and get some help,” Alsulaimawi said, her voice still shaky. In fact, the stress of the night had brought on a panic attack, and she had been taken by ambulance to a hospital emergency room.
They called both the police and Hayyawi’s father. When he opened the freezer door and freed the young couple who had been afraid to come out any earlier, they found that for the third time in less than a year, their store had been vandalized.
This occurrence is the worst of the three, Hayyawi said. He estimates that 30 percent of his stock has been destroyed.
The vandal or vandals left behind broken jars of olives and a floor flowing with red liquid from destroyed decanters.
Display racks were knocked over, cans and boxes swept off shelves and bags of potato chips left in an untidy heap.
“If you want to just steal a vape, you wouldn’t do all this,” Hayyawi said, gesturing around the store. “I mean, there’s no reason.”
In a post on Facebook, Alsulaimawi described the break-in and vandalism as a hate crime. Officer Sam Clemens of the Sioux Falls Police Department said at the present, however, it is being investigated as a burglary. Hate crimes in South Dakota must show a specific intent to intimidate or harass someone based on their race, ethnicity, religion, ancestry or national origin.
“I don’t know in this case if that would necessarily qualify,” Clemens said. “There could be a possibility of a hate crime that would be charged, but at this time the final decision would rest with state’s attorney’s office.”
If the burglar or burglars are caught, the state’s attorney’s office also would determine whether the charges would be elevated since Hayyawi and Alsulaimawi were present, although they had locked themselves in the walk-in cooler. Burglary of an unoccupied structure is a third-degree crime.
No suspect has been arrested in connection with the Nov. 10 event, when someone displayed a gun, Clemens said. That case, which is believed to have involved a juvenile, remains under investigation.
Police officers may check to see if any businesses in the area have surveillance cameras that could provide information in the current case, Clemens said.
Hayyawi was raised in Iraq but fled with his family when the U.S. Army left that country in 2011. His father had worked as a truck driver for the military and staying in Iraq was unsafe for the Hayyawi family. They first went to Turkey, where Hayyawi worked as a translator – he speaks Arabic, Turkish and English.
The U.S. government eventually helped the family come to the United States. In 2014, they moved to Sioux Falls. Hayyawi, now 25, earned a pharmacy technician degree at Southeast Technical College but but has focused on growing small businesses. He started selling used cars and expanding those locations across the city and into Tea.
One of his used-car businesses is next door to Neighborhood Market, 4508 E. 12th St. He and Alsulaimawi, 23, opened the Sahara Grill & Cuisine inside Neighborhood Market in September. The menu features traditional Middle Eastern foods such as falafel, kebab, shawarma and dolma.
They also plan to open a second market on the west side of Sioux Falls. Construction on that building now is underway. After this week’s vandalism, however, Hayyawi and Alsulaimawi plan to abandon the first location and make the west-side store the focal point. A different east-side location will come later.
First, they need to recover from the most recent destruction. Volunteers from Startup Sioux Falls, who had eaten at the Sahara Grill earlier this week, came Thursday morning to help with the cleanup, joined by Jennifer Dreiske and the South Dakota Voices for Peace staff, members of South Dakota Faith in Public Life and several other interfaith community members.
“A ton of people showed up,” Startup Sioux Falls executive director Brienne Maner said. “They (the vandals) just threw things off the shelves. It was disgusting on the floor — the sauce and glass mixed together — I was filled with rage. I was sad and protective of this community in a way I don’t think I’ve ever felt before. I just want them, bottom line, to feel safe in this community.”
Neighborhood Market is a family business, Alsulaimawi said. Helping out are Hayyawi’s parents and brothers. Among the foodstuffs, Neighborhood Market also sells tobacco products, vaping pens and supplies such as Dutch rolling papers, and that has caused frequent confrontations.
“Because all of the time the teenagers come into the store and ask for the vapes,” Alsulaimawi said. “There is no I.D. with them, we ask for it, they get mad at us.”
The first incident of vandalism happened in March, when Hayyawi was remodeling the store. Another incident, which left Alsulaimawi feeling uneasy and threatened, occurred last month. A young man came in wanting to buy tobacco products but could not provide identification. Upset, he walked around the store, paying particularly attention to Alsulaimawi, who was resting in the lounge area.
He then made a loop around the store, took soft drinks and chips, stood by the store’s ATM and told Hayyawi that if the store owner wouldn’t sell him what he wanted, he was taking the food items. As he talked, he rested his hand on a gun.
Hayyawi and Alsulaimawi reported the incident to the police but have heard nothing since then.
What took place Wednesday goes beyond petty crime and into something more personal, Hayyawi said.
“Maybe they meant to scare us off,” he said. “There’s a lot of inventory that’s destroyed, a lot of glass on the floor.”
The couple has contacted their insurance company and a lawyer, but the loss of income that comes from closing the store immediately will have an effect, Alsulaimawi said. “Here in America, if you miss a day without working, then you’re destroyed with your bills.”
After receiving treatment for her panic attack, Alsulaimawi asked to be released from the hospital so she could be with her family. On Thursday morning, after being awake for more than 24 hours, she and Hayyawi had dark circles under their eyes. They were determined, however, to start the cleanup.
“We don’t deserve this,” Alsulaimawi said. “We have our customers, we have our space, we’re happy in the store, we’re happy that the restaurant is open, we’re happy to see our customers come back to us, but we don’t deserve this. Whoever came up with plan, I hope they show up to my face.”
A Go Fund Me site has been started. To donate, click here.
