Man arrested for vandalism at Jewish bagel shop in Miami – NBC 6 South Florida

A man has been arrested and accused of vandalizing a Jewish-owned bagel shop in downtown Miami.

Kenneth Guerrero, 28, was charged with criminal damage after allegedly vandalizing the Holy Bagels & Pizzeria business at 93 NW 1 Street in June.

Images from the scene show the words “Free Palestine” and “Stop Genocide” sprayed on the restaurant’s facade. A security camera inside the store captured a person spraying the windows and doors and then tearing down the banner that read “Stand with Israel” that was hung in front of the facade.

“This is devastating,” owner Josh Nodel said at the time.

Last fall, vandals did the same thing to Nodel’s other bagel shop in Miami Beach twice.

“We have been targeted out of hatred because they know we are Jews and support Israel,” Nodel said.

He said the vandalism does not help the Palestinian people.

“Not as far as I think. I think it only hurts them,” Nodel said.

The owner was encouraged when prominent helpers showed up to clean up the mess after the vandalism: Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and Federal Judge Roy Altman.

“My grandparents spent the ’40s in Europe, and that’s how it all started: They spray-painted Jewish businesses. We will not allow anti-Semites here to silence us and convince us that the West is broken or bad,” Altman said, explaining why he came to help.

“I think we want to scare people and give them the impression that we do not have our city under control, that our city could be overrun by illegal acts and hatred, and that is not acceptable to us,” Suarez said.

While Suarez and Altman helped scrub the red paint from the store’s facade, security company owner Auggie Mejia offered free patrols.

“What they did here was a cowardly act,” Mejia said. “We don’t like cowards in my business, we don’t like guys like that, people like that, so we’re just here to help.”