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Owner of Boylston Street store charged with racial, ethnic bias

The state Attorney General's office today sued the owner of the Tannery, Hicham Ali "Sam" Hassan, for allegedly refusing to serve a black man and a woman of Middle Eastern origin - and says those instances are "a larger pattern of Hassan’s discriminatory treatment of certain customers."

According to the Attorney General's office:

in December 2017, an African American customer attempted to enter The Tannery to shop approximately 20 minutes before the store closed. Upon entering the store, Hassan allegedly approached the victim and asked him "what's up brother man?" and prevented him from fully entering the store.

When the victim asked Hassan why he was denied entry into The Tannery while other white patrons were allowed to enter and shop, the defendant told him that "he did not want [his] kind in [the] store." Hassan allegedly repeatedly told the victim he was not allowed to shop in the store and implied that he did not have enough money to shop at The Tannery. Hassan then allegedly directed the victim to the door, and told him he didn't want his money and to shop elsewhere.

Also according to the AG's complaint, in March 2017, Hassan repeatedly asked a customer of Middle Eastern descent where she was from. Instead of helping the woman, who had been trying to ask about a pair of boots, Hassan allegedly told her, among other things, that he does not trust immigrants and "I love Trump! I am glad he is going to get rid of all the immigrants." The victim decided she no longer wanted the boots after hearing these comments. As she was exiting the store, Hassan allegedly shouted at her to get out and that he didn't "trust [her] people."

Hassan filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy last year for both the Tannery and the Tannery Outlet. A federal bankruptcy judge approved the final dissolution of the companies he set up for the shops this past February.

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Comments

doing what bike messengers do: blow by pedestrians with walk signals in crosswalks and then ride between cars going the wrong way on a one way street. Fixie and messenger bag completes the picture.

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i can only imagine how upset you are at drivers/cars that kill pedestrians and other drivers.

i mean, no one can actually die by the nuisance of a cyclist breaking a law... except the cyclist themselves.

you know, because people dying is bad.

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I recall an elderly woman killed in DTX by a messenger (which is why they're supposed to have ID #s on their messenger bags now) and of course Micho Spring's husband Bill (former school committee member) serious TBI from being hit by a messenger on Comm Ave. True, far more car-related deaths (also a lot more cars), but if EVERYBODY obeyed the traffic laws, even a little better and used some common sense instead of acting like entitled arses (I'm looking at you Hyundai driver at L and 6th) maybe we could cut back on the finger pointing and have a few less roadside shrines, ghost bikes, thoughts and prayers.

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Springs was stepping out mid block, btw, and seriously injured the cyclist. His wife had BPD change the police report.

But I digress - this is like two incidents in ... thirty years?

More people have been killed in Boston by cars this month.

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Do you know how many people have been killed by cars in Boston since 2014?

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This rivals Trump supporters* for whataboutism. This is like someone pulled over for speeding saying to the police officer, "heart disease kills a lot more people than automobiles do. Why aren't you off arresting people for eating cheeseburgers?"

*I am going for Peak UHub by attempting to Trigger the Trumpwads in the midst of a cars vs. bicyles debate provoked by an article on a business owner acting like a racist dirtbag.

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Not a lot of traction, but you gave it the old college try.

Meanwhile, I'm trying to figure out if anyone would care that I'm confused that an Arab stands accused of hating Arabs. The Black thing I can see happening, but the Arab thing is weird. Though not as weird as the discussion turning to bicycles, but hey, it's Universal Hub.

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It's was a good try. But I think it was missing space savers to make it happen.

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Not surprised by a biker breaking the law, but give him credit he's not on the sidewalk.

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This has nothing to do with the article, nor is it a factually accurate description of what is seen.

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Closest car in frame is parked beyond the stop line and too close to a fire hydrant (out of frame right).

https://goo.gl/maps/6avZNT21nD52

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OMG you would never believe it, but as I was biking to work today, a bunch of drivers ran red lights and a bunch of pedestrians stepped out into the middle of the road when I had the right of way! What's that? Boston's streets are a lawless land of scofflaws?! Tell me something we don't know already.

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Perhaps he's been ripped off too often? Odd behavior for a poc himself..

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... for his abhorrent behavior... never mind that his Boylston Street property should be seized by the city anyhow, and Hassan locked up for instability, on account of his disregard for responsibility and safety.

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Not denying that this guy is a racist ass, but he was just a jerk in general. The Tannery had nice stuff, but I totally stopped shopping there after a run with who I assume is the same owner from this article. The man was just a miserable human being and it does not surprise me that he went out of business.

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Ali Hassan is discriminating against Middle Easterners. Yeah, sounds legit.

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Not sure if your comment was intended to express actual disbelief that this happened, or incredulity at the hypocrisy of it all, but this is indeed a thing that happens -- first- or second-generation Americans making it a point to hate newer people of their same nationality or ethnicity, immigrants with citizenship actively speaking out against people from their same country who don't have citizenship yet, people of color who've gone to good schools and gotten good jobs saying others of their race would succeed if they just decided to, etc. It's like, I've got mine, I see no reason to support my people.

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Yea because everyone from the Middle East are friends and like each other, right? And no one from any one country or religious sect would ever dislike or act discriminatory against another?

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He filed bankruptcy just like his buddy Trump has done countless times. Has he also cheated on three wives?

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the height of a$$holery as well as a bad business practice. I cant imagine why he had to file for bankruptcy.

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Bankruptcy, this lawsuit, and just last week a fire at the Brookline Neena's location... the one he's been unsuccessfully fighting to turn into a 14 story building, over the infuriated cries of the locals.

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He's also let his buildings on Boylston St deteriorate to the point where they are a hazard. The City is worried that the building the Tannery is in will collapse and fears that if there is a fire they won't be able to adequately fight it because the upper floors are unoccupiable. The whole back side of the building doesn't have a wall anymore. The adjacent building, which he also owns, formerly housed the Rattlesnake Bar, but the City made them close their roof deck because they were afraid part of the adjacent building could collapse onto it. Now the Rattlesnake is gone and the Globe Bar has moved in, but are not allowed to occupy the upper floors.

https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/Boylston-Street-Building-on-Verge-o...

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I remember reading about the owner on Facebook years ago about how rude and discriminatory he is toward employees and his customers. Clearly there is truth to that, every person can't be making this up.

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This person is being sued, not "charged" with anything, which implies that a crime was committed (as opposed to a civil tort).

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