Popular Oakland Restaurant Is Moving After ‘Spray of Gunfire’ Injures Customers at Dinner Service | Eater SF
"On Friday, May 2, around 8:16 p.m., two diners were shot during service when a spray of bullets from the street riddled the business's windows; the two survivors, a 24-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman, were taken to the hospital and were in stable condition as of Sunday, May 4, and no arrests had been made by the Oakland Police Department at the time of publication. The San Francisco–raised restaurateur and chef Cleashaun Hill has started a GoFundMe to relocate the restaurant and pay furloughed staff; in the GoFundMe Hill writes the plan is to relocate somewhere "our guests and staff can feel protected and free." His $50,000 goal was just north of $31,000 upon publication. Hill opened the restaurant in 2023 as "a sanctuary for Black excellence," per the GoFundMe, and the business is well-loved for free dinners for young people and hosting charity events. In an Instagram video posted on Sunday afternoon Hill says, "We were just having a regular service. I swear, this is so disheartening. It makes me want to give up." The GoFundMe also states in part, "This tragedy has shaken us, but it has not broken us," and, "We still believe in what this restaurant represents, and we still believe in what’s possible when we come together." The incident and Hill's now-viral video drew support from local fans and celebrities including Xzibit; Toriano Gordon of the Bay's Vegan Mob commented, "I praying for you," and added, "I know everything will work out in your favor." Eater SF reached out for comment but had not heard back at the time of publication." - Paolo Bicchieri
