In downtown Santa Barbara, over the weekend, an incident of harassment took place that has one local business owner speaking out. The confrontation was caught on camera from Chase Restaurant and Lounge. A group of men armed with cameras harassed customers and business owners along State Street, including at Chase Restaurant.
Nicole Bitar, co-owner of the restaurant, described the men as intimidating, making comments about “public space” and “socialists,” and putting cameras in people’s faces while heckling employees and customers, even those with children. Bitar recounted how her staff asked for help as customers were leaving due to the antagonizing behavior of the group of men. When she approached to ask them to leave, one of them insulted her and made offensive comments in front of everyone.
Another witness observed the same group harassing people at Chocolate Maya. Bitar and other witnesses called 9-1-1 several times, but the police response took some time, according to people at the scene. The incident has raised concerns about safety and harassment in downtown Santa Barbara and the need for a quicker police response to such situations.
