Durham Police investigate vandalism of several businesses, including 3 Starbucks

Durham Police are investigating the vandalism of several businesses early Saturday morning.

At 4:55 a.m., 911 dispatchers advised that multiple vandalism calls throughout the city appeared to be related.

Officers responded, and they filed reports and took photos of the vandalized businesses.

The vandals spray painted "don't support' and "kid killers' referring to the ongoing airstrikes in Gaza.

A total of seven businesses were vandalized, including two Starbucks locations.

As a result, the Starbucks store at 4843 NC Highway 55 is closed for the day.

Kasey Johnson was stopping by to grab a coffee with her family. She feels for the employees that aren't able to work due to this. 

“While I support their message, I think everyone who works at the Starbucks probably supports the message about not supporting Israel and the bombing that’s happening in Gaza," Johnson said. "But it’s just a shame that they can’t work now.”

Starbucks Corporate released a statement about the vandalism saying:

"We are aware of a series of incidents occurring overnight on Nov. 10 at our Durham – Chapel Hill & Tower Blvd, Renaissance Center – Durham Ext 276, and Hwy 55 & Allentown Dr. locations," Starbucks Corporate said. "The experience and well-being of our partners and customers is core to our operation, and we continue to work with local police to support their investigation. The Durham – Chapel Hill & Tower Blvd and Renaissance Center – Durham Ext 276 stores are operating, working with modified services, as Starbucks local teams work towards remediation and repairs. The Hwy 55 & Allendown Dr. location will remain closed today as we prioritize partner safety."

Police are investigating whether the vandalism was motivated by a social media post by the union Starbucks Workers United.

Starbucks Workers United posted a message of solidarity with Palestine on social media, accompanied by an image of a bulldozer operated by Hamas tearing down a fence in the Gaza Strip during the recent attacks against Israel. The post has since been deleted, but not before it sparked calls for a boycott of Starbucks on social me

Some people voiced their frustration on social media. one person writing "My heart goes out to Starbucks employees across the country. No matter what side of political issue you are on, the employees inside these establishment have nothing to do with it."

Raul Brown wanted to get a Macchiato, but upon hearing what happened he's reconsidering. 

“I have not heard anything about this until I spoke with WRAL but now it has me second-guessing whether I actually wanna support Starbucks or not,” Brown said. 

The Starbucks at 4010 Durham-Chapel Hill Boulevard was also vandalized. However, this store was still open.

Durham police released a statement after the vandalism reading in part: “We will be conducting property checks at the businesses in an attempt to deter further acts of crime."

Police are asking anyone with information about this case to contact them at 911 or CrimeStoppers at (919) 683-1200.