Bomb Suspect's Family Eatery Targeted on Yelp

Family complained about anti-Muslim bias years ago
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 20, 2016 2:50 AM CDT
Yelp Reviewers Target Bomb Suspect's Family
FBI agents walk around the roof outside an apartment during an investigation Monday in Elizabeth, NJ.   (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

The adage "There's no such thing as bad publicity" probably doesn't ring true for the owners of First American Fried Chicken: The Elizabeth, NJ, restaurant is owned by the family of alleged bomber Ahmad Rahami, and Vice reports that its Yelp page is being spammed with negative and often racist reviews from people all over the country, with some users making jokes about "pressure cooked chicken" and others calling for the owners to be kicked out of the country. A few reviewers, however, argue against harassing Rahami's family, who came to the US from Afghanistan.

A Yelp message on the page says the page has been flagged, and Yelp plans to ax reviews that appear to be motivated more by "news coverage itself than the reviewer's personal consumer experience with the business." NJ.com reports that the Rahami family sued the city in 2011 for alleged anti-Muslim harassment, claiming police and the city forced them to close early and somebody told them "Muslims don't belong here" and "Muslims are trouble." Elizabeth Mayor Chris Bollwage says the city started forcing the restaurant to close early not out of religious bias, but because there were complaints of noise and large late-night crowds when it was open 24 hours. (More Ahmad Rahami stories.)

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