A Plea for Help: Rebuilding After a Hate Crime in Northampton

To our beloved Northampton community and kind-hearted supporters everywhere,

My name is Jun He and I am the owner of Ji the chicken shop a small bubble tea and fried chicken shop located at Mercers row. For the past 4 years , it has been my greatest joy to serve you—to craft refreshing drinks, prepare delicious meals, and create a warm, welcoming space for everyone. This shop is more than just a business; it is a dream built from hard work, a place meant to foster connection and joy in our neighborhood.

However, for months, that dream has been under relentless attack, and we have reached a breaking point.

This year, our small family-run business has faced a devastating series of racially targeted incidents. In July alone, our shop was broken into and vandalized three times. Each burglary left us with stolen property, damaged doors and locks, and a growing sense of insecurity. The financial strain from repeated repairs and losses was already immense.

Worse than the property damage has been the direct threat to our people. One of our dedicated employees was physically and verbally assaulted by racist individuals outside our shop, an experience that left them traumatized and our entire team shaken. We reported every incident, strengthened our locks, and tried to carry on, hoping the darkness would pass.

But it did not end.

Early in the morning of 09/12/2025, the unthinkable happened. Our shop’s large front window was completely shattered by a hate crime offender, an act police are investigating as racially motivated. Standing there, surrounded by this new wave of destruction, we felt a deep and weary devastation. This was not an isolated event. It was the cruel culmination of months of targeted harassment, theft, and violence.

We are exhausted. We are heartbroken. And we are financially drained.

The physical damage from this latest attack is severe. The window must be replaced immediately for safety and to operate. But after surviving the burglaries and supporting our assaulted employee, we simply have no resources left. The cumulative cost of repairs, security upgrades, lost inventory, and lost business has become a mountain we cannot climb alone. Our spirits are worn thin, and our savings are gone.

We built this shop to be a home for everyone. Now, we are fighting just to keep its doors from closing forever.

We are reaching out to you, our community, in our most vulnerable moment. We need your help to survive.

Please, help us rebuild not just our window, but our hope. Help us turn this story from one of repeated victimization into one of incredible community solidarity.

We thank you for any support you can give—whether through a donation, by sharing our story, or by simply standing with us.

Please share our story. Your voice amplifies our call for help and justice.