Tyrone Rallies Around Village Market Owners After Anti-Muslim Remarks

When Samar and Shan Laiq bought the longtime Spezzano’s market in Tyrone about three months ago, they renamed it Tyrone Village Market with a particular idea in mind.

“The reason why we chose Tyrone Village Market is because it welcomes everybody,” Samar Laiq said. “That was the goal.”

But within months of taking over the neighborhood grocery and meat market, Laiq said a small number of social media comments and uncomfortable encounters inside the store had begun making her feel unsafe. Some focused on the owners being Muslim. Others complained that the market no longer sells pork.

Last week, Laiq went to the Tyrone Police Department to report her concerns. Police found nothing in the social media material they reviewed that constituted a hate crime or other criminal offense, but officers have placed the store on a special watch for three months.

And since word of Laiq’s experience spread, another group has been coming through the door: Tyrone residents who had never shopped there before, stopping in specifically to meet the owners, make a purchase, and tell them they are welcome.

A new family behind a familiar market

Laiq moved to Georgia from Wisconsin about a year ago. She and Shan live in Tyrone with their family and bought the market after Shan, who had long wanted to own a business and particularly a meat market, learned the property was available.

The former owner, Bob Spezzano, has continued helping the couple with the transition, Laiq said. He also accompanied her when she went to the police department because Shan needed to remain at the store.

Shan handles much of the meat operation while Samar focuses heavily on customers and the business side. Samar has a master’s degree in health communication and spent years working in retail and medical settings.

“I want to learn about them,” Laiq said of her customers. “I want to learn what they want, what are their needs.”

The couple kept many elements customers knew from the former business, including the fresh meat operation and suppliers, Laiq said. One notable change is that the store no longer carries pork.

The reason, she said, is religious rather than commercial.

“Our religion, we’re not allowed to eat pork, and we’re not actually allowed to work with pork,” Laiq said.

Because Shan personally handles the store’s meat, the couple decided not to sell it.

Other products can be specially requested, Laiq said, and the owners are continuing to add new offerings. On Saturdays, the market has also begun offering prepared foods such as biryani, butter chicken, and chicken 65.

Comments begin to feel personal

Laiq said most customers have been welcoming, but a small number of encounters have troubled her.

She described people walking into the store, making comments about Muslims having “taken over” or complaining that pork was no longer available before leaving. She also became concerned about social media discussion surrounding a photograph of a meat delivery at the business.

Detective Andrea Johnson, who also serves as a public information officer for Tyrone Police, reviewed the material when Laiq came to the department.

Johnson said the social media post she saw showed a man unloading meat from a truck and included criticism about his clothing and how the delivery was being handled. Police did not find a specific threat or statement that rose to the level of a hate crime.

“There was nothing that was just straight racially motivated for us to say, okay, this is a hate crime,” Johnson said.

Laiq also told police about people entering the business, looking around, mumbling, and leaving without buying anything, sometimes slamming the door on their way out. Johnson said Laiq could not always identify what they were saying.

That distinction matters, Johnson said: unusual or uncomfortable behavior is not itself a crime.

Still, Johnson said some of the social media discussion appeared focused on the delivery worker’s clothing and perceived religion.

“It seemed like it was more, you know, religion based,” Johnson said. “But he didn’t make any hate type comments.”

Laiq also reported a previous incident in which a man stood outside the business making sexual gestures toward her. An employee confronted the man and he left before police were called.

Johnson told Laiq that if something similar happens again, she should immediately contact police and, when it can be done safely, document identifying information such as a vehicle tag.

Police add a special watch

Although police did not identify a crime from what Laiq brought them, Johnson said the department took her concern seriously.

Tyrone Village Market has now been placed on a special watch for three months. Officers are expected to check the business during their shifts and log the dates and times they do so.

“A lot of times you’re supposed to go at least two to three times because these officers are working 12-hour shifts,” Johnson said.

She told Laiq she may sometimes see officers parked outside or behind the store while completing reports. Johnson has also encouraged officers who might normally pick up food and leave to spend some time inside instead.

Laiq said she has seen officers circling the area since making the report.

Asked whether their presence makes her feel safer, she said, “I do.”

Laiq, who contracted polio as an infant and uses a wheelchair much of the time, told police she had become concerned for her safety.

Johnson said Tyrone generally has little violent crime, with financial crimes making up much of the department’s caseload. She also credited residents with regularly contacting police when they see something they believe is unusual.

“The community is very good at, you know, when they see something, they say something,” Johnson said.

‘You have us on your side’

Laiq has repeatedly emphasized that the troubling encounters represent only a small part of her experience in Tyrone.

“The majority of the people here are very loving, caring,” she said. “They come to talk to us. They’re really nice, and they listen to us.”

Over the past week, that support has become much more visible.

People began walking into Tyrone Village Market specifically because they had heard about what Laiq was experiencing. Some had never shopped there before.

Laiq estimates she personally spoke with 10 to 15 such visitors, while Shan met still more when she was away from the store.

“They would go around and buy something, and then they would come and talk to you,” Laiq said.

Some came primarily to introduce themselves and offer reassurance.

“You have us on your side,” Laiq said one visitor told her. “Everything’s going to be okay.”

For a woman who moved from Wisconsin, bought her first business, and is still learning her new community, the visits have mattered.

“I knew that the majority does like us, does want us,” Laiq said. “But it was really nice.”

That is also the kind of store she said she and Shan intended to build from the beginning.

“Everyone’s different,” Laiq said. “Everyone comes from different backgrounds, different cultures, different religions, and we need to learn about that. And then we need to provide them with what they want.”