Holy shit. That's a major bummer! Who would do that?? The only motive I could conceive of is disgruntled employee. I can't imagine it's just some local tired of the recent gentrification, as Ritual Tavern has been there awhile. I understand some people's resistance to gentrification, but the vandalism of some businesses is really confounding. I find all vandalism abhorrent, but when places like Young Hickory and Brabant are being vandalized, I'm just at a loss. Those places are owned and operated by passionate, neighborhood-oriented people. Sometimes (read: frequently), humanity depresses me.
Initial response from police and arson investigators was that the fire was set to impede investigating the robbery.
