Friends and loyal patrons gathered on Liberty Street last Friday night to spread some love for Dan Brown and Michele Basch and their unique corner bar and restaurant known as The Wherehouse.

The event, organized by community activist Steven Majano and featuring the music of Decora was to show support for the business that has been a fixture on that block since 2009. Recently, to everyone’s surprise, the popular place was vandalized. Windows were covered with spray paint with words and symbols that might best be described as hate speech.

By Friday, the windows were clean and it was business as usual. Special guests included the newest members of the city’s police department: Commissioner Jose Gomerez and Chief Anthony Geraci and Councilman Anthony Grice.

A proclamation from Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney was also delivered to Brown and Basch that night. It read in part “Hate has no home here.”