Officers Buy Meal for Couple Who Didn't Want to Sit Near Them at Pennsylvania Restaurant: 'We're Not Here to Hurt You'
At a time of strained police-community relations, a group of four cops chose kindness when a couple refused to sit near them at a Pennsylvania restaurant.
A server at the Eat'n Park diner in Homestead said a couple wanted another table after being brought to one near the group of officers last weekend, the restaurant confirms to PEOPLE.
"A table goes to sit down and the guy looks over at one of the police officers and was like, 'Nah I don't want to sit here.' " server Jesse Meyers told WTAE.
As the couple moved to the other side of the restaurant, Officer Chuck Thomas of said he told the man and woman that it was okay to sit near his group and that "we won't hurt you," the Homestead Borough Police Department confirms to PEOPLE.
"He looked at me hard again and said he's not sitting here and walked away," Thomas recalled.
Tensions between the public and police have been high in the wake of high-profile police shootings and the sniper attack on officers in Dallas, Texas, on Friday, which left five officers dead.
"A lot of people were coming up to us and shaking our hands and thanking us, but you could just feel tight air through the community," Thomas told the outlet.
The officers discussed the interaction as they ate their meal.
"Officer Strang thought, 'Well, we should pay his tab,' " said Thomas.
On the bill, they wrote: "Sir, your check was paid for by the police officers that you didn't want to sit next to. Thank you for your support." They also included a $10 tip on the almost $30 meal.
Thomas posted the note on Facebook and it's since gone viral.
I paid the guys check that didn't want to sit next to us! I left this note for him!
Posted by Chuck Thomas on Friday, July 8, 2016
The officers said they got a smile and a thank you from the couple as they left.
"Essentially, the whole goal of it was to let him know that we're not here to hurt you, we're not here for that," said Thomas. "We're here for you. We work for the public. And we just want to better the relationship between the community and the police."
