Latest news with #Eleven11
News.com.au
01-07-2025
- News.com.au
Chilling scene outside cafe one day after barista violently assaulted
The initial assault still sits uneasy in the mind of Melbourne cafe owner Moustafa Saoud. But it's what happened the next morning that made him give up his dream and walk away. Mr Saoud was the victim of a brutal and completely unprovoked attack inside his Eleven: 11 cafe on Buckley Street in Footscray last week. Confronting CCTV footage of the attack shows a hooded man walk through the front doors, approach Mr Saoud behind the counter and throw a punch directly at his mouth. In the vision, Mr Saoud scrambles for safety but the assault continues. When his attacker is done, he calmly walks back out the front door. Mr Saoud told that the most chilling part of the attack was that not a single word was uttered. 'He didn't say anything. Even when he left he didn't say anything.' But Mr Saoud, who opened the cafe in November last year — hence the name — said what happened the next day was worse. It was what tipped him over the edge and confirmed his decision to close permanently. He told that he made a police report on the Friday night that the attack took place, but the man who attacked him returned to the cafe the following morning. 'He came on Saturday morning to my cafe and asked for a cigarette. I gave him one and he stayed outside. But after 10 minutes I went to check if he was still hanging around.' Mr Saoud said what he saw when he went outside was horrifying. 'He had cut himself with a knife and there was blood everywhere. Police and ambulance came. I saw him on the floor, there was so much blood.' He said the possibility that his attacker was carrying a knife at the time of the assault was chilling. 'That's why I'm scared. Maybe next time he was going to use the knife.' Mr Saoud, who opened the cafe with the help of his brothers, said his mum had begged him to close. 'She said, 'please don't go there anymore'. My brother said, 'let's close the cafe, it's not worth it'.' Footscray, which sits 5km west of the Melbourne CBD, has seen crime rates explode in the last few years, driven in large part by drug activity. There were 3530 criminal incidents recorded in Footscray last year, up from 2797 the year before. Assaults were at a record high in 2025 when 380 were reported to police. Four years ago, there was exactly half that number, according to data from the Crime Statistics Agency. The attack on Mr Saoud came just five days after veteran photographer Dominic O'Brien, 62, died after allegedly being attacked in Footscray. Mr O'Brien was allegedly assaulted on Nicholson Street in Footscray on June 15. Lominja Friday Yokoju, 43, is accused of approaching Mr O'Brien before striking him and stomping on his head as he lay on the ground. The former high court immigration detainee was charged with intentionally causing serious injury. The charge was later upgraded to murder. Yokoju has not entered a plea and was remanded until October 20. Mr O'Brien was a respected photographer who worked with major publications including The Australian and The Age. In April, Footscray was also the scene of a fatal shooting. Officers arrived on the corner of Paisley and Albert streets on April 17. Abdinasir Abdullahi Salad, a Somali refugee, allegedly rushed at the officers with a knife when they fatally shot him. It has been reported that Salad was homeless and had mental health issues. The Coroners Court of Victoria heard the 35-year-old had stolen a knife from the nearby Kmart store and that police yelled, 'don't move, drop the knife' before the shooting. In March, there was another violent incident in Footscray. Video obtained by the Herald Sun showed a woman hurling a beer keg into a shopfront over and over before grabbing shards of glass and running at bystanders. She was tackled to the ground in an incident that locals said was becoming all too familiar. A month earlier, a man was left fighting for his life after a machete attack in the same suburb. CCTV of that incident showed a brawl spilling onto the street before one man allegedly pulled a machete and stabbed a 24-year-old several times. Mr Saoud said crime is being fuelled by drugs and that it is worse now than it was when he first opened. 'When I opened, it was alright. It was beautiful, nice and quiet. It's a great community. It started getting worse. 'It's not nice. Everybody is worried about their kids. Customers always say they are worried. They're scared to walk around after 6pm.' He said walking away from the cafe was a difficult decision, emotionally and financially. He is locked in to a lease and needs somebody to take it over before he can move on. 'Nobody is going to want to do that,' he said.
Daily Mail
29-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Café that makes the 'best coffee in Melbourne' is forced to shut down after owner was brutally attacked at work: 'It's no longer safe'
A Melbourne café owner who was brutally assaulted at work has closed down his successful business after just seven months, declaring that he no longer feels 'safe'. Moustafa Saoud, the owner of Eleven: 11 café on Buckley Street in Footscray, was punched and kicked by a hooded man on June 20 in a horrifying attack that was captured on CCTV. The disturbing footage shows the man approaching the owner who is standing behind the counter. Mr Saoud is then punched in the face and kicked repeatedly. The assailant had visited the café earlier that day on two occasions to ask for a cigarette. On his second visit, he was refused a cigarette before returning for a third time and carrying out the attack. Co-owners Mr Saoud and Alex Saoud made the difficult decision to shut down the business following the shocking incident. The brothers say they have noticed a spike in drug-related violence in the area in recent months and that it's too dangerous to continue trading. 'It's not worth it, to lose my life for,' Mr Saoud told Nine News. 'I'm not gonna be safe anymore.' 'I don't need to make my mum, my dad upset, him upset. It's not safe,' Mr Saoud's brother and business partner Alex agreed. Locals are devastated the café is closing and are fed up with the reported increase in violence and drug-use in the area. Some are worried the increase in violence will deter new businesses from setting up in the area in the future. One resident said the café 'made the best coffee in Melbourne' and will be sorely missed. Victoria Police regularly patrol the area around Footscray daily to prevent drug offending and violent behaviour.
Forbes
30-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Gen Z And The Empathy Expectation: What Workplace Leaders Need To Know
Few things can get senior leaders worked up more than talking about Gen-Z. The stereotypes abound: They are lazy, entitled and demand constant validation and empathy. Is Gen Z really that selfish and demanding—or do they perhaps have different encoding and context around their expectations of empathy for colleagues and leaders? A Deloitte Digital study clearly shows the expectation divide. In the study, Gen Z ranks empathy as the second most important trait in a boss, while leaders placed it a distant fifth. Anna Liotta, the author of Unlocking Generational CODES, speaks and consults with companies to navigate generational conflicts. Working with thousands of Gen-Z leaders and employees across organizations, her research has found that Gen-Z is fiercely values-driven, deeply resourceful and highly sensitive to hypocrisy. They are not afraid of hard work; they just refuse to burn out for a system that doesn't seem to care about them. It's not disrespect, as some have perceived. "The truth is they crave human-centered, transparent leadership, but they won't stick around for performative empathy or outdated hierarchies,' Liotta wrote in an email interview. "Strongly and differently, Gen Z's empathy often shows up as systemic compassion rather than traditional emotional caretaking, 'Liotta continued. "They deeply feel the ripple effects of injustice, inequity, and trauma in ways older generations may have been conditioned to ignore.' Liotta also points out that this generation has grown up digitally, which sometimes limits in-person social skill development. 'It's not a lack of empathy, 'she says, 'it's a different calibration.' Here's what savvy leaders need to know about navigating and managing Gen-Z employees to tap into the talents of this unique generation. Clarity Is Everything Many forget that Gen-Z do not have a shared history of common experience with their seasoned leaders. Those in high school and college around the pandemic had very different academic and workplace experiences from previous generations. Jonni Ressler, CEO and founder of Eleven 11 solutions, manages Gen-Z consultants, and is also raising two Gen-Z children. She shares in a video interview that we must remember they came up very isolated. They didn't get what she calls the 'osmosis' training of watching their workmates to see how things are done: how we dress, where we go to lunch, how we talk here. "When we say things like 'Bring your whole self to work' be careful,' Ressler says, 'What does that mean? Gen-Z echoes this desire for clarity. Isaiah Phillips, a business development manager for a larger healthcare organization, wrote in an email, 'I believe our generation needs more clear, defined expectations for organizational progression.' He mentioned that a handful of industries have defined targets for promotions, wage increases and more, but this is not consistent. 'Outside of sales organizations, many individuals may jump from job to job when maybe they were a few months away from a promotion, but they walked away because they were unaware.' Lead Gen-Z By Example Gen-Z craves leaders who showcase their knowledge through constant coaching and view mistakes as opportunities to learn. "One of the things I highly value in a leader is authenticity,' Harman Kaler, a franchise performance manager at a Canadian fast food chain, shared over email. 'Taking accountability, openly communicating, sharing both positive and constructive feedback, and fostering a healthy environment that encourages you to step out of your comfort zone to grow as a professional all ladder into being authentic.' Liotta's research supports this. 'They want leadership to be human, not heroic. Not flawless, but authentic. ' Mentorship Matters Investing in employees rather than mere cogs in a wheel is especially important to Gen-Z, and top performers will seek out companies who do so. Kaelie Randolph, a legal assistant for a statewide pro bono association, adores her boss as the definition of an empathetic leader. In an email, she shared that her boss is constantly advocating for her when others try to step on Randolph's boundaries. "She views me as an individual with my own career path, recommending various programs and trainings so I can continue to grow.' Focus On Mission And Purpose "My generation is more connected to their personal mission and personal/professional aspirations,' wrote Phillips. He states they are less willing to be content somewhere they are not happy, unfulfilled or don't feel valued, even if they are compensated well. Liotta shared her firm's SHA Pulse Surveys found the No. 1 factor tied to Gen-Z engagement and retention is 'I feel seen and heard by my leaders." Several Gen-Zers supported this finding. Randolph wrote about her highly empathetic boss, "She makes me feel like a valued employee every day. She encourages me to pitch new ideas, trusts me to handle important tasks, and manage my own workload without her sitting over my shoulder.' Audrey Redell, a 25-year-old marketing operations specialist for a tech company, wrote in an email that her manager balances empathy and performance very well, by checking in on how she's doing personally, not just tasks and deadlines. 'At the same time, she's committed to helping me grow by providing constructive feedback and encouraging me to push my limits in a supportive manner.' 'Trust Me. Seriously.' Like many in the workplace, regardless of generation, Gen-Z simply wants to be treated with respect. This respect shows up as flexibility and autonomy. Phillips stated that as a remote employee who travels 50% of the time, he and his superiors have an understanding around flexible schedules. He can go to a funeral if needed or take a half-day Friday after a very busy week. "But during the busy week, you perform and are never 'off' because you're at home.' "We need leaders who create a culture of openness and flexibility without judgment,' wrote Sam Bryant-Nichols, a dual enrollment student attending both community college and high-school classes. Surveillance is out. Check-ins are in. Bryant-Nchols states that simple dialogue changes, such as "How's everything going?' rather than 'Why isn't this done?' show you value your employees as people, not just workers. 'It looks like a mentor, not just a shift-leader.' Gen-Z's Efficiency Does Not Equal Laziness As a group, Gen-Z often tries to find the most efficient solution to a problem, and this can lead managers to think they are trying to cut corners. On the contrary, Ressler has found that while they may question just about everything, they are extremely innovative. 'They are very willing to look at a thorny problem. They have ideas and ways of approaching problems that have maybe been done the same way for twenty years,' she wrote. And with that creative thinking comes questioning everything and rationalizing why things are done the way they are done. 'They want to understand where the rules come from,' she wrote. 'I think it's a feeling that everything's malleable and everything's up for debate, including their hours, what they wear, how they talk, where they work.' Harnessing The Potential Of The Gen-Z Workforce Gen-Z is transforming workplace culture and it benefits us all. They are showing us how to show up with boundaries and demand respect. And forcing companies to create mutually beneficial career relationships where both employer and employee can thrive. As Randolph wrote about her entire generation, 'Empathy can absolutely go a long way toward building our trust and loyalty with the employer.' So leaders must decide if they want to keep complaining about the way things used to be or adapt with empathy and harness the potential of this unique generation.
