In November, 2007, two African-American female entrepreneurs opened up a new shop on East Baltimore Pike in Clifton Heights. Tylanda Whitney and Pamela K. Williams proudly named their fledgling business the Ty-Kae Variety Store.

Just two weeks later, these women became the target of a racial slur that had been spray-painted, almost 10 feet across in block letters, on the sidewalk in front of their shop.

The meaning of this vile display was clear to them - get out now, or suffer the consequences. But Tylanda and Pamela refused to back down, and instead decided to stand their ground and fight for justice.

Almost a year later, this hate crime remains unsolved, its cowardly perpetrator presumably still roaming free. And these women's minority-owned business continues to suffer from the crime's lasting effects.

"I believe the motivation behind this hate crime was not only to intimidate these courageous women, but to stigmatize their business as well, not much different from the twisted objective of the Nazis' forcibly marking Jewish-owned businesses during the first part of their reign of terror," Mark A. Sereni, Tylanda and Pamela's new attorney, explained. "Unfortunately, despite my clients' hard work, the combination of this trauma and this stigma has likely impaired their ability to get their business off the ground, especially during these tough economic times."

Facing eviction for inability to meet their rent payments, Tylanda and Pamela recently turned to Sereni for help. "Thanks to a compassionate landlord, we succeeded in working out that issue. My clients intend to keep doing their best to earn both the right to stay in business here and the privilege to serve the good people of Clifton Heights and our surrounding communities. They're not going to let a few very bad apples spoil the bunch," Sereni said

The Ty-Kae Variety Store is located at 56 East Baltimore Pike in Clifton Heights. The shop sells a wide variety of items, including custom-printed tee-shirts, hats, scarves and other hair accessories.