DETROIT – A local mom was investing in her child’s future, teaching entrepreneurship using an ice cream truck. It was going sweetly until the truck disappeared.
The mother and son had worked weeks to get the small business up and running. Think of all the customers they’d have on a hot day like today, but now, it’s all on hold.
Imagine trying to teach your child the principles of owning a business when someone from your own community sabotages the whole thing.
Alonna Harris is understandably upset after someone decided to steal the ice cream truck she owns with her four-year-old son, Jalon Harris.
“I’m just really in shock,” said Alonna Harris. “His response to it was that he was really sad, and he wanted his ice cream truck back. It’s just mind-blowing, really. I just didn’t expect it. Especially over here.”
It took Allona and Jalon Harris two long months of preparation to get the truck up and operating. All that hard work is gone in the blink of an eye.
“I had to change out some of the batteries because when we were sitting and doing everything, its battery operated,” Alonna Harris said.
The truck was stolen seemingly out of nowhere on Sunday (July 17) in the area of 7 Mile and Telegraph roads.
With Allona Harris being an entrepreneur with multiple businesses trying to serve her community, she says it’s a shame that someone else had to put a hold on the progress.
“I wanted to do something for him just so he can get the entrepreneurship learning mindset going early,” Alonna Harris said. “I really think that it’s more so of greed right now. I don’t even think anyone is really realizing the fact that they’re taking from someone that’s trying to build,” Alonna Harris said.
Although the realization that a loss will be taken, that’s not stopping the two from growing even more.
“We kind of don’t have any hope that it will be recovered on the same condition,” Alonna Harris said. “I know we’re going to have to do some type of renovations or remodel everything, especially with the truck being stolen and us selling good. We’re just going to start from scratch again.”
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