Rofhiwa Book Café in Durham, N.C., has closed temporarily after a car crashed into the bookstore and cafe Friday night, the News & Observer reported. Though the damage to the store is extensive, no one was hurt in the collision, and a GoFundMe campaign started to support Rofhiwa through the repair process has raised more than $35,000 in just a few days.
The crash happened just before 9 p.m. on Friday, when a speeding car struck a fire hydrant and light pole before ramming through the front of the bookstore. Responding police officers found a passenger in the car suffering from a gunshot wound, who was transported to a hospital and is expected to survive. The driver, who fled before police arrived, was later found.
Some of the store's front windows have been shattered, and the interior was strewn with debris. Depending on the extent of the damage to the building, Rofhiwa could be closed for months, co-owner Beverly Makhubele told the News & Observer.
The store will continue to sell books online for as long as the storefront is closed, and Rofhiwa's barista-booksellers will switch to remote work. Money raised from the GoFundMe campaign will go toward paying staff wages, setting up systems for remote work, covering rent, and more.
Makhubele noted that the 24th was supposed to be the bookstore's first day back in business from a summer break for staff. Instead, the team is pivoting to remote work and trying to wrap their minds around the "insurance jargon." The next step will be a call for cleaning support, as the store is "really in terrible shape."
In an Instagram post published Sunday, Makhubele extended "my deepest and heartfelt gratitude to the folks in East Durham, who were among the first to respond. Thank you for sitting on the deck with me, offering food, drink, words, hugs, and help into the night. Thank you to each of the business operators in our little corridor, especially, who have taken the time to reach out."
Makhubele called the crash "regrettable and difficult. And these things seldom happen apart from the myriad socio-political circumstances that converge upon, constrain, and animate the lives of Black folk the world over; that is regrettable and difficult too. I ask that we uplift in our hearts, the lives of the young people who were harmed and possibly injured last night. May their ancestors bless and preserve them.
"I love us. I love this neighborhood. I love us when we are joyful and dancing and hurting. Especially when we are hurting. This neighborhood is full of life and overflowing with love. And that is a thing for which I remain grateful.
"To our little team at Rofhiwa, I thank each of you from the bottom of my heart. I am without a mouth or tongue to utter the depth of my gratitude and debt to each of you. The sun rises tomorrow."