The coffee shop and bookstore from author Marc Lamont Hill is focused on uplifting Philly’s Black community.
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A burglary at Uncle Bobbie’s Coffee & Books left the Germantown cafe and community hub with a smashed front window and missing cash and equipment, according to the Philadelphia Police Department.
The incident happened late Saturday night or early Sunday morning before 1 a.m., owner Marc Lamont Hill said on Instagram, adding that “no one was hurt and we didn’t lose too much.”
Police responded to the incident around 1:30 a.m., per department spokesperson Ofc. Miguel Torres, who said $650 and an iPad were taken from the property. “The investigation is active and ongoing with Northwest Detectives Division,” Torres said in an email.
As soon as daylight broke, neighbors began gathering at the cafe, at 5445 Germantown Ave., helping to sweep up broken glass and board over the gaping hole in the facade. The store’s many fans expressed dismay — as well as incredulity that anyone would target this specific shop, known for giving back to the community.
“I was like, ‘Hold up, who would do this?'” said Fareed Abdullah, a neighbor and political activist who recently ran for state rep in Germantown’s 198th Pa. House District. “Marc provides so much for the community.”
Two bricks appeared to have been thrown through the front plate glass, and there was a trail of what looked like blood around the interior, said Abdullah, who was driving by Sunday morning when he noticed the mess.
“I went over in between my son’s soccer games, it’s really heartbreaking,” another neighbor who goes by @zakprez on Instagram told Billy Penn.
Lamont Hill, a Philly native, is an author, media commentator and Temple professor. In 2018 he opened Uncle Bobbie’s, where he employs mostly people of color, serves foods that are traditionally African American and stocks books by mostly Black authors. The volumes are for sale, but there’s also a lending library which anyone can use for free.
The cafe has been closed since mid-March due to the pandemic, and has been raising survival money via GoFundMe to pay staff, rent, vendors and other obligations. People who want to help with repairs after the break-in can donate to that fund.
A police officer who answered the phone at PPD’s 14th District headquarters said the department didn’t yet have any information about what had happened at the cafe.
Abdullah, the former state representative candidate, noted that when he saw Lamont Hill, the cafe owner was calm and taking the whole thing in stride. “I asked what happened and he said, ‘You know how it is.’ He was just in disgust and trying not to show that he was in disgust.”
Lamont Hill did not immediately respond to a request for comment. He struck an optimistic tone in his Instagram post about the vandalism and robbery.
“I’m grateful for a loving community of people who believe in our mission and stand with us,” he wrote. “The hits may come, but we remain committed to fighting, dreaming, loving, and building for the world we want to see. Forward ever!”
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July 27, 2020 at 12:30AM
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Uncle Bobbie's window smashed in apparent robbery at beloved Germantown cafe - Billy Penn
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