How To Help Our Neighbors Affected By The Armed Robbery At Lark Café

After an armed robber stole laptops and an iPad from writers meeting at Lark Café (1007 Church Avenue) Thursday evening, neighbors have launched a fundraising campaign to help those who lost their computers – which they pointed out the authors depend on for their livelihood.

Kari Browne, Lark’s owner, said on the fundraising page:

Our community has been affected by the robbery at LARK in so many ways. At the end of the day, nine writers had their worlds shaken by the events on Thursday night. And the tangible side of the robbery is that one iPad and three laptops were stolen. This wonderful group of student writers depend entirely on their laptops for their livelihoods- their writing, their teaching, their studies. LARK would love to lead the effort to support these writers and raise funds to help them buy new laptops. Please consider making a donation to show support for this wonderful community and to let them know we value them and what they do.

The writers group, which has long used Lark Café as their creative home, said on the same page:

We are writers, mothers, teachers and artists. The armed robbery at LARK on November 13th shook all of us deeply, although not necessarily in the way it has been portrayed in the media coverage. Many of us are native New Yorkers, so we know crime is part of our city’s fabric. We also know when economic times are hard, crime increases. Times are hard for many of us. This includes the man who robbed us, as well as the writers in the workshop.

For many of the students in the class, the loss of our computers equals the loss not only of a material object, but the loss of an “office” directly tied to our livelihoods. For some of us, it meant the loss of unpublished manuscripts we had been working on for years. For others, it meant the loss of lesson plans, syllabi and photos of our families. The saddest part of course is the loss of a sense of safety in a place that has been our writing home since last Spring.

We have always appreciated Kari’s help in creating a space where we could work. When she mentioned the outpouring of support we were receiving after the robbery, we were so grateful. Our immediate and concrete need is to be able to continue to do the work that sustains us, materially and otherwise. We sincerely appreciate any contributions towards these essential costs.

The fundraising campaign began less than 24 hours ago – and already neighbors have banded together and raised close to $2,000 of the $5,000 goal. If you’d like to help, you can go here.

Photo via Lark Café.