Given his campaign’s insistence on othering minorities, it should come as little surprise that Donald Trump’s election victory has inspired hate towards marginalized groups, as one TikTok user unfortunately relayed in a new video.
Taking to the platform earlier this week, TikToker Bety Le Shackelford (@cafecaphe) — who owns a Vietnamese coffee shop called Café Cà Phê in Kansas City — recounted the heartbreaking vandalism her cafe endured in the wake of the election. She shared CCTV footage of the incident in the now-viral video, showing an SUV pulling up to the cafe. The driver was seen wearing a black mask, and got out of the car to repeatedly throw an object at the cafe facade before running back to the SUV and driving away.
Footage of vandal’s efforts show two major shatters in the glass windows of the cafe, and Shackelford reflected on the damage caused in the caption of the TikTok. “We are Kansas City’s first Vietnamese coffee shop,” she wrote. “We hire 100% marginalized communities and exist to amplify the Asian American narrative in the Midwest through Vietnamese coffee.” Shackelford concluded the message by reiterating that her business “will continue our work no matter the hate.”
Meanwhile, in the accompanying video, Shackelford elaborated on her reaction to the vandalism and its apparent connection to Trump’s victory. “I want to believe the two are not linked,” she said, before recounting her experience waking up to the news of the vandalism after Election Day. The coffee shop owner said she filed a police report after assessing the state of her business, and described the ordeal as “a very clear hate crime.” Holding back tears, Shackelford said she felt “kind of numb” about the situation, adding that she’s “at a loss for words.”
“I’m just in a state of shock,” she said. The vandalism proved particularly jarring for Shackelford, since Café Cà Phê is a “space for marginalized communities, Asian folks, [and] BIPOC and queer” people; all groups who were hit the hardest in the wake of Trump’s victory.
Despite the evidence of post-election hate crime and its role in Shackelford feeling “scared to exist,” the business owner committed to opening the cafe despite the vandalism, saying “we will all keep going” and encouraging viewers to “check in on your friends.” While the vandal might have hoped otherwise, Shackelford found a supportive community in her comments section, as legions of users flocked to her defense and expressed solidarity.
“Will definitely be stopping by & supporting your shop more than ever,” one commenter wrote, with another echoing plans to “ do whatever I can to help.” Elsewhere, users lamented the entire ordeal, saying Shackelford “didn’t deserve this” and apologizing for the damage inflicted on her business. Others expressed gratitude for Shackelford’s efforts in creating “an inclusive space despite all the bull****.” Unfortunately, Shackelford’s experience is one of multiple hate crimes noted in the wake of the election, from increasing misogynistic attacks on women online to the 700% spike in LGBTQ crisis hotline calls.
Thankfully, those minorities fearful as a result of the election have rallied around each other on social media, taking to TikTok to share the burden and commiserate, offer crucial resources, build a sisterhood, and create space for optimism and collective action. That’s a community strong enough to withstand anything thrown at them by some lowlife vandal.