A Chapel Hill restaurant reaffirmed its commitment to social justice causes within the community and said it may have been the target of attempted arson.

Vimala’s Curryblossom Café on West Franklin Street shared a Facebook post with its followers Thursday night, saying workers “discovered a pile of ashes under the gas meter and a vivid trail of burnt gas or oil out to the street” that morning.

“Thankfully, no one was hurt and little significant damage was accomplished,” the restaurant wrote. “There is an investigation underway into whether this was a planned act targeting Curryblossom.”

The restaurant’s post continues say there’s a chance an attempted arson was done due to its “progressive values” and describes the activism its ownership and staff have displayed since opening in 2010. Vimala’s Curryblossom Café has served food at rallies, vigils and demonstrations in the past and its ownership is outspoken of their support for immigrants and refugees. Recently, the restaurant has displayed a Black Lives Matter sign in its window amid a national reckoning of racial injustice.

While we cannot draw any conclusions about exactly what happened [regarding the pile of ashes] or who did it,” the post reads, “we thought today would be a good day to share what we believe. We affirm the dignity of all migrants and we know no human being will ever be illegal. We are committed to the fight for reparations and we know that Black lives matter. We believe in indigenous sovereignty and we pledge to care for the land we inhabit.”

 

The Chapel Hill Police Department’s event log shows a report of arson filed on Thursday, but the name of the victim and address have been restricted.

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