DALLAS – As temperatures hit triple digits outside, inside Pan African Connection fans are running full force. And lots of them.
“We’re just doing the best we can,” said shop owner Akwete Tyehimba. Vandals climbed the roof of the business on the 4400 block of S. Marsalis in Oak Cliff. Police say the suspects damaged and disabled four air conditioning units.
Tyehimda says she has been renting industrial fans and blowers, just to help continue operating. “It wasn’t an effort to steal any copper or steal any coils,” she explained. “They were intentionally disabled.”
The mischief is causing a serious setback for the popular bookstore, art gallery, and resource center. The business regularly hosts classes and community events in the space.
Repairing the issue is a big burden on a small business like this. Contractors estimate replacing the five-ton A/C units will cost about $5,000 each. Pan African Connection says its servicemen are looking at the possibility of finding used air conditioning units, to help reduce the burden. Financing new units or crowd sourcing are also options the small business is considering, right now.
“If we can obtain any type of help from the community, it would be great,“ Tyehimba said. Unfortunately, police say hearing about air conditioners getting vandalized or stolen is not surprising, right now. Some officers call it a seasonal crime.
As Pan African Connection figures out a plan of action, its staff is sending a strong message to the culprits who targeted the place. "It has hurt us,” Tyehimba explained, “but it will not deter us from doing the work that we do.”