On the night of Saturday, Nov. 4, the Seattle Fire Department was called to put out a blaze inside Belltown's Taqueria Cantina, an LGBTQ+-owned business that has garnered a reputation for its drag brunches. No one was injured, but the building sustained damage.
The folks at Cantina have set up a GoFundMe to help with the damage.
"We are asking [for] help from our community," the site reads. "As you may know, our Belltown location was broken into and set on fire. We are working on the logistics to do all the necessary repairs, and we know this will take weeks or even months to do so. One of our biggest concerns is our staff members. This is a very difficult time for them to enjoy the holidays as they will now be waiting for us to reopen the restaurant and funds will be limited on their end. This resource will alleviate some of the process and allow us to help them as much as we can to make this a little easier during this time."
Currently, the GoFundMe has raised $795 of the $25,000 goal.
It is currently unknown if the fire was a hate crime.
"The goal was to create a safe environment so everyone could be able to experience what drag is, regardless of identity or age," Cantina's website reads.
To support Taqueria Cantina's GoFundMe, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/taqueria-cantina-team-fundraiser or visit its downtown Seattle location.