South Bend barber silently protests against violence after Chocolate Cafe robbery

SOUTH BEND, Ind. ---- After two women were violently robbed at the Chocolate Café in downtown South Bend, a local barber decided to organize a silent protest against the violence.

So, he brought his chair and his clippers and started cutting hair right outside the doors to the café.

“I’m out here as a protest against violence,” Kintai Lark said, who goes by Street Barber.

Lark is carving an important message in an unusual place.

 “S.B. Faith,” Lark said. “It stands for South Bend Faith and I say faith over fear because fear can be very paralyzing. We cannot afford to allow fear to paralyze us but rather we have to stand in faith. Faith in our city and faith in ourselves.”

Two women were robbed while walking in early Tuesday morning to start setting up shop at the Chocolate Cafe. Police said the suspect pushed both women down and hit and kicked them and stole cash.

The news of the violent robbery in the heart of the city is what’s bringing Lark to protest.

“When I saw that a robbery had took place here at the chocolate café and you know it was kind of violent,” Lark said. “Even as far as the two workers being kicked and things like that, something just jumped inside of me. If somebody can rob somebody early in the morning like that, I mean, what does that say? It says a lot, especially downtown in the center of the city.”

That’s why Lark wants change and he think it can start with more people getting involved when violent things happen.

“Our leaders and our churches and organizations can come together to say what can we do to provide more preventative action for things like this,” Lark said. “It’s random. You know, we can’t control how things flow however we don’t have to sit by idly and watch it happen at the same time. So being out here makes a difference.”