![]() And in doing so, in the absence of any offer of financial relief or assistance, they are unintentionally prolonging the impact of this, because no matter what, the risk of spread is not zero. And all the while, they are risking their health, the health of their employees, the health of the community. To beg and plead the community to support them, to tip well, to think of the employees and their families. To struggle to eke out any semblance of a business, offering to go food and beer, wine, cocktails (!). We have watched many of our friends and neighbors, near and far, choose to continue to operate. ![]() We were not mandated to close, but we decided anyway to do what we felt was the right thing.Īs a business and as people these are not straight forward decisions. We wanted to take a stand, to stop in any way our contribution to the spread of this nasty thing. And so it was at this point we decided to make the decision for them, to protect them and to do our part to protect the community. They would sacrifice the health of their families. They would show up, and do their jobs, and do whatever they could, to keep the business and their income flowing. Who would we put at risk? We knew that if we scheduled staff, they would be here. And then we were making selections about who, among us, would be here working, interacting with the public, exposed. We had considered, and in fact were in the midst of forming plans, enacting an alternate service model, involving delivery and takeout. May George Floyd and every other victim of racism and hate rest in peace, rest in knowing they did not suffer and die in vain. ![]() May today’s momentum continue and continue and continue, until we can ALL feel the same benefit of being free in America. Thank you to all who have gone before us, and done the immense work to get this movement where it is today. There is so much more to do, and we are ready. Please find the time to read, to learn, to have your heart opened. And just like that, the trauma, displacement, cruel treatment and discrimination of people of color, inevitably, gave birth to white privilege.” Writer Cory Collins wrote in an article posted on, “while not all white people participated directly in this mistreatment, their learned biases and their safety from such treatment led many to commit one of those most powerful actions: silence. And if this change is meant to be what we all hope it is, we have to do the methodical work of making that happen. This is about breaking down assumptions and biases and long-held beliefs, about hearing people when they speak, about opening our hearts and having real conversations about difficult things. Someone posted that this is not about knee-jerk reactions, and being pressured into posting or making an empty statement. And we have only just started the process. We have dug deep into our own thoughts, challenging our own understanding of the meanings and relationships between bias, racism, and white privilege. ![]() We have taken a few days to absorb and appreciate the magnitude of what is happening, and have dedicated some time to give this moment and movement the respect it deserves. We can readily recollect a full list of names of American citizens, who we purport to be entitled to the same rights as everyone else, who ought to be able to exist free of fear and threat of violence like the rest of us – but are denied the same rights as white Americans, simply because they are not white. And the horrific truth is that this is not the first time. The complete lack of humanity, the hollow and echoing absence of even a tiny bit of compassion for another living creature – let alone a human being – has caused an anger and agony to seethe to the surface for us, and for anyone else who has a heart and the ability see, hear, and feel. We are disgusted and horrified at the sight of this man being killed, right in front of our eyes, calling out for his mother and begging for breath. Like you we have been deeply, profoundly, and forever changed by the recent human rights protests around the world, inspired by the cruel and inhumane murder of George Floyd.
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