Very grateful to see this written out so well and clearly. As a fellow barista AND a former regular at the shop, I give you guys my full support and am proud of the staff for making the tough and life-altering choice to stand up for themselves and each other. 💚 Wish you all the best!!
As a regular customer for years I was wondering where all the friendly smiling baristas went! The high vibe energy you all brought to the shop made my day and it’s not the same. I know who “A” is in the story as I found him to be rude and unfriendly. Thank you for sharing your story and I wish you prosperity and success on your journey xo (small hot americano steamed milk)
hi there ! first of all i want to say Im sorry that you went through what you did while working at this cafe. i dont know the context or the level of what happened over the last couple years, and clearly it has had quite an impact on everyone who has left.
as a former employee of starbucks, i understand the impact of homophobia in the workplace, at least in my own experiences. i had to leave because of targeted harassment over the course of 8 months that was swept under the rug by head of the HR dpt. and the DM of brooklyn, Tina and Taz respectively, leading to me quitting alone without any team solidarity. After that i worked at another cafe for 12$/h starting pay where i was the sole barista on staff from 6am to 4pm in, charge of opening and closing. It was called Snow Wolf in Williamsburg and has since been replaced or renamed to Poetica Coffee, likely closed for staff treatment and cleanliness or to deny unemployment, possibly still the same owners. I was told after asking for a raise, on my own, to find a better working environment if I wasnt happy there (he fired me and then dodged unemployment).
I didnt come to this post to share my sob story, I am here to say I understand to a degree what you must be going through. I am a nonbinary barista, no bachelors degree, this is my chosen career as I work to develop my art on the side. I was hired at Kuro Kirin just after yall left, and only found out about this happening after being hired. I dont want you to feel like I'm dismissing what youve been through by saying any of this, but since Ive been hired, this has been the best working environment Ive ever been a part of in my life. I feel seen, i am paid more than Ive ever been paid in my life with tips calculated after the 15$/h, I show up as often as I can because the work load is manageable, the regulars are incredibly sweet, the people who were hired along with me really want this place to do well and be better. I am not speaking in defense of anything management might have done before I got here, or defending their actions in response to any of it. What i do want to ask, please, is to state what you want from this work youre doing, in a clear and concise list of demands, or stand in solidarity with the people who work here now, by letting a small business maintain its client base in competition with the corporate coffee shop mentioned above, that I personally was forced to leave without any security or safety, or any respect given as someone who had been there for years. I even encourage you to spend some of the energy, and money, that you have used on printing stickers through a manufacturer or thru buying vinyl and hand printing from home, to genuinely affect this neighborhood in a positive way, and stand in solidarity with the vulnerable queer people who are lured into corporate coffee with promises of gender affirming care, just to be given the treatment that we have experienced ourselves. Stand in solidarity with the people who are working at Kuro Kirin now, by letting us know what we can advocate for if positive change is what you'd like to happen for this shop.
Coffee is my life. I love working here so so much, and I want it to be the best it can be. I truly feel a part of a community for the first time in my life, as a queer person who was monetarily ousted from my hometown, and ended up in manhattan to stay as close to the last bit of my family I have left, that doesnt live in the transphobic state of Florida.
I desperately want to help yall have some resolve for what you experienced, as Ive noticed the effort has consistently escalated since mid August when i was hired.
Again, i really wish you well, if anyone wants help advocating for their job back in the mean time, to help pay bills and collectively bargain for higher wages, I am prepared to stand with you. I wish you so much health and peace, thank you for your courage in expressing yourself and your grievances. I hope you are happy in your new work, wherever that may be!
thank you for reading my post and for trying to better understand how the inwood community could be in solidarity with previous kuro kirin employees. i’m really sorry to hear about your former experiences as a barista and i'm happy to hear that the environment at kuro kirin has been improving and has felt safe for you. unfortunately, the reason for sharing what happened stems from the need for kuro kirin owners to publicly acknowledge and name the abuse that has taken place.
i'm sorry to hear that my blog post has harmed you and other employees at kuro kirin. as a current barista, i understand the need to work in an environment that is not hostile and that was never my intention for sharing the post. one way for kuro kirin owners to make a step towards repair is if they publicly take accountability for their actions. through public accountability, folks in the inwood community can make informed decisions on the type of business owner to support and, it would be a way for the owners to acknowledge the gaslighting that they have subjected us to.
It’s unfortunate that you are the first and only person from kuro kirin to reach out to me and inquire about my post. This is an issue that should fall on the laps of the owners and not the baristas, which makes me wonder if they have even addressed any of the issues with current staff. I have had quite a number of people coming up to me and my ex-coworkers and telling us that the current baristas weren’t allowed to talk about previous baristas, or were told that all of the previous baristas have simply moved on, which is a lie. I understand why the owners don’t want to talk about it since it affects their business. my issue with this is the purposeful censorship surrounding this situation that happened due to years of abuse and mismanagement. I also want to add here, that there is a lot more that has happened at the shop, that I have not shared in this post for the sake of my own protection.
The lack of acknowledgment and accountability leads me to believe that the owners do not think that they are responsible for any of the issues that were very present when i worked there. And i hope that they do not repeat the same behaviors that have taken place for the last four years (it sounds like they aren’t doing that–right now that is. they have been on their best behavior since the end of august. oh wait!! they did rehire the source of a lot of the abuse mentioned in my post though. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ , i hope they were transparent with present and future staff about that, as it can affect the safety of queer employees). I hope my reply can provide clarity. I will continue to share my blog post as my goal is to make sure no one experiences what i went through and simply because i think it’s important to.
i’m also currently working at shop that i really love and enjoy as well, not just because they are a great and conscious company but because i knew what a safe work environment could look like after the awful experience i had at kuro kirin. I do remember you as a customer and you expressing how much you liked the kuro kirin vibes then and i’m sorry if i have ruined that for you in some way, you seem like you would’ve been a cool coworker.
I wish you the best in your position and hope you take care.
thank you for taking the time to respond so delicately mandy(: i want to say first and foremost that we have been aware of what happened on a one sided level, but didnt know any of the customers or context and only had the one side that was biased, and only what was mentioned here. I personally, read your post once i heard about what was happening, and due to my previous issues stated above, and several months unemployed, i didnt want to be a possible new target before knowing what i could do to help, the breadth of the issues and what could possibly happen to staff in retaliation, before having other work lined up! That being said, we were told some of what happened and coworkers have given me some context, but im happy to be able to just talk to you directly as well in private, though I know we are strangers still and wouldnt want to make you uncomfortable any more than you already feel.
I appreciate that you remember me so so much, and I want to do my best to keep you in the loop and help management come clean and be open about how they intend to be accountable.
If you feel comfortable sharing any private information with me, or with any of the other baristas at kuro kirin, I believe we are prepared to advocate in your defense and to help this come to a peaceful, or at least somewhat respectful and atoned place of mutual respect. I know very well how bosses will gaslight, manipulate, play nice with some just to disrespect others -- its something that prompted me to try and help in any way i can with this, because if what you went through does start to pick up again in one way or another, I would be incredibly guilty and personally dejected in letting this valid warning fall on deaf ears.
I am embarrassed to say, I got a little frustrated and put my stickers up over some of your QR codes and feel bad about it now since i think this is a more mature way to handle it on my end, so i encourage you to keep posting them around if you do still feel you need to. very sorry about that, i feel bad, and hope you understand that it was out of fear that escalation could continue or that customers would start blaming us for crossing any kind of worker lead movement. You're not hurting us in your actions, i just have ~*traumaaaa*~ and get super fight or flighty when workplace issues occur, since this is my only stable income and I can only just barely afford my rent and bills -- not that it would be affected in reality, but thats the fear in my heart and i know you understand that.
All this being said, please feel free to keep going. know that whatever else that must have happened to make you feel the way you do, should not have happened. I want you to feel safe in our community, i was so grateful to be served by yall as a customer, and hope to help serve you as well in what ways i can at this point especially ! 😊 you deserve to feel safe, not just at work, but in your community, and not like youre being censored. im especially embarrassed to have been a part of what hass essnetially come to make you feel censored, and in my own actions of trying to protect myself. You are very brave for taking a public stance and putting yourself in the way of any backlash -- your tenacity and resolve genuinely inspired me to open this dialog and im so glad i did.
One thing I do want to say is absolutely check in with city laws on what could be construed as harassment vs. what is considered a protected action by the city of new york! I'm not versed in them myself, and only noticed the sticker i saw today as possibly leading to some kind of more serious entanglement that would further retraumatize anyone who might be connected to you as well. management is aware of all thats been happening, and i think their lack of public stance could be linked to an overwhelming feeling in their own personal lives as opposed to what should be done in the best interest of the people affected and the community at large.
You are a lovely and kind person, Im really glad i took the time to reach out and talk with you -- if you ever need anything outside of all this, my phone number is 6317909142 and if you need anyone to be with you in addressing/advocating for yourself at this point on staff, Im with you ✊️
also i think you have a package sitting at the store, if youre worried about coming by to pick it up, i can let you know the schedule so you can avoid any unwanted altercations.
I'm not 100% positive who on staff might have been abusive toward you, if its who i /think/ it is, ive only met him once and he is not on payroll at this location, and i think legally he might be able to get away with working at the sister location since nothing technically happened there. I dont personally believe thats a great solution, i have know so many people get rehired at separate locations after serious harassment at the above mentioned corporate coffee place, and we should be doing better than that at the verrrrryy freakin least.
From a business perspective I could see the other location facing possible legal trouble for an unjust fire, especially if this person is prepared to take it that far. Thats absolutely something I hope can be improved upon for the sake of other possible victims in the future, who we might not even be able to help as we are now.
To sum everything up, I do genuinely hope you feel some kind of relief in hearing this stuff and knowing that Im absolutely far from the only person on a barista level at this shop in staff who is willing to help you, we are all very aware of whats happening and just didnt know the best way to move forward in solidarity -- but i speak from a very solid place that i am not the only person with you and your voice will be heard.
Hope you have a lovely week, really hope to hear back -- i want to share on a personal note, that I feel my journey as a human being on this planet is to facilitate emotional intelligence and strengthen communal connections. I want to nurture growth in this community that has welcomed me so well this past year, and I feel despite the serendipity of it all, that the reason I am in this position is to help bring this energy into the community I just happened to end up in, through the work that brings me so much joy and fulfillment: making peoples mornings feel just a little bit easier. I hope that you're able to do that at your new place of work, and i dearly hope I can support you in the coming future to a degree you deserve, without any further miscommunication at best or deliberate overshadowing/dismissal at the least.
Very grateful to see this written out so well and clearly. As a fellow barista AND a former regular at the shop, I give you guys my full support and am proud of the staff for making the tough and life-altering choice to stand up for themselves and each other. 💚 Wish you all the best!!
As a regular customer for years I was wondering where all the friendly smiling baristas went! The high vibe energy you all brought to the shop made my day and it’s not the same. I know who “A” is in the story as I found him to be rude and unfriendly. Thank you for sharing your story and I wish you prosperity and success on your journey xo (small hot americano steamed milk)
hi there ! first of all i want to say Im sorry that you went through what you did while working at this cafe. i dont know the context or the level of what happened over the last couple years, and clearly it has had quite an impact on everyone who has left.
as a former employee of starbucks, i understand the impact of homophobia in the workplace, at least in my own experiences. i had to leave because of targeted harassment over the course of 8 months that was swept under the rug by head of the HR dpt. and the DM of brooklyn, Tina and Taz respectively, leading to me quitting alone without any team solidarity. After that i worked at another cafe for 12$/h starting pay where i was the sole barista on staff from 6am to 4pm in, charge of opening and closing. It was called Snow Wolf in Williamsburg and has since been replaced or renamed to Poetica Coffee, likely closed for staff treatment and cleanliness or to deny unemployment, possibly still the same owners. I was told after asking for a raise, on my own, to find a better working environment if I wasnt happy there (he fired me and then dodged unemployment).
I didnt come to this post to share my sob story, I am here to say I understand to a degree what you must be going through. I am a nonbinary barista, no bachelors degree, this is my chosen career as I work to develop my art on the side. I was hired at Kuro Kirin just after yall left, and only found out about this happening after being hired. I dont want you to feel like I'm dismissing what youve been through by saying any of this, but since Ive been hired, this has been the best working environment Ive ever been a part of in my life. I feel seen, i am paid more than Ive ever been paid in my life with tips calculated after the 15$/h, I show up as often as I can because the work load is manageable, the regulars are incredibly sweet, the people who were hired along with me really want this place to do well and be better. I am not speaking in defense of anything management might have done before I got here, or defending their actions in response to any of it. What i do want to ask, please, is to state what you want from this work youre doing, in a clear and concise list of demands, or stand in solidarity with the people who work here now, by letting a small business maintain its client base in competition with the corporate coffee shop mentioned above, that I personally was forced to leave without any security or safety, or any respect given as someone who had been there for years. I even encourage you to spend some of the energy, and money, that you have used on printing stickers through a manufacturer or thru buying vinyl and hand printing from home, to genuinely affect this neighborhood in a positive way, and stand in solidarity with the vulnerable queer people who are lured into corporate coffee with promises of gender affirming care, just to be given the treatment that we have experienced ourselves. Stand in solidarity with the people who are working at Kuro Kirin now, by letting us know what we can advocate for if positive change is what you'd like to happen for this shop.
Coffee is my life. I love working here so so much, and I want it to be the best it can be. I truly feel a part of a community for the first time in my life, as a queer person who was monetarily ousted from my hometown, and ended up in manhattan to stay as close to the last bit of my family I have left, that doesnt live in the transphobic state of Florida.
I desperately want to help yall have some resolve for what you experienced, as Ive noticed the effort has consistently escalated since mid August when i was hired.
Again, i really wish you well, if anyone wants help advocating for their job back in the mean time, to help pay bills and collectively bargain for higher wages, I am prepared to stand with you. I wish you so much health and peace, thank you for your courage in expressing yourself and your grievances. I hope you are happy in your new work, wherever that may be!
Sincerely in solidarity,
a barista just trying to make a living too
hello!
thank you for reading my post and for trying to better understand how the inwood community could be in solidarity with previous kuro kirin employees. i’m really sorry to hear about your former experiences as a barista and i'm happy to hear that the environment at kuro kirin has been improving and has felt safe for you. unfortunately, the reason for sharing what happened stems from the need for kuro kirin owners to publicly acknowledge and name the abuse that has taken place.
i'm sorry to hear that my blog post has harmed you and other employees at kuro kirin. as a current barista, i understand the need to work in an environment that is not hostile and that was never my intention for sharing the post. one way for kuro kirin owners to make a step towards repair is if they publicly take accountability for their actions. through public accountability, folks in the inwood community can make informed decisions on the type of business owner to support and, it would be a way for the owners to acknowledge the gaslighting that they have subjected us to.
It’s unfortunate that you are the first and only person from kuro kirin to reach out to me and inquire about my post. This is an issue that should fall on the laps of the owners and not the baristas, which makes me wonder if they have even addressed any of the issues with current staff. I have had quite a number of people coming up to me and my ex-coworkers and telling us that the current baristas weren’t allowed to talk about previous baristas, or were told that all of the previous baristas have simply moved on, which is a lie. I understand why the owners don’t want to talk about it since it affects their business. my issue with this is the purposeful censorship surrounding this situation that happened due to years of abuse and mismanagement. I also want to add here, that there is a lot more that has happened at the shop, that I have not shared in this post for the sake of my own protection.
The lack of acknowledgment and accountability leads me to believe that the owners do not think that they are responsible for any of the issues that were very present when i worked there. And i hope that they do not repeat the same behaviors that have taken place for the last four years (it sounds like they aren’t doing that–right now that is. they have been on their best behavior since the end of august. oh wait!! they did rehire the source of a lot of the abuse mentioned in my post though. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ , i hope they were transparent with present and future staff about that, as it can affect the safety of queer employees). I hope my reply can provide clarity. I will continue to share my blog post as my goal is to make sure no one experiences what i went through and simply because i think it’s important to.
i’m also currently working at shop that i really love and enjoy as well, not just because they are a great and conscious company but because i knew what a safe work environment could look like after the awful experience i had at kuro kirin. I do remember you as a customer and you expressing how much you liked the kuro kirin vibes then and i’m sorry if i have ruined that for you in some way, you seem like you would’ve been a cool coworker.
I wish you the best in your position and hope you take care.
thank you for taking the time to respond so delicately mandy(: i want to say first and foremost that we have been aware of what happened on a one sided level, but didnt know any of the customers or context and only had the one side that was biased, and only what was mentioned here. I personally, read your post once i heard about what was happening, and due to my previous issues stated above, and several months unemployed, i didnt want to be a possible new target before knowing what i could do to help, the breadth of the issues and what could possibly happen to staff in retaliation, before having other work lined up! That being said, we were told some of what happened and coworkers have given me some context, but im happy to be able to just talk to you directly as well in private, though I know we are strangers still and wouldnt want to make you uncomfortable any more than you already feel.
I appreciate that you remember me so so much, and I want to do my best to keep you in the loop and help management come clean and be open about how they intend to be accountable.
If you feel comfortable sharing any private information with me, or with any of the other baristas at kuro kirin, I believe we are prepared to advocate in your defense and to help this come to a peaceful, or at least somewhat respectful and atoned place of mutual respect. I know very well how bosses will gaslight, manipulate, play nice with some just to disrespect others -- its something that prompted me to try and help in any way i can with this, because if what you went through does start to pick up again in one way or another, I would be incredibly guilty and personally dejected in letting this valid warning fall on deaf ears.
I am embarrassed to say, I got a little frustrated and put my stickers up over some of your QR codes and feel bad about it now since i think this is a more mature way to handle it on my end, so i encourage you to keep posting them around if you do still feel you need to. very sorry about that, i feel bad, and hope you understand that it was out of fear that escalation could continue or that customers would start blaming us for crossing any kind of worker lead movement. You're not hurting us in your actions, i just have ~*traumaaaa*~ and get super fight or flighty when workplace issues occur, since this is my only stable income and I can only just barely afford my rent and bills -- not that it would be affected in reality, but thats the fear in my heart and i know you understand that.
All this being said, please feel free to keep going. know that whatever else that must have happened to make you feel the way you do, should not have happened. I want you to feel safe in our community, i was so grateful to be served by yall as a customer, and hope to help serve you as well in what ways i can at this point especially ! 😊 you deserve to feel safe, not just at work, but in your community, and not like youre being censored. im especially embarrassed to have been a part of what hass essnetially come to make you feel censored, and in my own actions of trying to protect myself. You are very brave for taking a public stance and putting yourself in the way of any backlash -- your tenacity and resolve genuinely inspired me to open this dialog and im so glad i did.
One thing I do want to say is absolutely check in with city laws on what could be construed as harassment vs. what is considered a protected action by the city of new york! I'm not versed in them myself, and only noticed the sticker i saw today as possibly leading to some kind of more serious entanglement that would further retraumatize anyone who might be connected to you as well. management is aware of all thats been happening, and i think their lack of public stance could be linked to an overwhelming feeling in their own personal lives as opposed to what should be done in the best interest of the people affected and the community at large.
You are a lovely and kind person, Im really glad i took the time to reach out and talk with you -- if you ever need anything outside of all this, my phone number is 6317909142 and if you need anyone to be with you in addressing/advocating for yourself at this point on staff, Im with you ✊️
also i think you have a package sitting at the store, if youre worried about coming by to pick it up, i can let you know the schedule so you can avoid any unwanted altercations.
I'm not 100% positive who on staff might have been abusive toward you, if its who i /think/ it is, ive only met him once and he is not on payroll at this location, and i think legally he might be able to get away with working at the sister location since nothing technically happened there. I dont personally believe thats a great solution, i have know so many people get rehired at separate locations after serious harassment at the above mentioned corporate coffee place, and we should be doing better than that at the verrrrryy freakin least.
From a business perspective I could see the other location facing possible legal trouble for an unjust fire, especially if this person is prepared to take it that far. Thats absolutely something I hope can be improved upon for the sake of other possible victims in the future, who we might not even be able to help as we are now.
To sum everything up, I do genuinely hope you feel some kind of relief in hearing this stuff and knowing that Im absolutely far from the only person on a barista level at this shop in staff who is willing to help you, we are all very aware of whats happening and just didnt know the best way to move forward in solidarity -- but i speak from a very solid place that i am not the only person with you and your voice will be heard.
Hope you have a lovely week, really hope to hear back -- i want to share on a personal note, that I feel my journey as a human being on this planet is to facilitate emotional intelligence and strengthen communal connections. I want to nurture growth in this community that has welcomed me so well this past year, and I feel despite the serendipity of it all, that the reason I am in this position is to help bring this energy into the community I just happened to end up in, through the work that brings me so much joy and fulfillment: making peoples mornings feel just a little bit easier. I hope that you're able to do that at your new place of work, and i dearly hope I can support you in the coming future to a degree you deserve, without any further miscommunication at best or deliberate overshadowing/dismissal at the least.
Sending so much love, in solidarity,
proudly signed as Shelby Jaye this time ✨️✊️💖