Before we celebrate 13

Things have been rough in 2025. Thank you, Captain Obvious.

 

We've seen and participated in several conversations about joy as a form of resistance in difficult times. And we believe in that practice, that it holds considerable value and power, but it's also challenging to embrace all the time.

 

In the spirit of finding joy and happiness in the moments where we can, we will be celebrating our 13th business anniversary throughout October - it is quite an accomplishment! But before we get all celebratory, we're sharing a few things that piss us off as well as actions to take if they piss you off, too.

 

Many people argue on the internet that businesses should keep politics out of their public messaging. And we doubt that this will come as a surprise to anyone, but we couldn't disagree more. Don't worry! - That doesn't mean we're going on a tirade about electoral politics. It simply means we will continue to live our values and not shy away from doing so through our business, out of manufactured fear.

ACTION STEPS ABOUT ANGER-MAKING NONSENSE

Support Caffe D'Amore Coffeeshop and other Upper Lawrenceville businesses. Championing the potential benefits of new developments in an area is myopic if we don't consider the harmful impact those developments create. The construction company working on the massive building across from CDA on Butler Street submitted a plan to the city to have their workers shuttled in from a dedicated parking lot, aiming to mitigate the impact on the neighborhood. That plan was approved, but they've never adhered to it, leaving residents and business owners to navigate an impossible situation in an already high-demand parking district for months. Now, with no notice, they've shut the street down to one lane only for who knows how long. The powers that be are essentially saying, “just deal with it,” so we're dealing with it by going out of our way to stop in Lawrenceville to pick up coffee beans, lunch, and so on. CDA is a woman-owned business that has been in operation for 10 years, consistently supports the community, and has faced numerous challenges. The impact of this development has been more detrimental to their livelihood than the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Donate to Evolve Coaching and other organizations that support neurodiverse individuals. Rather than get tangled up in false statements from unqualified people about something they clearly know precious little about, prioritize acceptance, inclusion, and support. Trust data, doctors, and especially lived experience. Evolve is also seeking passionate board members if you happen to have more time than money at the moment.

 

Sign this petition to preserve accessible transit at the Waterfront. Hiding behind some vague and ill-informed claims about safety and family-friendliness, the private ownership of the Waterfront announced its intention to remove multiple heavily used bus stops as of October 19. The adverse effects of this move on customers, employees of these businesses, and the companies themselves are apparent. Restricting transit access has never made anything safer. Making the center more “family-friendly” in this way suggests that families don't use public transit, which is absolutely false. In an era where suburban shopping centers are fading as destinations, forcing out customers who depend on some of these stores for their basic needs seems like the Waterfront is eager to follow in the footsteps of Century III Plaza.

 

Support Generation Common Good and other people and organizations powerfully organizing for our collective future. Speaking of folks who yell on the internet, there has been a frustrating uptick lately from the Why isn't anybody doing anything about this? club. There are over 8 billion people on Earth, and 340 million-ish in the US. Just because you don't see something happening in the news or on your curated and controlled feed doesn't mean it's not happening. If you are among those who want to see pushback against this authoritarian regime but don't see it when you look around, I gently challenge you to examine who you are in community with. The fight back takes many forms, and it's practically everywhere. Activists, organizers, and advocates are out here fighting for their (and all of our) lives and deserve all the support we can muster, financial and otherwise.