A Cup of Joe: Shut Down by Corporate Landlords

We are all part of something larger than Cup of Joe.  We are discovering and deciding in our hearts what is important to us, and what we want in our communities.  Further, some of us have spoken up for the first time in our lives.  Once that threshold, that tipping point towards standing up and being counted has been crossed, a voice in the wilderness will never be silenced.  We are many voices, with newly found power.  Whatever happens with the locked doors at Cup of Joe, we are a community that will continue to exist and flourish, regardless of the  walls that temporarily shelter us.

It was disappointing that only 1 media outlet showed up on Saturday.  The Deseret News posted a short two paragraphs on the event.  Since they did not provide a story with the photos,  provide the story ourselves with our comments to the article.   I’ve included my own comments.  Those of you that took photographs, please provide links to your own photographs, so that the public has a chance of seeing the real story.

Here is another tool, provided to us, ironically by the slum-lord attorney that authorized changing the locks; the name, address, phone number and email contact info for the attorney himself.  Please contact him to express your opinion of his actions.

Kirk E. Cullimore
644 East Union Square
Sandy, UT 84070
801-571-6611 – phone
801-571-4888 – fax

Here’s a web address with a way to contact him by email
http://pview.findlaw.com/view/3083757_1?noconfirm=0

Kristy is in court, even as I write, and working on her next steps.  Send good energy out to her, and I will send out an update when I hear back from her.

This isn’t over, not by a long shot!

http://deseretnews.com/sitesearch/1,5155,,00.html

I called 10 media outlets early Saturday afternoon telling them of this event.  While I am very grateful to the Deseret News for sending a photographer to this event, given the 4 hours that the photographer was present for the event, shooting protesters holding signs, poets performing and writing, I am disappointed that the Deseret News chose to post only 2 photographs.  Given the impact of this issue to the neighborhood, and the legal ramifications of the landlord’s actions, I hope that more expansive coverage of the issue is forthcoming.  The closure on Saturday morning was not due to economic woes, but to the landlord taking advantage of a court error in a hearing filing.  The business equipment of Cup of Joe has been illegally impounded, and the owner is being prevented from earning a living. The owner, Kristy Gonzalez is in court as I write.

Update from court today:
Hi Everyone,

I just got off the phone with Kristy, and Fillmore, her attorney.

They have another hearing on August 19, on the “order of restitution” which deals with the money Kristy has paid to the court for the landlord, and with the bonds she has posted.  There was no action today on  re-opening the doors.

Fillmore is planning on filing a motion to allow Kristy back in to retrieve her property.  This could also take 2 weeks to be processed.  In the meantime, food is spoiling inside, Kristy is being denied the right to earn her living, and her taxes still have to be paid.

It has been suggested that the next step to expedite action on letting Kristy in to retrieve property is to picket the places of business of the members of the board of Artspace, as well as continuing to picket outside Cup of Joe.  These would include the Mark Miller car dealerships, Xmission, as well as the half dozen banks that provide funding to Artspace.  We could also picket the attorney for Evergreene and the Evergreene office.

If you would be interested in doing picketing, please let me know, and we can start to schedule shifts.  Both the rush hours are the best times.

When the doors are finally opened to let Kristy get her property, we will need folks to help with the moving.  This will probably be late in August;  I will send details as they come.