I have some friends who asked me to help them by posting about what happened to them; they are being messed with by this coffeehouse/music venue. If you've been by there, you might have noticed how often police get called in, and you wonder why. I have six friends who I met separately and they have used bizarre and random things as "grounds," for legally tresspassing many people from a sidewalk that is one of the busiest ones in town; one was 86ed for telling them he got sick from their food, smoking ganj with the managers daughter, being beaten up by a former employee and then by a regular, false theft accusations, one has no idea why, clogging the toilet, and for playing a drumset at open mic. The one who was beaten up was attacked a third time when they called apd a year later. They've decided that their bannings are permanent and that they must never speak to the people about it or apologize for anything. Go to "Shame on Whinings coffee," on facebook for more details. For now, there is a group organizing a consistent boycott of this place and we ask musicians and poets not to agree to play there; they will never pay you anything, anyway.

They harass people verbally. There is way too much unnecessary police presence there, such that the APD doesn't know what to do. They have banishment policies that are stricter, more humiliating and less reasonably imposed than anywhere I have seen. The sidewalk in front is an affront of second hand smoke and engine exhaust. Many people are angered by them. The employees are permanently employed by being born into the family so they do not think themselves subject to any negative feedback. If you help them, you are contributing to an environment of social exclusion. These events could be held much more happily elsewhere. A previous version of this message was flagged and removed from craigslist and people have been threatened and ostracized for speaking about these issues, therefore they are not a good place for poetry readings if they are meant to encourage free speech.