09/02/2026
Here we go again!!! Let's get ahead of this while the iron is still red hot. 🤠
If you ever wonder ✨WHERE WE STAND✨
Let there be no confusion about where Do Drop In stands.
We stand with survivors.
Men. Women. LGBTQ+ people. Children who grew into adults carrying stories they were too young to understand. People who were assaulted, abused, exploited, manipulated, threatened, groomed, violated, or betrayed by someone they trusted.
We stand with the people who were told to stay quiet.
We stand with the people who were asked what they were wearing, what they had been drinking, why they were there, why they didn't fight harder, why they didn't leave, why they waited so long to speak.
We stand with the people who were told their story wasn't "real enough."
Not violent enough.
Not traumatic enough.
Not believable enough.
Not convenient enough.
We reject that bu****it.
There is no minimum amount of suffering required before someone deserves to be believed, supported, or heard.
You do not have to have the perfect story.
You do not have to have perfect memories.
You do not have to have reported it immediately.
You do not have to have fought back.
You do not have to have screamed.
You do not have to have bruises.
You do not have to prove your pain to earn compassion.
You certainly do not have to make your trauma palatable for someone else's comfort.
Do Drop In unequivocally denounces sexual predators, rapists, abusers, groomers, and anyone who uses power, fear, manipulation, coercion, or trust to violate another human being.
We will not make excuses for them.
We will not protect reputations at the expense of survivors.
We will not ask victims to carry the burden of someone else's shame.
We will not participate in the culture of silence that allows predators to thrive because speaking the truth makes other people uncomfortable.
We stand alongside the LGBTQ+ community.
We stand alongside survivors of sexual violence and abuse.
We stand alongside those whose voices have been ignored, dismissed, mocked, questioned, or deliberately buried.
We stand alongside the people who are still trying to find the words.
We stand alongside the people who have told their story a hundred times and still aren't believed.
We stand alongside the people who aren't ready to tell it yet.
Your story matters.
Even when someone else says it doesn't.
Your pain matters.
Even when someone else thinks theirs was worse.
Your voice matters.
Even when someone tried to convince you that you didn't have one.
And now, let's address the other thing we've heard.
"This is going to kill your business."
"You better watch your back."
"Your business is going to tank."
We've heard it before... A million times. MAYBE those words are intended to scare us into silence. Maybe they're intended to make us second-guess our values. Maybe they're intended to remind us that we're a business and that we're supposed to put money above everything else.
But here's the thing:
We know exactly what kind of business we are.
‼️Do Drop In was never built solely to make money.‼️
It was built for people.
It was built for community.
It was built to be a place where people could walk through the door and feel welcome, regardless of who they are, who they love, what they believe, or what they've survived.
So if someone thinks threatening our bottom line will convince us to abandon our principles, they've fundamentally misunderstood us.
We are not going to sacrifice the safety, dignity, or humanity of our community to make a few more dollars.
We are not going to suddenly become quiet because someone tells us we should "watch our back."
We are not going to abandon survivors because someone thinks standing beside them is bad for business.
We are certainly not going to contort ourselves into something we're not just to make people who are accused of heinous things more comfortable.
Our loyalty is to our community.
Not to predators.
Not to abusers.
Not to reputations.
Not to intimidation.
Not to threats about our sales, our customers, or our future.
Our community comes first.
If standing beside people who have been silenced, abused, overlooked, or discarded comes with a cost, then we'll decide for ourselves whether that cost is worth paying.
You may ask us why, even after all of this explaining. Here's a simple, straight to the point answer: There are some things that simply aren't for sale.
Our principles are not for sale.
Our compassion is not for sale.
Our support for survivors is not for sale.
Most importantly, the safety and belonging of the people who walk through our doors are damn sure not for sale.
This business is a community space and community means more than selling sandwiches and pouring coffee.
It means deciding what kind of place we want to be.
We choose compassion over silence.
We choose survivors over reputations.
We choose people over intimidation.
We choose dignity over fear.
we choose our community.
EVERY damn time.
So if you're wondering whether we're afraid that standing for what we believe in might "kill our business," here's our answer:
We'd rather lose a customer than lose ourselves.
We'd rather stand with survivors than stand with predators.
We'd rather be accused of having a conscience than praised for having none.
And when someone asks where we stand, they don't need to wonder.
We stand with the people who were hurt.
We stand with the people who survived.
We stand with the people who are still finding their voice.
We stand with the people who have been told they don't matter.
We will keep standing there.
Because this was never just about business.
This is about community.
That's exactly where Do Drop In will remain.
Calling us to threaten our business will reinforce our solidarity tenfold. Thanks for reminding us that we can always be better advocates for our community.
