Restaurant Forced To Stop Feeding The Homeless After Complaints From Nearby Businesses

[KamaAina]

http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/12/04/3015111/homeless-restaurant-indiana/

For years, a small restaurant in western Indiana served a free meal to customers every Thursday. Unsurprisingly, it was a big hit, especially among those who struggle to regularly afford a hot meal. And the number of people needing assistance has “exploded” recently; the number of people served at soup kitchens has nearly doubled in the past year, as the Lafayette Journal and Courier noted in its investigation.

But Buttery Shelf Eatery served, instead of serves, free meals because of persistent complaints from some nearby businesses who did not appreciate the presence of poor people in the area and forced the restaurant to end its free lunches....

Leading the charge against Buttery Shelf Eatery is Jerry Kalal, a former marine who opened K. Dee’s Coffee and Roasting Co. in 2007 and felt that the free lunches were scaring away customers. He estimated he lost between $500-$800 in weekly sales as a result....

But Kilal was persistent. He regularly contacted the police to complain about Buttery Shelf patrons, but his claims were deemed specious. Others in the area filed complaints as well. In one instance, someone told police that a couple dozen people were doing drugs behind Buttery Shelf. Unknown to the caller, however, was that police already had an officer watching on the scene who noted that the people “were just standing there waiting for the place to open.”

Channeling my inner Keith Olbermann, I name Jerry Kilal (or Kalal) Today's. Worst. Person. In The World!

[Uncle Joe]

1. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, KamaAina.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. I don't have any words for how disgusting people like Jerry Kilal are!

[ZombieHorde]

3. Assholes. nt

[mstinamotorcity2]

4. Can' have hungry Americans

out in public. how dare they show their faces

[villager]

5. Can we start a viral boycott of K. Dee's Coffee Shop?

[KamaAina]

8. As Brigid points out below, Lafayette is a college town, the home of Purdue.

It's actually in West Lafayette. Actually, it IS West Lafayette, the way Michigan State IS East Lansing.

But I'm sure lots of Boilermakers patronize these establishments. Let's see them pack Buttery Shelf Eatery and turn their backs on K. Dee's!

[Brigid]

9. Well, I know that if for any reason I'm in Lafayette . . .

I will be sure to eat at Buttery Shelf, and avoid K. Dee's.

[sabrina 1]

59. That sounds like a great idea. How do we start? Twitter, FB are good places to get attention

for this.

[BuddhaGirl]

61. I mentioned downthread

I tweeted the Purdue U student newspaper with the story, maybe they'll be able to get students involved!

[Cha]

6. "Scaring away customers".. what a bunch of whiny

assholes. "Oh look, someone's hungry and getting to eat.. let's be scared!"

[Brigid]

7. Lafayette IN. Home of Purdue University.

This is just depressing. Yes, Jerry Kalal is a perfect candidate for "Worst Person in the World." And an embarrassment to the state. It's people like him that make progressivism such a struggle here.

I wonder: If it had been a church soup kitchen, would he have complained so loudly?

[Cleita]

10. Not only that he "estimates" he loses $500 to $800 a week?

Maybe it's his lousy food that is losing him those sales. I doubt if the people getting free meals at the other restaurant would become paying customers at his restaurant. Estimates are not reality.

[villager]

11. I "estimate" that he's a heartless shithead.

That one Cleita, may be closer to the mark.

[Cleita]

13. No. It's established he's a heartless shithead by his own

words and deeds. No estimates needed.

[villager]

12. Here's K. Dee's website:

http://www.kdeescoffee.com/blog1.php

[KamaAina]

14. Better still, Yelp-bomb the SOB

http://www.yelp.com/biz/k-dees-coffee-lafayette

[snort]

27. Not one of the old Yelp reviews

had a complaint about homeless people ruining someones coffee experience. What a dick move by this guy.

[msanthrope]

15. Yelp the complainer...

http://m.yelp.com/biz/k-dees-coffee-lafayette

[barbtries]

17. thank you

he's been yelped.

[barbtries]

16. i hope this Jerry Kilal

learns how much it costs to be an asshole. i certainly would not step foot inside his establishment.

[Brigid]

18. Something like this can kill a small business.

Seriously. You know this story is the talk of the town in Lafayette right now. And now it's all over the country too.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

19. Depends if it turns into an "us versus them" thing

But a college town is a dangerous place to play right-wing hero.

[TalkingDog]

20. Facebook Page, Website. Jerry wants your opinion.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/K-Dees-Coffee-and-Roasting-Co/112687203333

http://www.kdeescoffee.com/blog1.php

[KittyWampus]

24. he is getting hammered in reviews

[VA_Jill]

26. I have sent him the following review:

"A big flying bird to you for your treatment of Buttery Shelf and their kindness to the homeless. May your coffee turn to acid and your pastries all go stale."

[LittleGirl]

21. not surprised

my racists family members still live in Indiana and they would complain about those homeless people all of the time!

[Demo_Chris]

22. Some people are quick to demand that others sacrifice for their causes...

This business owner didn't want homeless people in front of his business. That seems reasonable enough.

He CORRECTLY concluded that this could not possibly help his business, and would almost certainly scare away some potential customers -- including many of his most vocal critics today.

[KamaAina]

23. How about constantly calling the cops to harass the people? Does that seem reasonable enough?

But Kilal was persistent. He regularly contacted the police to complain about Buttery Shelf patrons, but his claims were deemed specious.

[Demo_Chris]

25. He did what was necessary to resolve the issue...

I understand that, thanks to political correctness, there are certain causes and groups that bypass the normal standards of polite behavior and civilized boundaries. For example, we tolerate behavior from an infant that we would not accept from an adult. Homeless people fall into one of these special groups, but are unique in that people love the idea of helping them so long as it happens well away from where they happen to be.

But let's consider this from another angle by changing the group.

What if the owner of the Buttery Shelf wished to promote a different cause... what if he were a racist who offered free food every Thursday to anyone who showed up in their Klan hat and robes. And what if this coffee shop owner protested, correctly realizing that having clansmen loitering in front of his business was a very bad idea. Who's cause would you support then?

[KamaAina]

28. Nice strawman

comparing the homeless to Klansmen! You're seriously suggesting that people waiting in line for a meal are as threatening as Klansmen?!

[Demo_Chris]

34. As someone who has been homeless on more than one occassion...

The answer is YES. Many people are terrified of the homeless and the poor, and no, they will not walk through or past a bunch of homeless people to enter a business. Which is the reason why no business owner wants them hanging around.

This is really very simple. It's a BUSINESS. It's not a social experiment.

[azurnoir]

30. so in your mind the homeless are comparable to the Klan it seems

or is it something else?

[Demo_Chris]

31. No, I am not drawing an ethical equivalence...

If it is reasonable for the coffee shop owner to take action to remove KKK members, or any other undesirable non-customer, then it is equally reasonable for him to act to remove the homeless or anyone else he doesn't want there.

[azurnoir]

40. you contradict yourself though

what if the undesirables were Black would that too be okay in your mind-there is NO ethical equivalence between the Klan and the homeless

[Douglas Carpenter]

32. let me see - you are against Pope Francis speaking out for economic justice

and you side with those who would want to stop a restaurant giving a free meal to the poor - ONCE EVERY THURSDAY - Is there a connection here?

[Demo_Chris]

36. Pope Francis does not believe in Economic Justice....

Economic Justice is IMPOSSIBLE without women's rights, equality, and sexual liberation.

And I have no problem with a restaurant giving away anything they like as often as they like, so long as they aren't irritating or imposing on their neighbors. My objection in this case is to the idea that such imposition becomes acceptable because it's for a cause we happen to support.

[Douglas Carpenter]

39. Pope Francis is moving things in the right direction - no one expects him to totally change a 2000

year-old institution overnight. There is a reason why most progressives whether women or men welcome him. Just as there is a reason why the right-wing is going nuts. I can't believe I'm on a liberal website seeing people defending shutting down a program that helps provide one free meal a week to poor people. But it figures.

[tazkcmo]

35. Which special group?

I'd be interested in hearing what behavior homeless folks exhibit that is tolerated by the proper folks in this country. Having been homeless you've really peaked my curiosity. Also, let me know what about homeless folks makes you so scared that you compare them to the Klan? And finally, I'd also like to know if you live in a bubble and wear blinders all day?

[Demo_Chris]

38. One at a time...

I'd be interested in hearing what behavior homeless folks exhibit that is tolerated by the proper folks in this country. Having been homeless you've really peaked my curiosity.

Sorry, I don't understand the question.

Also, let me know what about homeless folks makes you so scared that you compare them to the Klan?

I have addressed this.

And finally, I'd also like to know if you live in a bubble and wear blinders all day?

Neither.

[tazkcmo]

41. ok

"I understand that, thanks to political correctness, there are certain causes and groups that bypass the normal standards of polite behavior and civilized boundaries. For example, we tolerate behavior from an infant that we would not accept from an adult. Homeless people fall into one of these special groups, but are unique in that people love the idea of helping them so long as it happens well away from where they happen to be."

What behavior? You gave an example for infants but not the homeless.

I reviewed your posts and do not see where you specify what it is about homeless folks that is like the Klan. I see how you say it is reasonable that you would want to remove both from your premises and I somewhat agree but there is a way to do it that isn't assholey and instead help preserve what little dignity they may have. After all, homeless folks are just people it out a home, right?

[Demo_Chris]

45. I said that I am not drawing an ethical equivalence between the two...

The only equivalence one might draw is that the members of both groups are generally unwelcome pretty much anywhere they go.

All we REALLY know about this case is this:

1. The restaurant, for unknown reasons, wanted to feed the homeless during lunch (aka normal business hours) once a week.
2. As many as SEVENTY homeless people at a time showed up to participate, a crowd so vast that the homeless horde actually blocked traffic requiring the police to come remove them
3. Several surrounding businesses complained repeatedly that this was disrupting their business
4. These local businesses were suffering a measurable and significant financial impact
5. These business owners ATTEMPTED to go to the owner of this restaurant in order to take care of this quietly and were refused

Ultimately, when finally forced to shut the free food program down, the restaurant owner went running to the press complaining about how mean her neighbor's are. But they're not, and that's all bullshit. There is nothing unique or even unusual in the reactions of the neighboring business owners. There isn't a business owner on the planet who wouldn't respond the same way. Nor is it reasonable to expect that you could do something on your own property that negatively impacted everyone around you and not get called on it. But it's the homeless, and somehow that makes everything okay.

It comes down to this... if I opened an upscale coffee shop (is there any other kind) and someone invited a hundred homeless people to camp on my porch you're damn right I would be pissed off. And for good reason. If this restaurant owner really wants to help his fellow man, why not come up with a way of doing it that doesn't bankrupt everyone around him. Something like, I don't know, maybe hauling the free food somewhere else, like the nearest actual soup kitchen.

[Lancero]

48. Might I suguest a name change?

Reading over your posts in this thread, I think Rethug_Chris would be more accurate.

[Douglas Carpenter]

49. even I would not go that far and I would encourage you to consider that this post could be hidden -

- so you might consider rewording - but I will say -

"Above all, being a Democrat means having compassion for others. ... It means standing up for people who have been kept down" -

- George McGovern

If being a Democrat, a liberal or a progressive does not mean standing up for the least fortunate people of the world - then I quit. There is no point. I don't want any part of it.

[Demo_Chris]

51. I think that there is a lot of passion on this topic, but the compassion has been limited...

And I am not even sure I would go that far. Why, for example, has no one suggested that this restaurant MOVE their free food operation to somewhere else? And I don't want to hear a word about cost, because apparently money is no object when it comes to the businesses around this restaurant that have been taking it on the chin. So where are the posts condemning this restaurant owner for shutting the operation down?

And where is the compassion for these neighboring business owners? You know, the guys who might well JOIN the ranks of the homeless because this restaurant owner refuses to think about the impact of his actions on the people around him.

But I don't think this thread is about compassion at all, and it damn sure isn't about having a reasoned discussion on a complex issue. This thread is about self-righteous sanctimonious me-too liberalism. A hundred responses and 99% of them complete nonsense, because not only would the people posting here not go for coffee at a place so buried in the homeless that the police are called in to clear the streets, they would do exactly what these owners have done if they were placed in that situation -- hell, most would panic if they saw a homeless guy sitting on their lawn.

I am a poor guy myself. And when I say poor, I mean POOR. Poor as in I have bloody little food, living in a house that is structurally unsound, just trying to get through another winter. This internet is my luxury. I've been homeless myself, twice, the last time living out of my truck with my wife and baby daughter. I was damn near there again just last year. Most of what I care about is poverty and social issues. But I hate sanctimonious bullshit, and in my opinion this thread qualifies. I care about the homeless AND these business owners, I care about everyone getting fucked by the system.

[Douglas Carpenter]

58. we are talking once a week - on a Thursday - at lunch time. According to the police - who are rarely

bleeding hearts - there were no drugs - no disruption - no particular problems. Sounds to me like a bunch of uppity yuppies causing a problem that is not a problem - They just can't inconvenience themselves for a few hours once a week to have people who are not their kind of people in the neighborhood.

[Demo_Chris]

52. I personally don't care, but...

This kind of post is not a good habit to get into. Address the topic of the post, not the poster, and name calling is never a good idea. In any case, while we might disagree on the details, all of us here are comrades.

I am not going to 'report' on this because I basically never report on anything, but keep it in mind.

[Lancero]

57. And the topic of your post is...

Pretty much that the poor should be forced to hide away, lest the richer people get scared of em.

Yeah. A real democratic ideal. Screw people being equal, lets treat one group like crap just because another group can't find some compassion in their hearts. Seems more Republican then Democrat.

You've painted yourself with the brush. You can't complain when someone decides to call you out on it.

[LanternWaste]

50. n upscale coffee shop is more important than feeding the homeless

I imagine many people rationalize an upscale coffee shop is more important than feeding the homeless, regardless of how they may justify their selfishness and greed.

We should allow the homeless to drink at separate water fountains too... so as not to offend the delicate sensibilities of the selfish and the greedy, for they are the job makers.

[KamaAina]

54. Seventy people? At a restaurant? At lunchtime??

Oh, the hugh manatee!!!

[tazkcmo]

73. Invited a 100 homeless people to camp on my front porch

That answers all my questions. You're just a dick.

[dionysus]

62. dude what a grinch...

[Niceguy1]

42. maybe they were causing problems

It has happened before. Some businesses have to hose down everyday beacuse some people like to use doorways for bad things

[KamaAina]

43. Nope.

...but his claims were deemed specious. Others in the area filed complaints as well. In one instance, someone told police that a couple dozen people were doing drugs behind Buttery Shelf. Unknown to the caller, however, was that police already had an officer watching on the scene who noted that the people “were just standing there waiting for the place to open.”

This is Lafayette, IN, not the Tenderloin in SF. This meal was served once a week.

[dickthegrouch]

69. Filing a false police report is a misdemeanor

It could cost him another $3000 in fines, attorney bills and other costs.
I hope it does. Where's the DA when a real crime has been committed?

[rhett o rick]

56. The cause that you are berating is "feeding hungry people". You seem to put business profits

above that cause. "This business owner didn't want homeless people in front of his business. " And some people dont want homeless people in their town.

[Demo_Chris]

63. I simply asked myself how I would respond if someone did this to me...

These people didn't lease a property next to a soup kitchen, and they damn well aught to have a say in the matter before someone puts one in and runs everyone else out of business. And no, saying "It's for the homeless" is not some panacea that trumps every other consideration -- including the law -- and particularly when the owner of the restaurant hasn't shown the slightest interest in working with his neighbors and arriving at a solution. It's not heartlessness on the part of the surrounding businesses that have complained, it's rational self interest. They don't want to go out of business, and they don't see why they should bear the cost for someone else's self-righteous and self-congratulatory nonsense.

Let me cut to the chase: Your "moral code," no matter how special or divinely inspired you think it is, does not give you license to infringe on other people's rights and property. This applies whether you are Hobby Lobby trying to deny women their rights, or this restaurant trying to feed the poor.

[rhett o rick]

65. Wow. You think that feeding the homeless is, "self-righteous and self-congratulatory nonsense. "?

Apparently the quest for the almighty dollar trumps all, especially empathy.

I would just like to wish those businesses that forced the end to the generosity a Merry Christmas. I am sure Jesus would understand.

[Demo_Chris]

71. No. We are not discussing "feeding the homeless" as some generic activity.

We are discussing this specific case, in which one party's efforts to feed the homeless in this particular location have resulted in measurable and significant damages to the surrounding businesses.

[rhett o rick]

72. "measurable and significant damages" to surrounding businesses?

Sounds to me like a bunch of cold hearted conservatives. The answer is to shoo the homeless away? Surely they can find a meal somewhere else, or whatever.

Decent people could have worked something out that serves everyone. But no, profits are the bottom line here and the problems with society are someone else's worry.

[Sheldon Cooper]

67. Disgusting.

Shame on you.

[DesertFlower]

29. K&R. nt

[Mrdrboi]

33. I went to their FB page and left a negative review.

They are horrible people. Wanting to stop a charitable act because they might be losing money. WTF!!!

[tazkcmo]

37. Me too

I myself would have come up with a better solution like getting all the restaurants together and JOINING the effort. Make it a big deal and get lots of free publicity while helping folks out that have seen better times. People just don't get it. Any one of us could be in their place in any given moment. Offshored job, divorce, lay off, fire, illness, etc. Most homeless folks don't like being homeless (Shocking, I know) during the winter and digging outta garbage dumpsters to eat.

[BuddhaGirl]

46. Boycott page on FB is already up

https://www.facebook.com/boycott.Kalal

[BuddhaGirl]

44. I tweeted the Purdue U newspaper with the story

suggesting that students could get involved

[KamaAina]

55. Atta girl!!

[mike_c]

47. left a FB review....

Opinion is running deeply against Jerry, LOL.

[gulliver]

53. Maybe if she just handed out coupons so recipients could come in any time.

I don't see why it had to be just Thursday or anything that would draw a crowd. Why not hand out coupons and let the recipients come in when they pleased? The article doesn't really say that she only did this at a specific time, but the fact that it says "Thursday" may mean that she was trying to keep the free meal recipients isolated to one time period...i.e., away from her regular customers.

[Demo_Chris]

64. Correct. There is clearly more to this story. nt

[countryjake]

60. K&R!

[reddread]

66. demand is up, how can numbers be down?

now that the city of Fresno has smashed, bulldozed and gathered the belongings of throngs of longterm homeless citizens, they can get right down to the business of counting the homeless.
I wonder what results they can expect now that the diaspora is fully scattered?
Cant wait to hear about the newly improved reduced numbers of homeless.
Wonder who will be fighting for the credit?
I just cant figure out how they expect to come out ahead financially, but there must be an angle there somewhere.

[rustydog]

68. as you treat the least among you...

[Nine]

70. I'm very uncomfortable with the calls to target an individual small business owner and ruin him.

I think he had some legitimate gripes.

From his shop (Kalal) had a front row seat to the chaos he said accompanied Donation Thursdays.

“You’d have 50 or 60 people standing outside the Buttery Shelf, spitting, swearing, open alcohol use, clogging the sidewalks,” Kalal said.

Other local business owners seemed to take issue with it as well:

Makenzie Kus, who opened Something Blue Bakery at 918 Main St. in 2007, said the cursing and fights left her uneasy, especially for her bakery, which is patronized in large part by moms who regularly bring their children.

“There was a crowd that used a lot of foul language there,” Kus said. “I watched one guy just cold-cock another guy right in the face. I know it’s not like that all the time, but I definitely see why businesses were uncomfortable with it.”

Jennifer Layton, executive director of Lafayette Transitional Housing Center, admits that places providing food to the needy sometimes deal with chaos:

Sometimes those who food banks and volunteers are trying to help make it hard. Occasionally a food pantry line will devolve into foul language or fights.

Hours of waiting in the heat or cold can fray tempers, leaving the crowd on edge and forcing organizers to crack down.

“Within the last three or four months, we’ve expanded our regulations here,” Layton said. “We will no longer tolerate inappropriate behavior, abusive language, cursing.”

The Democratic mayor, who spoke compassionately and sympathetically about the stigma faced by those who use food banks said,

Some business owners had concerns (about the Buttery Shelf's Thursday free lunches), and some may have been legitimate.

According to Capt. Chris Downard of the Lafayette Police Department, there had been four calls to police in the last six months - three anonymous, one from K. Dee's Coffee. Two more calls in September were initiated by officers due to the large number of people crowding the corner of 10th and Main streets.

Downard said each conflict in the six-month period was resolved peacefully.

“No one’s been arrested. They’ve never even done a police report,” Downard said. The issues dealt with concerning the Buttery Shelf were limited to patrons blocking traffic, on either the street or sidewalk, while waiting to get in.

Ok, so the large crowds were impeding both foot traffic and street traffic. That alone is enough to hurt surrounding businesses.

Another local business owner (Brumbaugh, of Main Street Cheese and Wine) who supported the Thursday free lunches, said this:

They used to have a whole crowd waiting and, yeah, sometimes it gets noisy.

Another admission that crowds and noise were an issue.

But by all means let's gleefully ruin this man's livelihood.

[Demo_Chris]

74. But facts aside, he makes an easy target for hate and reprisal...

You can do your part to "help the homeless" by posting fake negative reviews on his facebook page! How cool is that?!

[Nine]

75. It's typical Internet nastiness combined with the laziness of "slacktivism."

"Attacktivism" seems like a good name for it.

[Niceguy1]

76. I think people should be banned from yelp

for posting fake reviews when they never even been there

[stranger81]

77. After all his hard work to literally take food out of the mouths

Of those less fortunate?

I, for one, think a little harm to his livelihood is probably the nicest thing he deserves.

[JanMichael]

78. Tell K. Dees what you think: FB page

https://www.facebook.com/pages/K-Dees-Coffee-and-Roasting-Co/112687203333?ref=br_tf