Erik Ehlers' Webtext Portfolio

Dear members of the community,

 

            As a student, I have been living in Bellingham since I enrolled in Western Washington University in September of 2015. Since I moved, it has been very easy to feel accepted by others in the community. Bellingham is a city that prides itself on embracing people of all cultures, race, and gender. Bellingham is also home to a variety of locally owned restaurants and shops; an extremely well known coffee shop in Bellingham is The Woods Coffee. In 2002, The Herman family of Lynden, Washington, established the Woods Coffee shop. The Woods Coffee can be found at 10 different locations all throughout Bellingham.

Recently, it has come to my attention that there are many people in the community who have begun to boycott The Woods Coffee Shop and its owner, Wesley Herman. As a member of the community, I believe it is my duty to pen this letter with the hopes of making you more aware of the current situation. I am not proposing that people should or should not join the boycott; my goal is to present all of the information surrounding the issue in hopes that we can get owner, Wes Herman, to understand why people may feel hurt and hopefully, this will help make Bellingham a safer and more comfortable community for all people.

The allegations against The Woods Coffee do not represent the values and morals that companies in Bellingham must hold themselves to.

 

What’s it all about:

            The Woods Coffee Boycott started in early 2011 as a response to ongoing censorship of local media. After thorough investigation, a discovery was made; Wes Herman, owner of The Woods Coffee, allegedly engages in activities that are harmful to the community. These activities include, unfair labor practices, religious discrimination, false advertising, sexism, anti-gay attitudes. Living in a community that prides itself on being warm and welcoming to all people, regardless of identity, it is saddening that people are so unaware of these actions going on within our home. Throughout this proposal, I am receiving my information from a website that is specifically boycotting The Woods Coffee, and while the allegations made have been brought to Mr. Herman’s attention, he has neither confirmed nor denied many of these claims. This leads people to believe that since he has not blatantly refuted them, they are true.

 

Unfair Labor Practices:

            Some of Wes Herman’s ex-employees have made it clear that while working there, they were never fully comfortable around their employer. Wes Herman has ostensibly enforced a mandatory employee bible study and also requires workers to pray throughout their shifts. Every time a member of the boycott has tried to reach Herman on the validity of this allegation, he has refused to respond at all. It is in his denial, where many people find truth in the allegations.

 

Religious Discrimination:

            During the application process, three ex-employees all independently told members of the boycott that during the interview process, they were asked, “which church do you go to?” A corporation does not have the right to ask someone which church they attend. It is none of the employers business and living in the United States today, it is unclear as to why whether or not one attends church or where someone attends, is important. As with the other allegations, Herman rejected response when questioned about this.

 

False Advertising:

            The Woods Coffee Shop has made conflicting statements on whether their products are fair-trade certified and organic, or not. If something is fair-trade certified, that means that products with its brand meet certain environmental, labor, and developmental standards. Wes Herman has supposedly stated that his products are both “fair-trade certified and organic.” The boycott committee then contacted a fair-trade organization that certifies products for companies. The companies responded and told members of the boycott that were not any of records of a “Woods Coffee” or “Wes Herman.” The boycott conducted a survey of all the items on the menu at Woods and found that each product had labels stating that they were certified and organic. After being contacted about this, Wes Herman again denied and the boycott believes this is evidence of his is fraud. Repairing and respecting the environment has been a signature feature of Bellingham for decades, and The Woods Coffee Shop allegedly violates a principle that many follow dearly.

 

Anti-LGBTQ Sentiment:

            Wes Herman has also allegedly taken a stance against the rights of those in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community. Herman has been found to support and fund anti-gay political causes as well as censor pro-LGBT media. In 2012, The Woods Coffee did not want to allow the Pride Parade to go past their store. This decision continues to baffle many, as it could not have been an economic decision. Considering the amount of coffee they could have sold, members of the boycott believe that this was a “religious decision.”

 

What’s Next?

            I encourage all those living in Bellingham to review all the information that is and has been made available to them. The most disturbing aspect of the entire is boycott is that whenever Wes Herman has been questioned about the validity of the claims, he has always denied responding. I believe it is in these denials that many people find certainty in the claims. In order to solve this issue, I believe that Wes Herman should make a public statement about his business practices and intentions. If the people in Bellingham are going to spend their money buying coffee, I believe it is our right to know and understand whom we’re giving our money to. Many people are unaware of the allegations and it is a possible that they might find other places to buy coffee.

 

To Wes Herman:

            There are those in the greater community whose anger at your company has led them to begin a boycott dedicated to stop people from purchasing coffee from your establishment. I do not know whether or not these claims are accurate and debating that is not the purpose of this letter. I believe in order to bring peace to the community over this issue, you should issue a statement, and this statement should include the following:

• Talk to those who identify with the LGBTQ community or any other community for that matter is welcome at your shop. This will help clarify any misunderstandings about the beliefs of you and your company.

• Discuss the authenticity of the Woods Coffee brand on whether or not your products are organic and fair-trade, and if not discuss what they are.

• Explain where you believe these claims came from and discuss how your business practices may or may not of offended someone.

   

Costs/Benefits:

            There are not many costs associated with issuing a statement addressing all of the above issues. I believe that it is in the owner’s best interest to speak with the community. The benefit of doing so is bringing peace to a part of our community who feels discriminated against. There is also the possibility of bringing back customers who left due to the boycott. I understand Wes Herman believes his name is being slandered because of these allegations. This letter could possibly be seen as an attack towards The Woods Coffee and its owner. I want to reassure Mr. Wes Herman and his company that this proposal is not an attack, but it is meant to bring attention to an issue going on in Bellingham.

 

Conclusion:

In a day and age where discrimination towards race, gender, and sexuality consistently dominate the headlines of every major media output, it is ridiculous that an issue like this exists in our city. Bellingham is home to many people of all different backgrounds. Bellingham is a city that supports local industry and promotes acceptance and equality among all people. The boycott against Woods Coffee exists today due to alleged discrimination, fraud, and hate. Wes Herman’s reluctance to not respond paints him and his company in a bad light. It is up to us, the people of Bellingham, to become aware of the things happening in our community and to make sure that this issue is solved. By signing your name, we can show Wes Herman that this issue matters, and that he issues a statement on the topic.

 

Link to petition: http://www.petitions24.com/woodscoffeepetition

Sincerely,

Erik Ehlers