"I don't care tRump got elected...I'm a strate white male..."

Making the coffee shop rounds in Quad Cities!

So today I’m at a relatively new café & bookstore in Davenport “The Brewed Book”, where I’m seeking a date/time for one of my readings/gatherings/discussions, as I’m calling my presentations!

I’m also framing this work I’m doing, spreading the messages in my book, as the mobile version of a door-to-door campaign, except I’m going town-to-town, city-to-city – any and everywhere folks are pondering the question “But What Can I Do?”

Yesterday I was at the sweet Theo’s Java Club – around the corner from a small organic family-owned grocery store, believe it or not – talking with the very open barista and leaving my card for Theo!

This is also an interesting café, located in an economically devastated neighborhood in the midst of a couple colleges and many rental units. They did offer one organic coffee choice and instead of a tip jar, the fellow behind the counter said that the owners pay him generously, he doesn’t depend on tips, and that the café was donating any tip money to the local food bank this month!

The co-owner, Tony, spoke with me for a long time and purchased a book! He is open to me doing a reading, at least he is prior to reading my book but after speaking with him, I think he’ll still be supportive of a reading.

Our conversation started with me expressing horror when he pointed out the nuclear power plant around the corner, declaring he worked there for thirty-some years. He rolled over my inquiry about his health, dismissing the idea in support of the best source of cheap energy to meet the needs of the country.

I frame the issue as our willingness to risk human life and life of Mother Earth in exchange for that cheap energy. Tony calmly reiterates that we will disagree about this one thing.

He told me he wrote a (sarcastic) “I don’t care that tRump was elected…” piece that started “…I’m a strate white man, no police officer is going to shoot me” and “….I was born in this country, no one is going to deport me” and so on.

He also talked openly about racism existing in the area and the presence of Black and brown people now living here, a white town he was born and raised in that is no longer as white.

This café is providing coffee drinks cheaper than corporate places (not to name names) and a lovely space with floor-to-ceiling book shelves stacked with mostly used books.

I highly recommend a visit to both these cafés when passing thru the Quad Cities!