An Open Letter to Barclay and Apple

"And then… just two weeks after agreeing to start helping to do these things…

My computer, and all of the things I had kept with it, were stolen.

Gone."

~Me, in the letter below 

Hello Barclay and Apple!

So, here's my story.

When I purchased my Macbook Pro two Februaries ago, it was a difficult but well-thought-out decision for me.

I knew I did not currently have the financial muscle to buy the computer straight up. But I really needed a personal computing option for the things I was about to embark upon.

What things, you ask?

I was putting together a creative project, recording 6 a cappella groups, doing audio, video, and graphic design. I had some capacity for that. But not nearly with the power I needed. Thus, I created the need for the Macbook Pro.

Here was my rationale: I was bussing tables at a restaurant, after graduating with a degree in Philosophy. I wanted to start doing things with my time and talents. This was a good challenge, and right up my alley. I thought: “Spend the money now, as an investment into audio and video and graphic design… Use it to get proficient, then start earning money doing all three of those things. You’ll be able to pay off the computer in the 18 months of 0% APR financing.”

I’m pretty good at convincing myself and others.

We did a decent job with the project. I moved up from bussing to serving tables as well. We experienced a few setbacks on the project. (Okay, more than a few). The computer was a workhorse.

After the Spring, Summer, and into the fall, I was pretty burnt out and had learned a lot from the project. And then my life took a pivot.

In August of 2012, I heard about this thing called The Freedom Café. It was an idea: a non-profit café, where people came in for coffee and tea (free cup!) and then donate. And because it’s a non-profit, relying heavily on volunteer labor and overhead donated space, the donations would go to cover the cost of coffee and tea. From there, anything over the base cost could be donated to a non-profit working in the field to end Human Trafficking and Slavery.

The church group that I had been meeting with was talking about doing some sort of local food movement thing, discussing sourcing, and had just done our first Community Garden.

Now, we heard about this Café idea (in Amherst, MA), and it matched up. We wanted to try it in Durham, NH.

So, in August 2012, I took the role as the General Manager of the Freedom Café of Durham (Then called the Freedom Café @ UNH).

Along with the Café’s Operations manager and a close friend (then a student at UNH), we started building interest and collected people together to make a Planning Team.

We opened our doors officially on February 6, 2013. This whole time, my computer was being used for all of the organizational things that go into running and starting a non-profit café. We were and have been and are exploring a new idea for a business model.

But in this whole time, I was basically volunteering or donating my time. And just before starting to do that, I learned a devastating oversight:

If I didn’t pay off my computer by the 18^th month, all of that 0% interest would be accrued and added to the price. Yikes! What an oversight! (I was not warned of this by anyone helping me sign my papers, I suppose a rookie mistake, but you should make that pretty dang clear).

So here I was, using a computer to help start up a non-profit café, that now was costing me about $500 more than list price, and I wasn’t doing the audio/video/graphic design that I needed to pay for itself.

Fast forward from our grand opening (a success!) to that summer.

June 2013.

I had finally found a job promise that would use all of those skills, and consequently my computer (along with my Wacom tablet and my HD Video Camcorder), to their intended use. I was to become an apprentice as a Digital Storyteller.

And then… just two weeks after agreeing to start helping to do these things…

My computer, and all of the things I had kept with it, were stolen.

Gone.

I had accidently left my car unlocked in a rural town (Londonderry, NH) while visiting my girlfriend. They took everything, worth over $4000. And they robbed me of my ability to continue on in that path of becoming a digital storyteller, using my Macbook Pro and all of that to make a living, while also aiding the work of the Freedom Café of Durham.

So that was 5 months ago now. And I didn’t think to contact you at the time, because, well, you’re a bank. And I’ve been taught and heard that I shouldn’t trust a bank. And that banks are cold and heartless. And that, well, they’d say “Look dude, lock your car.”

To which I say “Yup. Lesson learned.”

I’m now paying back for a computer that I do not own, volunteering my time starting up a Café for a Cause that I deeply believe in, hoping to start raising funds for my own livelihood while seeking to change the culture and society that allows slavery to still exist. If you’re wondering a big part of the issue is that “slavery is profitable”. For realz. Look it up.

Anywho, I am messaging because I know the person reading this is a human being. And they maybe, just maybe, can sympathize with my position in life. And they can think “hmm, is there anything I can do for this kid so he doesn’t have to have this debt hanging above his head?”.

Maybe Barclay makes a donation to the Freedom Café (we have 501(c)3 status) which basically just waives my debt. Or maybe you figure out some financing so I can pay it back quickly. Or maybe you personally help me out. I don’t know.

But what I do know is, it doesn’t hurt to ask.

I’m totally available to answer any questions you may have. I hope this helps you understand my plight. And maybe helped you smile, or at least change the monotony of your day. Look. Go outside, run around, smile, enjoy your neighbor and family and friends. Look at your boss in the eye, and ask them how their day is going, and if they smiled today. Make people laugh. Eat food. Question where that food came from. Look into things, do good, or do no harm. Be thoughtful and intentional.

And then think about what you can do to help out this poor schmuck who got his laptop stolen just as the world was opening up for him.

Thanks for your consideration. My contact info is below. Be well.

Yours in Service,

~Sean Matthews

General Manager

The Freedom Café of Durham

Member of The Freedom Café Network

E-mail: Sean@freedomcafenetwork.org

Cell: (617) 850-5435