This is a story about shit-head corporations. And maybe a mini Gitmo going on as well. The story is true.. although I may be off on the chronology. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Nick worked for a major foo-foo coffee shop.. a famous one that is inside yet another famous book store. I mention this because ownership is fuzzy. I think the bookstore owns this chain. Maybe not. Either way, both the coffee shop and the book store are HUGE chains. Nick and a colleague were cleaning up to close one night when they came upon a wallet. The boys called the owners and put the wallet away in desk drawer to finish their work. But of course YOU know they are understaffed so have to hustle to compete their chores. The wallet people come in to get their wallet. They immediately start to bitch that they are $500 short. The next day they come in and rant and rave to the daytime manager. They make a big fucking scene. Anyone who knows Nick knows he would never pilfer money from a wallet. PERIOD. He is a practicing Buddhist, lives a very ascetic life, and frankly wouldn't know what to do with that much money, His wants and needs are simple and austere. Calling him a thief is an extreme insult. Here is where it turns ugly. Brutal even. And... GITMOish. Nick and the other boy are constantly interrogated and harangued. Both together, and separately. Both boys are too naive to just leave or ask for counsel. Of course both boys deny they took the so called money..if indeed there was any. Days later, someone flies in from Corporate. Again she interrogates the boys. Of course they continue to deny it. She ups the ante and threatens to call the police and fire them. Let me interject here: my response would be : "Go fuck yourself. Call the damn cops..and take this job and shove it up your pasty, fat, white corporate ass"..but that is me. These are college boys and let's face it.. naive college boys. And boys who need their job. The cut-throat corporate hack then gets all gentle and nice. "OK boys, rather than fire you and call the cops, we all know you are guilty of something. Do you steal from us?" "NO!" the boys say "oh come on... a cup of coffee now and then? come on.. just say you drank some coffee.. and we will close this whole thing. Settle it here and now" So the boys.. being young and dumb.. say "well, OK, I guess I may have had some coffee now and then" Never mind that Nick never drinks coffee. Big corporate hack comes up with a figure "OK.. let's say you drank about $150 worth of coffee. Pay us back $50 a month and we will be square". She is smooth and warm now. Both boys agree to this to end the constant interrogation. They sign a contract agreeing to this (under duress of course) Sign of else! Nick makes a couple payments and is late with the third one. Instantly he gets a letter from corporate saying he now owes $700! The letter is threatening all kinds of shit and legal action. Nick of course is freaking out. What to do? well we recommend Legal Aid. And get a freakin lawyer. Fight these thugs. Let them sue him and go to court. Make it public. Go to the newspapers. Call up consumer shows. Nick has a PS to add to all this. The same corporation sends him mail addressed to someone else. Lots of mail. One day Nick opens one of these letters. Funny but it exactly the same threats/extortion to some other smuck. Word for word. I think Corporate extorts hundreds of dollars from employees over bullshit made up charges. I think the wallet thing was a scam. I think the "contract" should be null and void since it was signed under threats and duress. And I think these fucking monsters should go bankrupt and DIE ASAP. | 
