Our Stance on Joining the National Strike
- Dave Diaz
- 11 hours ago
- 3 min read
We have decided to close our doors on Friday, January 30th, in solidarity with those who have chosen to join the National Strike.
This decision did not come lightly and ultimately reflects our values as an organization. Before we get to the reasons why we closed today, it's important to understand why we are even here.
RedFork's Founding Principles
When Amanda and I (Dave) started RedFork, it was born out of the love for small businesses, franchises, and those who spent countless hours pouring their love, sweat, and tears into making a strong impact in their communities. These are businesses that were born out of passion and most often see people as greater assets than profits.
It's that love of people and communities that made us love the work we do every day, even more than 10 years later. We believe that these businesses make their local communities more vibrant, more enjoyable, and build a level of trust that brings back customers over and over again.
So when we started seeing horrors on our streets and a government that chose to make excuses for those horrors instead of working to build community, we immediately became frustrated and angered. We realized right away that this was no longer political. It wasn't red vs blue. It wasn't liberal vs conservative. It was a nation against its own people.
Our Stance
When there was an announcement of a national strike, Amanda and I, along with our other two business owners, Daniel and Arthur, spoke about whether we should encourage our staff to participate, participate ourselves, or ignore it so that we didn't upset anyone.
Ultimately, the decision we made is not the safe one, and while we do not condemn any other persons or businesses for their choices, we knew that because of our founding principles, it would be wrong of us not to participate and ask others to do the same.
All that said, we want to be forthcoming about why we are joining the strike.
People Matter Most
Whether it's our internal staff, contractors, business relationships, or people we've never met, we believe that all people should be treated equally. We believe that our US Constitution is written in a way that affords due process and equality to all people regardless of status.
We believe that no matter what you look like, what you believe, what your gender is, etc, you are a person who deserves to be in a loving community. We believe that law-abiding people should be treated with respect and dignity and that those who choose to break our laws should be held accountable. Not just the people you've never heard of. Everybody.
It's that simple. And until we return to a place where all people are respected, we will continue to join the fight against the injustice we continue to witness.
Your Business Can Join the Fight
When we look back at this time in our lives, we know that we will be proud that we decided to stand up for our communities and fight, even if we are met with adverse effects. We hope this encourages other businesses and people to do the same.
Stay safe out there, love others, and fight for people who are being treated unfairly, even if it doesn't directly affect you. Otherwise, why are we all here?