Help Crimson Teas Come Back by August 2022

Hello, this is Phillip Chan, who started Crimson Teas near the U of Toronto downtown campus in 2015.

I promote teas and healthy meals to raise awareness about kidney health and mental health - after my jobs with a national charity for kidney health and a community mental health agency. Before this, I completed MA Psychology in Wilfrid Laurier University and worked with earthquake relief in China where I met indigenous tea farmers who now are Crimson Teas suppliers.

Crimson Teas has been a business with a social mission as well as a micro-community for its costumers - with solid records of customer feedback viewable online.

I stubbornly sustained Crimson Teas at 415 Spadina Ave. through the 2 years pandemic, resulting in a $80,000 debt.

 

As I was preparing to reopen, three seemingly students knocked at my backdoor and lured me out to the shop's backyard the afternoon of April 12, 2022. These young men somehow managed to conclude me as the culprit who smashed their vehicle's windshield. My explanations were in vain; I was brutally assaulted like a pest, a cockroach in bright sun light, because of a piece of windshield.

 

I ended up with a fractured lumbar and severe concussion to the head. I am now challenged by prolonged standing as well as focusing and remembering things. These hugely compromised my capabilities to carry on with Crimson Teas. I have accepted to walk away from my invested efforts and not to face the ordeal any more.

 

Amazingly, my customers and community partners reached out to me. They encouraged me to recover, come back,  and carry on Crimson Teas as a survivor of violence in the community. Furthermore, they are to work with me to speak out to the media and deliver a message of not giving in to violence in face of the challenging area. With your support, we would want to transform this incident into something meaningful to the community.

 

Currently, I need about $2500 for medical treatment, including a new pair of glasses (destroyed with the first punch on the face). I need $15,000 to cover rent and property tax for May, June, and July. I need also $2000 to cover part of the modifications and new equipment to streamline my now compromised business operations. Further, I would like to raise $2500 to improve the illumination and personal accountability in the incident area. My computer science student customers are eager to enable the online accessibility of the surveillance information. Signs will be set up to inform people their accountability in the area.

 

Please support Crimson Teas to come back, show that you care, and want to work together to transform this incident into something meaningful for a Spadina/university/Chinatown community that we cherish.