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SLO coffee shop closes to reflect on sexual misconduct allegations

April 4, 2022

Julian Contreras

By BEN DI GUGLIELMO and KAREN VELIE

Amid allegations of sexual misconduct against an owner, Kin Coffee Bar in San Luis Obispo closed over the weekend to “reflect and reorganize,” according to a sign on the door. In addition, owner Julian Contreras is handing management of the company over to his girlfriend and the Kin Coffee Facebook page is disabled.

Last week, Ash Rianne accused Contreras and his friend Nate Abate of sexually assaulting her and an unnamed friend in Contreras’ bedroom in 2012, in several Instagram posts. Abate was arrested in 2012 on charges of statutory rape and digital penetration, in an unrelated case. He eventually pled to false imprisonment, according to court records.

Abate owns Nate’s Barber and Hair Design in Atascadero.

Rianne’s shocking accusation quickly blew up across social media, with thousands of users liking and sharing the original post. In the following days, Rianne proceeded to post screenshots she claims to have received from anonymous accounts who reported having similar experiences with both Contreras and Abate.

A group of five local businesses responded by announcing the “Keep the change fundraiser,” in which your change will be used to provide legal support for the victims, according to Blackwater clothing boutique’s Instagram page.

“In wake of their bravery, we need your help to provide legal support for the 15+ women coming forward with their stories of sexual abuse from two local business owners in SLO County,” Blackwater posted on Instagram. “Please donate your change in support to get their justice they deserve.”

Contreras denied any affiliation between Kin Coffee and Abate in a lengthy Instagram post that says Kin Coffee “welcomes anyone regardless of gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, religion (or lack thereof), or economic status.”

“Kin Coffee Bar has never had any affiliation with Nate Abate,” according to the Kin Coffee Instagram post. “We do not tolerate any sort of malicious behavior. I, myself, will take time to address these matters personally for the safety of the staff and the people involved. This statement is in no way trying to invalidate the feelings of any victims. You all are heard and there will be accountability.”

In his post, Contreras announces plans to donate $3,000 to RISE, a nonprofit that serves victims of sexual assault.

Sidecar, a cocktail bar and restaurant in SLO, condemned Kin Coffee’s post.

“This post from Kin is a vapid attempt at virtue signaling in the hope that people fall for the lies…because he uses buzz words,” Sidecar posted on Instagram. “He uses abusive, manipulative language in the hope that we, the normal, working people of the world, will pity him.”

Kin Coffee is currently closed, with a sign on the door: “The staff at Kin have decided to take this weekend to reflect and reorganize due to recent events. We’ll work our way towards a solution that honors, validates, and uplifts this community. Thank you for understanding.”

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Karen, I endlessly thank you and your colleague for this article. Women I know and love thank you, whom are victims. Thank you.


13

Looks like he’s changing his name to Contriteas.


0

The victim finally speaks up ten years after the alleged misconduct?!? I don’t understand the silence time lag in such allegations where it sometimes takes up to 2 or 3 decades for an accuser to speak up. Where are all the independent, determined, brave, empowered women? Don’t they realize their delay in reporting inappropriate and criminal behavior potentially subjects other girls and women to the same mistreatment and abuse?


-25

If you are truly interested in understanding this better, here is a starting point.


Victims too often blame themselves. Or are afraid that they won’t be protected from their abuser. Or are afraid that nobody will believe them.


In the case of the woman who told her story in this scenario — she explains that fear is what held her back and apparently leaving the area has given her the strength to speak out.


18

It’s cases of arrested development like yourself that makes victims terrified of coming forward.

Hopefully you research why this fear occurs before the universe teaches you first hand.


4

The two men accused of sexual misconduct in this case are local, small business nobodies. We aren’t talking about some sort of extreme power dynamic imbalance here involving wealth & influence. These guys aren’t Bill Clinton, Harvey Weinstein, Michael Epstein, or big corporate executives.


My concern and empathy for other girls and women being abused is the excuse for why victims are terrified of coming forward and decide to stay silent? Say what, saywhat? Concern for new victims is why Ms. Rianne and others like her wait decades to report the abuse…not to the police, but to social media?? They’re afraid they will not be believed? Did they somehow miss the rape-prevention training in school presented by female police officers? Female police officers who implore would-be victims to report abuse to local law enforcement. Somehow the past 50 years of women’s liberation, feminism, female self-determination, empowerment, and parental training has had no impact on women’s confidence, courage, character and integrity? Somehow the ubiquitous “Silent No More” messaging from academia, mass media, equity movement and modern feminism has failed to be received and understood by young women? Are you saying their mothers, aunts, grandmothers, and close female friends who act as mentors and confidants haven’t heard and inculcated the messaging either? All the “Take-Back-the-Night” sisterhood talk of standing up, empowerment, no more letting harassers and abusers go unpunished, stop the silent suffering, and no more victimhood messaging still fails to convince victims to do the right thing? They haven’t learned that the police will respond in a professional, rational and empathetic fashion? That society now is supposed to ”believe all women”? When victims remain silent, victimhood is perpetuated. Your accusation of arrested development is misdirected.


-8

I cant imagine that you can dig yourself a deeper grave than you just have. All I hear in your word salad is “it’s the victim’ fault for being afraid.”

SMH


1

All that language I used came from the amply stocked salad bar of feminist voices, nomenclature, phrasing and dogma.


-2

Thank you for showing your true self. Florian. You obviously have a overcompensatorily large axe to grind with the “stocked salad bar of feminist voices, nomenclature, phrasing and dogma”. Does their speaking up threaten your fragile male ego?


In any case, all your babbling mansplaining about what you think victims *should do* doesn’t change the fact that at least *thirty* victims of this pair chose NOT to do what you think they should have done, so clearly there is a lot more going on than your mind is able to grasp. Perhaps it has something to do with the current DA in this county having a track record of NOT charging rapists even when there is DNA evidence. That fact alone makes it not at all surprising that victims would not place much trust in that system.


2

“We, the normal, working people” Ooooof :/


25

Sadly this has been local knowledge of these perverts behavior, finally brave souls are coming foward. Don’t let it stop, there are other men like this here in SLO county who also run and own businesses.


43

While regrettably what you say may well be true; it would be better for us all if rape allegations were made directly to the DA and not on Instagram 10 yrs hence.

Instagram is nothing more than a virtual mob -pitch forks,torches,and all.


55

Yan, how do you know the rape allegations were not made directly to the DA? Just look at how Dow refused to press charges against Paso Robles police sergeant Christopher McGuire for committing forcible sex acts against a woman while on duty, despite the discovery of DNA evidence related to the case. That doesn’t exactly give sex crime victims much confidence that DA Dow will take their cases seriously.


50

How do I know that Dow wasn’t involved? …if so, it should have been included in the article. Good reporting 101. I am no fan of Dow, but believe our system of justice needs to be relied on—and not tried on Instagram


14

You obviously don’t know them Yan. This was a 15 year in the making blowup. These men are incarnates of the devil and have functioned oh so we’ll locally, brainwashing, and grooming women, and have committed atrocities to innocent women ruining their innocence for their entire life from a young age, using drugs to get them blacked out. Accusations of pedophilia will come to light soon, as well as rape, digital penetration, of over more than 15 women. SLO PD is on it as well.


6

it would be better for us all if rape allegations were made directly to the DA


Because Dan Dow has such a great track record for standing up for sexual assault victims?


10

Yes there are more and a group of women and I are still scared to come forward about one in particular. Please keep these stories coming and maybe someday, all of us can come forward.


15

Please call SLO PD, atascadero PD and the Sherrif, call Cunningham, Call your district rep etc, please call, if it happened to you it happens to others and will continue. I know it’s scary, I sympathize. You are anonymous until you don’t want to be legally, when you’re safe and a case is made.


18

Looking at their Kin Coffee instagram page, they have a photo of their Taft locations with a large sign out front with the profanity “Oh sh*t!” written uncensored in giant letters for passersby of all ages to see.


https://www.instagram.com/p/Cbk3yV9p0uo/


Real classy… Apparently all sorts of vulgar behavior is now being normalized in an attempt to be “edgy” and “hip”. No surprise that the owner and his associates are known perverts who sport beards, piercings and tattoos in an attempt to look cool. You can try to pull a “Helios” and pretend to change ownership, but you’ll never wipe the stench off.


27

If you are looking for another business to boycott, co-rapist in this story Nate Abate owns Nate’s Barber Shop at 5920 Entrada Avenue in Atascadero https://pasoroblespress.com/news/nates-barbershop-brings-retro-vibe-to-entrada/


Stay far away from these bearded hipster dоυсhebags!


61

Yall are gonna boycott until there’s nothing left…


-71

Kind of the wrong side of humanity to be a rape and pedophile supporter.


27

I dont think my comment is understood… Everyone is guilty of something; everyone. Not okay to out “looking for another business to boycott.”


-12

So “everyone is guilty of something”, so you are fine with these guys being known rapists, but the objectionable behavior you are not okay with is boycotting businesses… got it. It is very telling that the boycotting outrages you far more than the sexual assault.


15

Good luck getting rid of all the damn coffee shops.


-1

Just don’t be a serial molesting pervert and you won’t get boycotted. Do you think you can manage that “unusualsuspect”?


15

First off. These are strictly allegations against this specific individual. Being a suspected friend of a convicted rapist is correlation not causation. Second. You’re still missing the point. Which is that if you go looking for something, you will find it. Understand? Probably not.


-4

I’m not being boycotted so… no problem.


0

I was reading the Reddit posts the last few days and knew that CCN would be the first, and possibly the only, local news source to report on this.


Well done, CCN.


62

Ahhh, it all makes so much sense now. Reddit is their source lol


-45

You’ll eat those words soon, who is this, Nate or Julian?


14

I predict another downtown vacancy very soon in SLO.


63
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