This is outrageous. A coffee shop has been shut down over the Thin Blue Line flag.
A large number of people gathered inside and lined up outside of Big City Coffee in downtown Boise in an effort to support the business after the owner pulled out of a contract to have a second shop on the Boise State University campus, after expressing support for law enforcement.
The owner of Big City happens to be engaged to a former officer who endured life-threatening injuries in the line of duty, but that didn’t stop an anti-police group of BSU students from banning together to derail the small business’s expansion.
Big City has maintained a location in the Linen District in Boise, Idaho for decades. The small business is owned by Sarah Fendley, who has been a proponent of law enforcement her entire life.
Fendley is engaged to former Boise Police Corporal Kevin Holtry. In November of 2016 Holtry was shot five times while on duty in Boise. Holtry’s injuries left him paralyzed and led to the amputation of his leg.
The terrifying reality that Holtry and Fendley endured following the shooting only further solidified Fendley’s support of law enforcement and the Thin Blue Line. The shop owner’s backing of officers is an act of compassion for law enforcement and her own fiancé.
Holtry, Fendley’s fiancé, said that he was “blown away” by all the supporters who expressed their concern on social media after the coffee shop owner posted about the incident on social media.
Holtry told the news outlet:
“This is really touching, and it’s been a very amazing day – I’ve been here for two-and-a-half hours, and it’s been like this the entire time. It shows what a great community we have, and what people really think and what people – how they live and how they support, not just first responders but local businesses and people who really commit their lives to Boise.”
More details of this story from AWM:
Holtry confirmed that Fendley abandoned the contact with the school because of an “extremely small vocal minority” that overpowered her.
“There’s this misconception that [Fendley] left of her own free will, which is actually not even a half-truth, probably an eighth-truth, because she knew darn good and well that she wasn’t going to get the support,” Holtry added.
When news got out about the criticism of the Thin Blue Line flag, people patronized the establishment en masse, many of whom were not social distancing or wearing face masks.
Boise Police spokeswoman Haley Williams dispatched officers to speak to the coffee shop owner about defying the city’s mask mandate.
She said: “When it comes to masks, we hope people will take the need to wear one seriously, and we are focused on education first and foremost. We are not encouraging people to call in complaints on individuals. If there is a complaint about masks and the situation turns confrontational, or there is further disregard for public safety, then we tell people to call the police. Again, we have not received any complaints or calls for service at Big City Coffee.”
BSU made a statement regarding Big City leaving campus but twisted the truth to maintain their innocence. According to BSU, the coffee shops departure was their own decision:
“Our students hold a wide range of opinions about this business. After some students began speaking out against the owner’s personal beliefs, we explained that we could not violate the First Amendment Rights of anyone on campus. Following that, the owner requested to be let out of the contract. We agreed to the owner’s request.”
“At no time did the administration at Boise State ask Big City Coffee to leave campus. At no time did the administration ask Big City Coffee to compromise the owner’s First Amendment rights.”
Watch the video report below for more details:
Source: AWM
