UNITED STATES—On June 6, conservative commentator, spokesperson for Turning Point USA and founder of Blexit Candace Owens had a GoFundMe account suspended due to what moderators of GoFundMe called “intolerance.”
Owens raised upwards of $200,000 for Parkside Café in Birmingham, Alabama that was vandalized during George Floyd protests that took place in downtown Birmingham.
A 7:00 p.m. curfew was put in place by Birmingham Mayor Woodfin beginning June 1st after violent protesters and rioters destroyed a confederate monument, the historic Alabama Theatre, smashed in windows, looted, and did other catastrophic damage to the downtown businesses on May 31.
The Parkside Café, owned by Michael Dykes and Robert Bagwell, has been closed since June 5 when controversy erupted over a text message Dykes reportedly sent to Bagwell referring to Floyd as a “thug.”
“We should go up one or two dollars on everything until June 10th. Call it a protest tax because all the idiots that went to the protests are responsible for us not being able to open normal business hours…Any employees who went or are going should resign,” Dykes said. “Mr Floyd was a thug, didn’t deserve to die, but honouring a thug is irresponsible.”
The café has since apologized for Dykes Tweet. GoFundMe has indicated that they will transfer the money Owens raised in her GoFundMe campaign to Parkside Café.
