President Donald J. Trump listens as Candace Owens addresses her remarks at the Young Black Leadership Summit 2019 Friday, October 4, 2019, in the East Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Tia Dufour)
After Candace Owens found out a conservative business owner in Alabama was being harassed by the left over a private text message he had written, she began a GoFundMe fundraiser for the man, Michael Dykes. Here’s what she wrote in her fundraiser description:
This is the Parkside Café, a restaurant and bar in Birmingham, Alabama that is operated by a man named Michael Dykes. This week, Michael Dykes watched my video which garnered 100 million views in 42 hours, about the irresponsibility of the George Floyd protests and riots. Michael agreed with me and in frustration, wrote a private text to one of his colleagues about how destructive the protests were and how they are placing further burden on small business owners who are struggling to stay alive after the Coronavirus lockdowns — and now cannot open because of the riots. Michael also agreed with my sentiment that George Floyd did not deserve to die, but also, that he had a criminal record that was not worthy of the heroic characterizations the media is spinning today.
An employee of his decided to leak these private text messages, quit her job, and has now encouraged a mob of people to boycott the Parkside cafe. Local media is adding further fuel to the condemnation aby (sic) demanding he answer for his private text message exchange.
I AM SICK OF THE MOB RUINING PEOPLE’S LIVES. PEOPLE ARE ALLOWED TO HAVE DIFFERENT OPINIONS. The left specializes in mobs of hate and destruction. Let’s create a reciprocal movement of patriot love and support the Parkside cafe.
Unfortunately, GoFundMe shut down Owens’ fundraiser, telling her:
GoFundMe has suspended the account associated with Candace Owens and the GoFundMe campaign has been removed because of a repeated pattern of inflammatory statements that spread hate, discrimination, intolerance and falsehoods against the black community at a time of profound national crisis. These actions violate our terms of service. Furthermore, the Parkside Cafe has clearly condemnedthe comments that initially led to this campaign.
Owens responded in the Twitter thread embedded below.
While I am glad they will give the funds raised this far to the cafe to the owner, I am angry that such a blatant form of discrimination is acceptable by @gofundme. There was NOTHING intolerant or violent about raising funds to help a conservative business owner.
— Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) June 7, 2020
Once again, conservatives and Trump supporters need to adapt to a world that tells us that our very existence is unacceptable. That our ideas, thoughts, and now even our charitable efforts are unacceptable. That threatening, boycotting, and cancelling us is okay.
— Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) June 7, 2020
See the original video Dykes was referring to here.
