Indiana Pizza Shop 1st to Publicly Say It Would Deny Same-Sex Service

[Angel4Truth]

Indiana Pizza Shop 1st to Publicly Say It Would Deny Same-Sex Service

See video interview here: http://abcnews.go.com/Business/video/indiana-pizza-shop-1st-publicly-deny-sex-service-30045017

After this aired, loads of online articles came up insisting these people denied a gay wedding and they have now closed their doors because of threats of violence against and threats that their business would be burned down and threats against them and their family.

They even stated straight out they would never deny service to gay patrons, but would only if asked refuse to cater a gay wedding (as if anyone would ask a pizza shop to cater a gay wedding)

Anyway you should see the mess on their yelp page here: http://www.yelp.com/biz/memories-pizza-walkerton

The blaze put up a gofundme page for people to support the resturant owners in light of this and its already received over 50 thousand in donations:


Memories Pizza in Indiana Gets Thousands in Donations After Saying It Won't Cater Gay Wedding

Donations are pouring in for operators of a pizza restaurant in Indiana driven into hiding by angry protests and threats after they said they would refuse to cater a gay wedding.

The owners of Memories Pizza in Walkerton, Indiana, near the border with Michigan, told ABC News' South Bend, Indiana, affiliate WBND that they don't support gay marriage because of their religious beliefs. Co-owner Crystal O'Connor said the restaurant, a "Christian establishment," would be willing to serve gay or lesbian customers who walk in, just not a wedding.

“If a gay couple was to come in -- like say, they wanted us to provide them pizzas for a wedding, we would have to say 'no,'” O'Connor told WBND.

The comments came after the Religious Freedom Restoration Act was recently signed into law by Gov. Mike Pence that prohibits state and local government from "substantially" burdening someone's religious beliefs without a "compelling" interest. Legislators today are debating a change to the law that would prevent businesses from discriminating based on sexual orientation or other factors.

Since the restaurant's story went viral this week, supporters and critics have flooded the Internet. Critical online comments have swamped the restaurant's Yelp page and the local police department said it completed an investigation into a threat on Twitter to "burn down" the restaurant.

"We encourage all to follow Indiana laws and statutes," assistant chief of police Charles Kulp said in a statement on Wednesday. "We ask that all frustrations and rebuttals with Memories Pizza’s recent media statements remain within the law."

Meanwhile, a GoFundMe page launched on Wednesday to support the restaurant had raised $226,000 as of Thursday afternoon. Lawrence Jones, a contributor to the show "Dana," hosted by Dana Loesch on Glenn Beck's TheBlaze, started the fundraising page to coincide with O'Connor's phone interview on the show Wednesday.

"This is us as America," Jones told ABC News. "When Americans are attacked for their voice, we get behind that. We created this GoFundMe and our hope is to raise as much money, to give them every penny so they can survive."

n her interview with The Blaze, O'Connor reiterated her stance that she would serve "anyone that walked in that door, even gays," but that she did "not condone a [gay] wedding."

“I don’t know if we will re-open, or if we can, if it’s safe to re-open,” O’Connor said, according to TheBlaze.com. “We’re in hiding basically, staying in the house.”

The O'Connor family, which WBND said has owned Memories Pizza for nine years, did not respond to ABC News' requests for further comment. The phone went unanswered at Memories Pizza when ABC News called.

Kulp said the department completed an investigation into a comment on Twitter that stated, “Who’s going to Walkerton with me to burn down Memories Pizza." That Twitter account for a high school coach no longer exists.

The department submitted a report to the St. Joseph County Prosecutors office "for possible charging of harassment, intimidation, and threats," Kulp wrote in his statement.

The prosecutor's office told ABC News this morning that it was still reviewing the police report.

The Concord Community Schools district said the coach of the high school, about 38 miles away from the restaurant, was suspended without pay pending a district investigation.

"That feed is followed by many Concord High School students, including athletes on her teams," the district said on its website. "The promotion of illegal and violent conduct by one of its employees is a serious matter that Concord Community Schools must address and appropriately discipline."

Due to threats on the restaurant, Kulp tells the South Bend Tribune that patrols of the business “will go on as long as threats continue to be made."

After seeing the comments on yelp is pretty clear that there are a lot of very disturbed liberals and gays out there.

Check out their yelp page for yourself, the gays that cry bullying and intolerance are the biggest bullies and biggest intolerant people ive ever seen.

This by the way is also a christian business who had a box set up inside for prayer requests and has been open 9 years in a town of 2200 (we know that is why this place was targeted to trash first)

Keep on keepin on gaystopo, your harming your own cause. The more you cry bully while being one, the more people STOP supporting gay marriage, so have at it.

Update - the go fund me page has raised over 250,000!

What happened to "we just want to be left alone to live our lives" it now "you will support ME or lose your life and business/livelyhood"

Sick - the comments and pics on their review page are sick and come from losers who have never eaten there, or ever set foot in there. They have even posted porn pics there of gays that keep being removed.

 

[kmoney]

Why did they publicly say this?

 

[Angel4Truth]

Why did they publicly say this?

They were interviewed initially by a local abc affiliate as to what they thought about the new law in indiana, and you can see what the owner said yourself in the op link to the interview.

No gay or lesbian couple asked them to cater their wedding but a local abc affiliate headlined them as "the first business to deny service to gays under indianas new law", that article (the local one that started this) has since vanished.

They never denied service to anyone, they said they would only if asked to cater a gay wedding.

I saw the article myself last night and its gone today.

That local abc affiliate should have their tail sued off for libel.

 

[rocketman]

Thus shows the intolerance of the left & homosexuals... these people did not say they would not serve gays, they said that they would not cater/take part in a gay wedding...seems reasonable to me. Whatever happened to "reserving the right to refuse service to anyone"? Gays can bully their way into getting some rights through the law but, social acceptance is not anything that is owed to them from those that morally disagree with their unnatural behavior, nor should they expect people to take part in their social functions. I wouldn't expect a gay printer to print flyers for the "Westboro Baptist Church" either, people should have the freedom to decline based on personal reasons.

 

[rexlunae]

Whatever happened to "reserving the right to refuse service to anyone"?

There is no such right.

 

[Angel4Truth]

Thus shows the intolerance of the left & homosexuals... these people did not say they would not serve gays, they said that they would not cater/take part in a gay wedding...seems reasonable to me. Whatever happened to "reserving the right to refuse service to anyone"? Gays can bully their way into getting some rights through the law but, social acceptance is not anything that is owed to them from those that morally disagree with their unnatural behavior, nor should they expect people to take part in their social functions. I wouldn't expect a gay printer to print flyers for the "Westboro Baptist Church" either, people should have the freedom to decline based on personal reasons.

Exactly, they never said they would not serve them - in fact they said they would never deny serving them at their establishment, but that they would refuse IF ASKED (they had not been asked) to cater a gay wedding.

The local abc affiliate who interviewed them, falsley claimed in their headline that they were the first business to deny service under the new law, when they denied service to NO ONE.

Now they changed the headline to read they are the first to state they would deny service, when thats not true either but not as libelous as what their local affiliate said.

They still havent said they would deny service, they said they wouldnt cater a gay wedding ONLY.

This is more slander by the liberal media trying to harm those with which they disagree. (fascists)

I think its no cooincidence that they chose this little place to be the first interviewed about it either, it has scripture all in the place, they pray each day openly in there and they have a prayer request box for customers.

 

[rexlunae]

They still havent said they would deny service, they said they wouldnt cater a gay wedding ONLY.

The sooner you guys figure out that it's not ok to deny service to a gay couple, even if it's only their wedding, the better off you'll be.

 

[Angel4Truth]

Check out their yelp page, its disgusting what freaks have done to it - they once had a 5 star rating also, and all these new rates are from completely dishonest perverts who have never set foot in the place.

Not to mention their perversion is clear by the pics they are posting.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/memories-pizza-walkerton

 

[Angel4Truth]

The sooner you guys figure out that it's not ok to deny service to a gay couple, even if it's only their wedding, the better off you'll be.

yes, or have ones business burned or life snuffed out or page porned, right? Fascist.

They didn't deny service to anyone - should they die in your opinion and have no business because you dont like what they think?

 

[rocketman]

There is no such right.

No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service...there is another point of discrimination, no? How far do you want to take this? Do you feel that a gay printer should be compelled to print flyers for an anti-gay function, or for say a Westboro Baptist Church anti gay rally? Is this the road that gays want to travel because you know as well as I that it will certainly go there just for posterity. Again, this pizza joint has not said they would not serve gays, they have said that they will not take part in a gay function i.e. cater. Why is that so unreasonable?

 

[Angel4Truth]

No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service...there is another point of discrimination, no? How far do you want to take this? Do you feel that a gay printer should be compelled to print flyers for an anti-gay function, or for say a Westboro Baptist Church anti gay rally? Is this the road that gays want to travel because you know as well as I that it will certainly go there just for posterity. Again, this pizza joint has not said they would not serve gays, they have said that they will not take part in a gay function i.e. cater. Why is that so unreasonable?

Its not, it would be like us forcing atheists to pray. They are hypocrites.

 

[rexlunae]

No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service...there is another point of discrimination, no?

Otherwise known as the following the health codes.

I said that there's no right to refuse service. That doesn't mean that there is always a requirement to provide service.

How far do you want to take this?

To infinity and beyond.

Do you feel that a gay printer should be compelled to print flyers for an anti-gay function, or for say a Westboro Baptist Church anti gay rally?

I don't have a problem with anyone refusing to write a particular message. The problem is when a service that is offered to everyone else is denied to a particular group.

Is this the road that gays want to travel because you know as well as I that it will certainly go there just for posterity. Again, this pizza joint has not said they would not serve gays, they have said that they will not take part in a gay function i.e. cater. Why is that so unreasonable?

Because catering is a service that they provide to others for pay.

 

[Angel4Truth]

Because catering is a service that they provide to others for pay.

Please show us who they denied and where they stated they cater to begin with because they gave a hypothetical?

Do liberals even care about facts?

 

[Angel4Truth]

Another article:

Christian Pizza Shop Owners 'in Hiding' Amid Death Threats, Close Doors After Indiana HS Coach Threatens to Torch Pizzeria for Saying They 'Won't Cater Gay Weddings'

A high school golf coach in Indiana has been suspended after she threatened to burn down a local pizzeria when she heard its Christian owners say earlier this week that they'd refuse to cater gay weddings if asked to do so. The pizza shop has temporarily closed amid safety concerns after its owners received death threats this week.

After Gov. Mike Pence signed into law Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act last Thursday, the O'Connor family, which has owned Memories Pizza in Walkerton, Indiana, for over nine years, told a local ABC television news reporter on Tuesday that they agree with the new law and believe that it doesn't discriminate against homosexauls, as some claim.

Crystal O'Connor added that should a gay couple come in and want the pizzeria to cater their wedding, the restaurant would refuse to provide services for the event.

"If the gay couple was to come in and say that they wanted us to provide pizza for their wedding, we would have to say no," Crystal O'Connor told ABC 57 News reporter Alyssa Marino. "We are a Christian establishment."

"We're not discriminating against anyone — that's just our belief and anyone has the right to believe in anything," O'Connor added. "I don not think it is targeting gays. I don't think it's discrimination. [The law is] supposed to help people that have religious belief."

Kevin O'Connor, Crystal's father, told Marino that he feels that homosexuals "choose" to be gay.

"That lifestyle is something they choose. I choose to be heterosexual. They choose to be homosexual," O'Connor asserted. "Why should I be beat over the head to go along with something they choose?"

The O'Connor's comments drew the ire of many LGBT advocates and even caught the attention of Jess Dooley, a girls' golf coach at Concord High School in Elkhart, Indiana, who took to Twitter to voice her outrage and potentially incite violence upon the pizza shop.

"Who's going to Walkerton, IN to burn down #memoriespizza w me? Agree with #FreedomofReligionBill? 'That's a lifestyle they CHOOSE' Ignorant," Dooley tweeted from her since-deleted Twitter account.

On Wednesday, the school announced that Dooley was suspended indefinitely pending the results of a police investigation. The Walkerton Police Department issued a statement on the investigation and confirmed that Dooley could face charges.

"Questions have arisen based on Jessica Dooley's Twitter comment," the statement reads. "The Walkerton Police Department has finished an investigation into this statement and submitted a case to the St. Joseph County Prosecutors office for possible charging of harassment, intimidation and threats."

After receiving Dooley's threat and death threats, the O'Connors were forced to shut down their restaurant on Wednesday for safety reasons and are uncertain as to whether it will reopen.

"I don't know if we will reopen, or if we can, if it's safe to reopen," Crystal O'Connor told TheBlaze. "We're in hiding basically, staying in the house."

A GoFundMe online fundraising page has been set up for the pizzeria and has already raised over $165,000 in support for the O'Connor family as of Thursday afternoon. The fundraising page was set up by Dana Loesch and Lawrence B. Jones III of The Blaze, The Huffington Post reports.

"Nobody should ever have to suffer or suffer alone for their faith, for standing up for Christian principles," Loesch said.

Although O'Connor explicitly said the pizzeria would not provide services for gay weddings, some liberal media sources have reported on O'Connor's comments with the spin that O'Connor implied that gays were not welcome or would not be served in their restaurant.

But in an interview with the Daily Beast, Kevin O'Connor clarified the statement and the pizzeria's stance on serving gay weddings.

"I don't have a problem with gay people. I do not condone gay marriage and that's what I said," O'Connor explained. "I don't turn anybody away from the store. I don't have a problem with gay people. I just don't condone the marriage."

O'Connor also emphasized that the pizzeria has never been asked to cater any wedding and that the response was not based on an actual denial of service to a gay couple.

more at link: http://www.christianpost.com/news/h...ian-owners-hiding-after-death-threats-136833/

 

[TomO]

Why did they publicly say this?

lain: Probably because they spend most of their time running their business and as such have not been paying attention to media over the past decade or so. I'm willing to bet they had no idea what a hornets nest they were opening for themselves.

I have a feeling they'll be okay though....I just checked their Gofundme page. Well over $300K...It hasn't even been a full day yet. I wouldn't be shocked if they came out of this millionaires.

 

[quip]

Indiana Pizza Shop 1st to Publicly Say It Would Deny Same-Sex Service

See video interview here: http://abcnews.go.com/Business/video/indiana-pizza-shop-1st-publicly-deny-sex-service-30045017

In reference to the father's "lifestyle" comment at the end of the video. Being homo is no more a "lifestyle choice" than being hetero is. How one lives under or within their respective sexual orientation is a choice but the former is not.

Why do you guys keep confusing/conflating the two?

 

[Angel4Truth]

From the GoFundMe page:

Religious liberty is under assault in Indiana and that's never been clearer than with the O'Connor family.

When asked by local press the hypothetical question of whether or not they'd prefer to have their family owned business, Memories Pizza, cater a gay wedding, the owner said no citing their own religious beliefs as the reason.

Rather than allowing this family to simply have their opinion, which they were asked to give, outraged people grabbed the torches and began a campaign to destroy this small business in small town Indiana.

All for having an opinion that is rooted in faith.

No one was turned away. No one was discriminated against. It was a hypothetical question asked by a news reporter who had questionable motives to begin with.

After being interviewed by Dana Loesch on her television show on Blaze TV, we learned that the family may never even reopen the doors to their restaurant as the death threats and vicious online reviews continue to pour in from the arbiters of "tolerance."

My name is Lawrence Jones, and I'm one of the television opinion contributors on Dana's show.

Before the televised interview, producers Rachel, Allison and George discussed the situation with Dana, myself and head writer Ben Howe. We all agreed: this family needs help to get through this assault.

So we set up a GoFundMe page with the modest goal of $25,000. The intent was to help the family stave off the burdensome cost of having the media parked out front, activists tearing them down, and no customers coming in.

Our goal was simply to help take one thing off this family's plate as the strangers sought to destroy them.

But other strangers came to the rescue and the total just keeps going up.

Thank you for helping us do some good for this family who were scared and in hiding just 24 hours before this writing.

All money, save whatever percentage GoFundMe takes, will be transferred directly to whichever bank account the O'Connors wish to use.

Show producers are in direct contact with the family to ensure that they never feel like they are being left out of what is going on.

Thank you to everyone for your generosity.

To keep up with whats being raised: http://www.gofundme.com/memoriespizza

Oh and to you nutty lying liberals and gays, they never catered at all to begin with and it even says so on the yelp page on the services they offer.

You guy dont care about lying like demons do you?

 

[Angel4Truth]

In reference to the father's "lifestyle" comment at the end of the video. Being homo is no more a "lifestyle choice" than being hetero is. How one lives under or within their respective sexual orientation is a choice but the former is not.

Why do you guys keep confusing/conflating the two?

Please make your own thread to discuss that side issue or comment on one of the hundreds of threads about that, thanks.

Do you have any comment on these people being threatened with death, lied about, or having their business burned to the ground for having an opinion that you dont share? Thats the topic.

 

[Angel4Truth]

A comment by a gay woman about this:

Among all of the donations was a $20 contribution that is being called the “greatest things I’ve seen in years” and the epitome of “real tolerance.” The GoFundMe page was set up by Lawrence Jones, a contributor for TheBlaze TV’s “Dana.”

A woman, who identified herself as Courtney Hoffman, wrote:

“As a member of the gay community, I would like to apologize for the mean spirited attacks on you and your business. I know many gay individuals who fully support your right to stand up for your beliefs and run your business according to those beliefs. We are outraged at the level of hate and intolerance that has been directed at you and I sincerely hope that you are able to rebuild.”

Thats what real tolerance looks like.

from: Among $200K+ Donated to Christian Owners of Indiana Pizzeria Is $20 Gift That’s Being Called the ‘Greatest Thing I’ve Seen in Years’

 

[quip]

Please make your own thread to discuss that side issue or comment on one of the hundreds of threads about that, thanks.

Do you have any comment on these people being threatened with death, lied about, or having their business burned to the ground for having an opinion that you dont share? Thats the topic.

As if this subject is fresh and novel...:chuckle:

It's simply referencing your thread link, if you don't want the comments, delete the link...otherwise answer the questions posed.