A white landlord in Iowa has reportedly evicted a group of Black business owners after he saw their employees supporting Black Lives Matter on the news.
“We got kicked out from our business office space by our landlord cuz he saw us on the news peacefully protesting,” Stylent CEO Jeremiah Johnson revealed on Twitter. “Violating our 1st amendment rights and the lease. Please share this video! When other people protest for haircuts, it’s great! But when I protest peaceful it’s bad!!”
We got kicked out from our business office space by our landlord cuz he saw us on the news peacefully protesting.Violating our 1st amendment rights and the lease. Please share this video! When other people protest for haircuts, it’s great! But when I protest peaceful it’s bad!! pic.twitter.com/PuGkC3QMmA
— Jeremiah Johnson (@jeremiah_miah11) June 6, 2020
These were the pictures he saw on the news that made him think we were doing criminal acts. I’ll never support looting because I own small businesses in the U.S and back home in my country Liberia. I’ll always stand up for what’s right regardless of what a rich guy thinks pic.twitter.com/AqlaO4zYp7
— Jeremiah Johnson (@jeremiah_miah11) June 7, 2020
Video shared on Twitter shows the landlord explaining his decision to evict the business.
The landlord seems to argue that employees of the business were wrong to be protesting in an area where looting was also occurring.
“I was protesting the right way,” Johnson says in the video.
“I will tell you flat out,” the landlord opines, “if there’s something illegal going on at a place that I’m at, I don’t want to be a part of it. I’m personally going to leave.”
“There was two different groups,” Johnson points out.
“All I’m saying is I think it’s poor judgement to be at a place where something illegally is going on,” the landlord continues. “Whether you are a part of it or not.”
“We didn’t think that was going to happen,” the business owner says. “We were there for a peaceful protest.”
Twitter users reacted by pledging to purchase Stylent apparel.
They sell hoodies, shirts, and jerserys. Join me in buying some https://t.co/2hAmJZBhaG https://t.co/HYZMMNqxKW
— GrandPooBear (@GrandPOOBear) June 7, 2020
Its @stylentbrands by some gear!!
— Will Frazier (@MrWillFrazier) June 7, 2020
UPDATE: This seems to be at the heart of the problem: The notion that rights are "earned" or "deserved."
We took it to the court but no response yet, he sent an email to us talking about, we are protesting for “rights and respect “ we havnt earn. Like what ? Seriously ? The only rights I care about is my human rights. If it’s not value cuz of my skin color then idc about any rights pic.twitter.com/gxhsGOSHcT
— Jeremiah Johnson (@jeremiah_miah11) June 7, 2020
