Indiana’s Memories Pizza Reopens
$842,000 dollars richer…
After being bombarded with threats last week for their traditionally Christian stance on marriage, Memories Pizza was forced to close. Yesterday, they reopened their doors with over $800,000 dollars in the bank.
FOX News reported:
Northern Indiana pizzeria that backed religious law reopens
A northern Indiana pizzeria that closed after its owner supported Indiana’s religious objections law has reopened.
Memories Pizza owner Kevin O’Connor says he reopened about 4 p.m. Thursday. He says that within an hour, all eight tables were filled and six people were waiting for carryout orders. There were no protests as of 7 p.m.
O’Connor faced criticism after he and his daughter, Crystal, said they would never deny service to a gay customer but would decline to cater a same-sex wedding because it would conflict with their Christian beliefs. Protests led them to close the Walkerton pizzeria about 20 miles southwest of South Bend.
O’Connor says he’ll use some of his share of more than $842,000 raised online to make improvements. He also plans to donate to charity.
Dana Loesch, who played a major role in the GoFundMe campaign to support the O’Connors, confirmed that the funds were transferred to them in full.
FUNDS TRANSFER COMPLETED. #MemoriesPizza @LawrenceBJones3 @BenHowe #DailyDana pic.twitter.com/uPgXH5HLTt
— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) April 8, 2015
It should also be noted that at least one brave gay person stood up for the O’Connors.
Jason Howerton of The Blaze:
Gay Woman Who Donated $20 to Christian-Owned Indiana Pizzeria Reveals Why She Took Bold Stand
A gay woman who donated $20 to Memories Pizza in Walkerton, Indiana, is speaking out about her decision to take a stand in support of all Americans’ right to live their lives according to their beliefs.
Courtney Hoffman was one of thousands of people who donated over $842,000 to the Christian owners of the pizzeria last week after a high volume of online threats caused the business to temporarily close its doors. The outrage ensued after the owners told a local news crew that they would happily serve gay people in its restaurant, but would refuse to cater a gay wedding.
That’s why Hoffman’s donation stood out. While she clearly disagrees with the owners’ beliefs, she still supports their right to operate their business based on those beliefs. In addition to her $20 donation to Memories Pizza, 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.”
Kudos to Ms. Hoffman. Gay marriage activists could learn much from her.
Featured image is a screen capture from FOX News.
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Comments
This is heartwarming.
The sad reality, though, is that the bullying fascists won.
Gov. Pence blinked, and the IN legislature re-wrote the law.
A hollow victory. But for this family, and for religious liberty lovers, it is good – encouraging.
Plus, it’s a poke in the eye to the propaganda-machine, praetorian guard media, which isn’t so bad, either. 😉
How was the “re-write” a fascist win? Do you know what they did?
Read this (via Newsmax) – http://www.teaparty.org/full-cave-indiana-guts-religious-freedom-restoration-act-92430/
You didn’t answer my questions.
All the Indiana legislature did was include a “public accommodations” code that mirrors those of other states and the Federal government.
It did not “gut” the RFRA. And NOBODY is harmed, because NOBODY thinks they can refuse services in “public accommodations”. See?
But if that pizza shop cannot discriminate against the gays, then the pizza shop has lost, n’est pas?
Selling at the pizza shop, which is their business, is an activity where they have said they don’t discriminate. Indeed, I doubt they ask.
Catering, which is not their business, is a personal service. Catering involves participation in an event. The law has long recognized the difference between selling goods and engaging in personal services. Compelled personal services are disfavored in this country as being too close to slavery.
Yes, I know you are purposeful engaging in trolling of the limited intellectual variety. This is the last time I will respond.
NO, stupid, and for the 10 to the nth power time, they cannot be COMPELLED to cater ANY event that violates their conscience.
Why do you bother aping that lie any longer?
It’s a win for the fascists because the legislature and Governor caved to their pressure.
You are right the change wasn’t substantive, but they still bowed their heads to the Gay Nazis and Leftmedia by making it.
If there is no real change, why did they act at all, if not to submit to the pressure?
Because there was a hole in the Indiana legal codes that needed to be addressed.
Duh. It clarified the very BS allegations that assoNY keeps coming here making, which is no bad thing.
The honest answer to the question of whether ‘Memories Pizzeria’ would cater a gay wedding would have been to state that they don’t cater weddings. Inserting wisdom from their ‘magic’ book was irrelevant. Actually they seem to be very selective in what they take from the scriptures. I’ll bet the cheese on their pizza isn’t kosher.
Did they announce that they wouldn’t cater 2nd marriages? I know I am not the first to point that out, but it is a fair question.
Hey, if you fuels wish to give them your money, it’s no skin off of my nose.
BTW, the Church of Scientology would probably agree with them. They don’t like homosexuals and they have holy scriptures, too. 1st century – 20th century – what’s the diff?
What an odd set of stupid-isms!
“Inserting wisdom from their ‘magic’ book was irrelevant.”
That same book that Barracula, Biden, Pelosi, Kennedy, et. al. refer to and claim to believe?
But that’s OK with you, because you know they’re lying through their teeth. And lying is a Collectivist requirement.
That, and the urge to impose your totalitarian utopia, which is a delusion, but one you’re willing to crush people to attempt to make reality.
Fails every time. And it did here, which must gnaw at your poor, stupid, lying guts.
Religious freedom means you are free to tkae from the Bible or any other holy book exactly what you please. Where you aware there is more than one Christian denomination? Ahhhh! How could that be! They must be doing it wrong!
This could be the ultimate solution…
http://1-ps.googleusercontent.com/xk/EE6I3Peu9SaPzfsTuiEsBNjN4w/www.powerlineblog.com/i1.wp.com/www.powerlineblog.com/admin/ed-assets/2015/04/Eat-the-Cake-copy.jpg,qresize=580,P2C568.pagespeed.ce.JKMmSouTbj1U0WAq6DIC.jpg
Good luck to them. I hope they become the most successful restaurant in town.
That won’t be hard since the town population is less than 3000. Just saying.
This looks like a “resist the devil and he will flee” situation. They faced and endured some brief duress, but they openly spoke and stuck to their belief and in this case were greatly rewarded.
I prefer not to look at them as victims, even at the time they were being nationally vilified. Standing made them stronger. Paul wrote “in all these things we are more than conquerors” from prison. Even a secular viewer might see the advantage of not cowering in the face of adversity, or third rate reporters looking to cause harm.
I’m not sure of the best approach when there is lawfare, an actual lawsuit to force the baking of that cake. But as with terrorism, if the LGBT radicals manage to coerce business people into acting against their religion, make them silent, “the terrorists have won”.
Christians can’t accept the atheist Marxist left’s “idolatry”. Obama says Christians aren’t “loving” because they are not submissive and silent. Our founders put our liberties out of reach of government, and dependent on we the people fighting for what is right. “Love” resists evil, it does not submit to the equivocating god of diversity and hate.
I hope they’ll take a hefty portion of the money and set up a fund to help others like them.
This is a WONDERFUL notion, IMNHO…
http://pjmedia.com/vodkapundit/2015/04/10/anarchy-in-the-uk-us/
(I take exception to the misuse of “anarchy” and the loopy comparison to Cloward-Piven, though.)
Great video.
I’d read the O’Connors were using funds to help some other baker and I forget what else. I suppose Dana didn’t think this would grow so large, or she could have put a cap on it and diverted the rest to the “Madison Fund”. But if they take most as a jackpot, so be it.
But campaigning off the next incidents for said Madison Fund might be wise, once it is structured and low overhead management established. Of course there are already groups like the ACLU or conservative versions, but this could be specific to this cause. Then for every leftist stunt there is a corresponding $5 million in fundraising against them … sort of a ruler to their knuckles for the bad children disrespecting lady liberty. heh
I agree about the Cloward-Piven, Anarchy labels. The left has labeled the founders as “extremist”, and Whittle points out we the people are still law abiding (the center is holding), it is government that has gone extreme, with their commie backed radical instigators. The tea party and/or Madison Fund needs to claim the God, country, baseball and apple pie high ground of liberty.
Hey Obama, because we “love” our country, we are indeed clinging to our religion, and our guns. 🙂
on further reflection, it would seem this Madison Fund could be set up under one of the conservative groups that has either charity status or whatever 501 status applies, so as to avoid the ten years of obstruction from our IRS internal army of leftists. The specific expenses could be completely transparent to maintain integrity and encourage giving.
Maybe you and Dana can set that up over the weekend? 😉 It would have to be separate from the Beck “for profit” empire though.
By all means, have Dana get in touch! After I recover and get off the floor, I’ll be happy to help!
But seriously, this is going to be “the coming thing” in resisting we much.
Gosh what a roller coaster ! The first comment in this series by Midwest Rhino made me want to comment on how proud I am of a fellow Midwesterner.
Then you evolved to saying someone who “knows better” should have intervened to limit the reward the people chose to give, and even where the ‘rest” should go. I might be completely misguided but I wondered if you were somehow in charge of the “Madison Fund” and how much you take home per year for your services. I apologize if I am wrong, but are you any different then those who say government know best how to spend our money?
Dana did what she wanted … people can still give freely where ever they want. sheesh. Government takes by force, you realize, right?
So Dana could have said, hey, let’s get a couple hundred grand for these guys, then set up a fund to help others. That would have been her free will choice that might have done more good. But that is my idea, Dana did something else.
There are many cases like this, where one person gets national media attention and is made wealthy, while a thousand that deal with the same situation are forgotten. People get their feel good “I fought that issue” buzz and move on. So my idea would help more people, not just the single cause célèbre.
In either case it is free will giving, and people could keep writing checks directly to the pizza place if they especially love them for some reason. Using the incident to additionally form some protective service seems wiser to me.
If I were sued, I would demand that the plaintiff(s) prove standing. I wonder what the test for proving that one is a member of the group might be.
Gosh, I wish I could be there !
Good for these bigots! I can only hope they turn down any future requests for catering weddings for previously-divorced persons, ’cause Jesus said divorce is sinful!
They got $800,000+, and you are left with your miserable self.
Suck on that, Chomsky.
You here again? How many times do you have to be told nobody wants you here?
Your village called, looking for you. They are missing their idiot.
I hope Memories Pizza buys a new delivery car, perhaps a Rolls or a Bentley.
So, they never have and never will refuse service to gays, but they can’t be forced to participate in a gay marriage. It’s about forced participation against religious beliefs concerning same-sex marriage, not categorical discrimination against gays, which this pizzeria has never practiced. Works for me.
Remember Annise Parker, Houston’s ‘openly’ gay mayor? Remember that Ms. Parker wanted to review the prayers and sermons of local ministers in search of politically ‘incorrect’ statements? Parker’s anti-First Amendment harassment was meant to protect the narcissist bent of homosexuals.
Now, why is it OK for Apple to discriminate against and boycott (withhold business from) Indiana and evangelical businesses can’t do the same with regard to same-sex weddings?
STOP MAKING SENSE. IT MAKES MY HEAD HURT.
Take two aspirins with a large pizza of your choice from Memories Pizza and call me in the morning.
DAMMIT. I’m outside their delivery zone.
“It’s different when WE do it.”
O’Reilly and others keep insisting it’s because lgbts need to be a special protected class of people. He sited some incident in Montana that has been proven to be more about drugs than about the guy being gay. Malzberg on the Newsmax channel took O’Reilly to task for that.
In any case, the incidents are rare, and we have plenty of laws against violence. But O’Reilly says if you beat someone because they are gay, that gets a much harsher sentence than beating someone for being Christian.
Of course the left pushes this too, I just mention O’Reilly because many view him as more conservative, or rational. He says he’s independent, but to me he shifts to “middle ground” for ratings.
Hey, Anony, how’s it feel to know that your side’s whining and complaining made these people richer than they would have ever been if you’d left them alone?
Happy ending, good.
Despite the onerous burden on all the gay weddings who wanted their receptions catered by a pizzeria – which were NONE, ever – freedom takes a small victory.