Seattle-area 'Coffee with a Cop' event canceled after shop owner's Christian views attract LGBTQ backlash
A Seattle suburb canceled its upcoming "Coffee with a Cop" event after it faced protests because of the coffee shop owner's Christian beliefs.
Seattle radio host Jason Rantz reported that the city of Shoreline, Washington, canceled the community event, which aims to strengthen the relationship between police officers and residents, after the city's Facebook page was flooded with negative comments from liberals upset that Pilgrim Coffeehouse would host the event.
Pilgrim Coffeehouse is owned by Keith Carpenter, head pastor of Epic Life Church. The church states it believes marriage is between "one man and one woman" on its website.
Commenters vowed to hold a protest and one even called for the coffee shop to leave the city, saying that Carpenter's views on marriage did not align with the progressive city's ideals.
Pro-police Coffee Shop Owner Wins $4 Million In Free Speech Suit Against University Officials
"Picked the Christian homophobic coffee house!" an account called "Sounder Sam" posted under the city's venue announcement. The same person alerted the community that a "pro LGBTQIA2S+ protest" was planned outside the coffee house the morning of the event.
Read On The Fox News App
Other comments accused the city of picking a "bigoted" and "anti-LGBTQIA+" venue and demanded it be hosted elsewhere.
In response to the backlash, Shoreline abruptly canceled the event, Rantz reported.
"It was neither the department's nor the City's intent to make any community member feel unwelcome based on the selection of the event venue and the values that the venue may or may not hold. When planning future events, we will be more intentional with our venue selection," Shoreline City Hall wrote in a March 12 statement posted to Facebook.
The cancelation announcement was met with mostly positive comments.
"Thank you, Shoreline!!!! My family feels a little bit safer in our neighborhood now thanks to this decision," one comment under the City Hall Facebook post read. Another said, "Thank you for listening and doing the right thing."
Carpenter also responded to the cancelation post by outlining all the ways his church helps the needy in the community and pledging that everyone would be treated with respect and dignity at his coffee shop.
He also spoke out against the cancellation in an interview with Rantz.
"It is a form of discrimination, for sure," Carpenter told the radio host, adding that he didn't want to play "the victim card."
Trump Announces Executive Order Creating Task Force To 'Eradicate Anti-christian Bias'
Carpenter said he could deal with online backlash but that there were also "blatant lies" being spread about his church and coffee shop.
"We serve anybody who walks in the door. I don't even know (if they're LGBT). We don't ask questions. So it's like a non-starter for us, because nobody's asking questions at the door. Anybody who walks in that space will get the same exact beautiful, generous, generously hospitable treatment. And probably the best cup they'll have all month or all year," he told Rantz.
He said it didn't "make a lot of sense" that the city would exclude his business from participating in the event while at the same time touting its inclusive values.
"It basically says, 'We don't want Pilgrim Coffeehouse in our city,' and putting it out there publicly," Carpenter told Rantz.
"It's completely opposite than [the]message they're trying to say about inclusivity. It's the opposite of that, and it's hard. It's hard as a business," he added.
A spokesperson for the City of Shoreline told Fox News Digital, "The City is committed to being a welcoming place for all people, no matter who they are or what they believe."
"The work of local government is mostly focused on the basics—it is potholes, sidewalks, and public safety. Coffee with a Cop is supposed to be a place where law enforcement can talk with residents about law enforcement in Shoreline. When the March 26 event got caught up in issues other than public safety, it could no longer serve its purpose and was canceled. Moving forward, we will only host these events at public facilities," the spokesperson added.
Carpenter did not immediately return Fox News Digital's request for comment.Original article source: Seattle-area 'Coffee with a Cop' event canceled after shop owner's Christian views attract LGBTQ backlash
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
3 hours ago
Friends say Minnesota shooting suspect was deeply religious and conservative
NEW YORK -- The man accused of assassinating the top Democrat in the Minnesota House held deeply religious and politically conservative views, telling a congregation in Africa two years ago that the U.S. was in a 'bad place' where most churches didn't oppose abortion. Vance Luther Boelter, 57, was captured late Sunday following a two-day manhunt authorities described as the largest in the state's history. Boelter is accused of impersonating a police officer and gunning down former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, in their home outside Minneapolis. Democratic Gov. Tim Walz described the shooting as 'a politically motivated assassination.' Sen. John Hoffman, also a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, were shot earlier by the same gunman at their home nearby but survived. Friends and former colleagues interviewed by AP described Boelter as a devout Christian who attended an evangelical church and went to campaign rallies for President Donald Trump. Records show Boelter registered to vote as a Republican while living in Oklahoma in 2004 before moving to Minnesota where voters don't list party affiliation. Near the scene at Hortman's home, authorities say they found an SUV made to look like those used by law enforcement. Inside they found fliers for a local anti-Trump 'No Kings' rally scheduled for Saturday and a notebook with names of other lawmakers. The list also included the names of abortion rights advocates and health care officials, according to two law enforcement officials who could not discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity. Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said at a briefing on Sunday that Boelter is not believed to have made any public threats before the attacks. Evans asked the public not to speculate on a motivation for the attacks. 'We often want easy answers for complex problems,' he told reporters. 'Those answers will come as we complete the full picture of our investigation.' Friends told the AP that they knew Boelter was religious and conservative, but that he didn't talk about politics often and didn't seem extreme. "He was right-leaning politically but never fanatical, from what I saw, just strong beliefs,' said Paul Schroeder, who has known Boelter for years. Boelter, who worked as a security contractor, gave a glimpse of his beliefs on abortion during a trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2023. While there, Boelter served as an evangelical pastor, telling people he had first found Jesus as a teenager. 'The churches are so messed up, they don't know abortion is wrong in many churches,' he said, according to an online recording of one sermon from February 2023. Still, in three lengthy sermons reviewed by the AP, he only mentioned abortion once, focusing more on his love of God and what he saw as the moral decay in his native country. He appears to have hidden his more strident beliefs from his friends back home. 'He never talked to me about abortion,' Schroeder said. 'It seemed to be just that he was a conservative Republican who naturally followed Trump.' A married father with five children, Boelter and his wife own a sprawling 3,800-square-foot house on a large rural lot about an hour from downtown Minneapolis that the couple bought in 2023 for more than a half-million dollars. He worked for decades in managerial roles for food and beverage manufacturers before seeking to reinvent himself in middle age, according to resumes and a video he posted online. After getting an undergraduate degree in international relations in his 20s, Boelter went back to school and earned a master's degree and then a doctorate in leadership studies in 2016 from Cardinal Stritch University, a private Catholic college in Wisconsin that has since shut down. While living in Wisconsin, records show Boelter and his wife Jenny founded a nonprofit corporation called Revoformation Ministries, listing themselves as the president and secretary. After moving to Minnesota about a decade ago, Boelter volunteered for a position on a state workforce development board, first appointed by then-Gov. Mark Dayton, a Democrat, in 2016, and later by Democratic Gov. Tim Walz. He served through 2023. In that position, he may have crossed paths with one of his alleged victims. Hoffman served on the same board, though authorities said it was not immediately clear how much the two men may have interacted. Records show Boelter and his wife started a security firm in 2018. A website for Praetorian Guard Security Services lists Boelter's wife as the president and CEO while he is listed as the director of security patrols. The company's homepage says it provides armed security for property and events and features a photo of an SUV painted in a two-tone black and silver pattern similar to a police vehicle, with a light bar across the roof and 'Praetorian' painted across the doors. Another photo shows a man in black tactical gear with a military-style helmet and a ballistic vest with the company's name across the front. In an online resume, Boelter also billed himself as a security contractor who worked oversees in the Middle East and Africa. On his trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo, he told Chris Fuller, a friend, that he had founded several companies focused on farming and fishing on the Congo River, as well as in transportation and tractor sales. 'It has been a very fun and rewarding experience and I only wished I had done something like this 10 years ago,' he wrote in a message shared with the AP. But once he returned home in 2023, there were signs that Boelter was struggling financially. That August, he began working for a transport service for a funeral home, mostly picking up bodies of those who had died in assisted living facilities — a job he described as he needed to do to pay bills. Tim Koch, the owner of Metro First Call, said Boelter 'voluntarily left' that position about four months ago. 'This is devastating news for all involved,' Koch said, declining to elaborate on the reasons for Boelter's departure, citing the ongoing law enforcement investigation. Boelter had also started spending some nights away from his family, renting a room in a modest house in northern Minneapolis shared by friends. Heavily armed police executed a search warrant on the home Saturday. In the hours before Saturday's shootings, Boelter texted two roommates to tell them he loved them and that 'I'm going to be gone for a while,' according to Schroeder, who was forwarded the text and read it to the AP. 'May be dead shortly, so I just want to let you know I love you guys both and I wish it hadn't gone this way,' Boelter wrote. 'I don't want to say anything more and implicate you in any way because you guys don't know anything about this. But I love you guys and I'm sorry for the trouble this has caused.'
Axios
6 hours ago
- Axios
Authorities arrest suspect in killing of top Minnesota lawmaker
Police arrested a man Sunday whom they believe assassinated the top Democrat in the state House in shootings that targeted two state lawmakers at their homes in the Twin Cities suburbs, a state official confirmed to Axios. The big picture: The killing of state House Democratic leader Melissa Hortman and her husband, and wounding of state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, setting off a manhunt that spanned nearly two full days. The violence shook Minnesota, prompting Gov. Tim Walz to warn thousands against attending anti-Trump rallies statewide while the suspect remained at large. The manhunt triggered orders for thousands of residents in Brooklyn Park, where the Hortmans lived, to shelter in place for much of Saturday. Details: The sheriff of a Twin Cities metro county confirmed the news in a Facebook post that included a picture that appeared to be Vance in custody. "Thanks to the dedication of multiple agencies working together along with support from the community, justice is one step closer," Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher wrote, What we're watching: Gov. Tim Walz was set to hold a "public safety update at 10:30pm local time, his office announced. Catch up quick: Authorities had asked for the public's help in locating 57-year-old suspect Vance Luther Boelter. The FBI had offered a $50,000 for information leading to his arrest and conviction. More than 100 law enforcement officials spent Sunday afternoon and evening searching rural Sibley County — not far from Boelter's Green Isle home. That's where officers found a vehicle associated with Boelter as well as a hat he was seen wearing, said Drew Evans, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension superintendent. What they're saying: State House Speaker Lisa Demuth in an emailed statement said she is "grateful that this nightmare has come to an end" with the suspect "captured alive so he can be charged" and prosecuted "for the horror" he is accused of having wrought on Minnesota. "Thank you to the brave men and women of local, state, and federal law enforcement who have worked around the clock to ensure this evil man faces justice," Demuth added. The intrigue: Multiple media reports said that Mille Lacs County sheriff's deputies stopped a vehicle carrying Boelter's wife, Jenny, and other relatives in Onamia, about 115 miles north of Green Isle. Evans said they cooperated and provided the information law enforcement needed. They were not immediately in custody. What happened: Police responded around 2am Saturday to a call saying Hoffman and his wife had been shot at their home in nearby Champlin by someone impersonating a law enforcement officer, Evans had told reporters. Officers decided to proactively check on Hortman at her home roughly five miles away about 3:35am, Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley said. They encountered the suspect, and exchanged gunfire with him before he escaped. Zoom in: Officers discovered a manifesto inside the suspect's vehicle — which resembled a police SUV — naming "many lawmakers and other officials," Bruley said. An official who saw the document told Axios it includes prominent individuals who support abortion rights in Minnesota. Plus: The vehicle included multiple papers inscribed with the tagline for the anti-Trump rallies, "No Kings," which led Walz to echo state public safety officials' calls for attendees to stay home "out of an abundance of caution." Though organizers cancelled some local events, the main rally in St. Paul proceeded with large crowds in attendance.
New York Post
7 hours ago
- New York Post
Minnesota suspected assassin Vance Boelter captured alive: report
Suspected political assassin Vance Luther Boelter was captured Sunday following an intense manhunt for the gunman accused of murdering a Minnesota state lawmaker and wounding another, according to a report. Boelter, a 57-year-old former appointee by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, was sought by police for allegedly shooting Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, and fatally shooting former Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband. He was arrested and taken into custody in a field in Sibley County Sunday night, sources told local station Fox 9. The alleged gunman disguised himself as a police officer, wearing a uniform, vest and creepy Halloween mask when he launched his attack in the northern Minnesota suburb. 5 Vance Luther Boelter is accused of shooting two Minnesota state politicians on June 14, 2025. Minnesota Department of Public Safety Boelter's rampage began at State Senator Hoffman's Champlin home around 2 a.m. on Saturday. The crazed gunman fired off multiple rounds, striking the 60-year-old Democrat and his wife multiple times, seriously wounding the couple. Yvette Hoffman had jumped on top of her daughter, Hope, shielding her from the bullets, the couple's nephew said. John and Yvette Hoffman underwent surgery and are in stable condition. After the first shooting, Boelter — still disguised — raced to the home of Speaker Emerita Hortman in Brooklyn Park. He fatally wounded Hortman and her husband Mark with multiple shots. 5 The political assassin dons a Halloween mask and uniform at the home of Minnesota Sen. John Hoffman. FBI 5 Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were shot multiple times. Mat Ollig/Facebook Hortman, a 55-year-old Democrat, was pronounced dead inside her home. Her husband died at a nearby hospital. Police, conducting a check on Hortman after being alerted to the shooting at the Hoffman's home, confronted the masked killer as he left the Brooklyn Park home. Officers fired at the cop impersonator, at one point cornering the gunman inside the home, but the suspect managed to escape. 5 Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman at the White House Christmas Party in December 2024. Melissa Hortman/Facebook 5 Boelter seen wearing a hat after the shooting. HANDOUT/MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Boelter sent a text to his best friends and roommate after the shootings, allegedly admitting to the heinous killings. 'David and Ron, I love you guys. I made some choices, and you guys don't know anything about this, but I'm going to be gone for a while. May be dead shortly, so I just want to let you know I love you guys both and I wish it hadn't gone this way,' Boelter told David Carlson, according to KARE. Boelter's wife, Jenny Boelter, was pulled over and detained by police while driving with relatives on Saturday morning and was questioned by authorities for her role in the shooting. Police found passports and a weapon in the car.
