An Idaho coffee shop owner stated he has received numerous death threats after a video circulated online showing him asking a pro-life group to leave his business and comparing them to the Ku Klux Klan. Jim Sheehan, owner of Wydaho Roasters in Driggs, Idaho, was responding to a confrontation with Students for Life of America.
Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America, posted a video alleging that her group was asked to leave the café after Sheehan learned they were holding a pro-life meeting. According to Hawkins, approximately 15 individuals had gathered to discuss a potential ballot measure to legalize abortion in Idaho and to plan support for local mothers and families. Her son, Bear Sheehan, organized the meeting.
Video footage from the incident shows Sheehan telling the group that their meeting was not welcome and suggesting they use the public library instead. "This is my place of business," Sheehan is heard saying in the video. "I did a lot of work to get people on the ballot so women would have the right to choose in the state of Idaho, and this is something I do not support, nor does my wife, and it's our business. So we have that choice."
When asked if he was removing them, Sheehan replied, "Did I make it very clear that I did not want you here?" He further explained his reasoning in the recording, stating, "In my world, it's the same sort of concept" if the KKK were to ask to meet there.
Sheehan disputed the characterization of the event as an ejection, telling Fox News Digital that the online video was misleading. He stated he had politely requested the group on Facebook the previous day not to use his business for their meeting. "Sunday she announced on a local community page they were holding this meeting at our business naming it — I responded to the post politely asking them not to use our business as the agenda of the organization does not align with us," Sheehan said. "They showed up anyway." Hawkins told Fox News Digital that the group had not seen Sheehan's social media response before holding their meeting.
In a separate interview with Cowboy State Daily, Sheehan acknowledged that the KKK comparison was an error in judgment. He reiterated that he and his wife had received "nonstop death threats" and defended his right as a business owner to refuse service to groups whose agendas conflict with his values. He noted that his coffee shop is openly liberal, displays an LGBTQ Pride flag, and hosts LGBTQ coffee meet-ups.
Students for Life maintained that Sheehan's actions constituted an ejection, alleging that he increased the café's music volume after their interaction to disrupt their conversation. Hawkins expressed surprise at the confrontation, noting that while Driggs, Idaho, leans liberal, her experience in the community has been welcoming despite political differences. She suggested that a "everyone is welcome" sign and a rainbow flag did not align with inclusivity for Christians or those who are pro-life.