Jim Sheehan, the owner of Wydaho Roasters in Driggs, Idaho, stated he and his wife have received numerous death threats after a video circulated showing him asking a pro-life group to leave his coffee shop. The confrontation occurred when Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America, and a group of approximately 15 individuals gathered at the cafe to discuss a ballot measure that would legalize abortion up to 24 weeks in Idaho.
Sheehan, who runs the coffee shop with his wife, explained that he had previously requested on Facebook that the group not use his business for their meeting, as the organization's agenda conflicts with his own values. "This is my place of business," Sheehan is heard saying in a video of the incident. "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."
He further likened the situation to refusing service to the Ku Klux Klan, a comparison he later called a mistake. "I didn’t think through that analogy," Sheehan told Cowboy State Daily. He maintained that he objected to his business being associated with a cause he and his wife strongly oppose.
Hawkins, however, stated that the group had not seen Sheehan's earlier social media request before arriving. She alleged that Sheehan's actions constituted an ejection and that he later turned up the cafe's music to prevent conversation. Hawkins expressed surprise at the confrontation, noting that while Driggs leans liberal, her neighbors are generally welcoming despite political differences. She also suggested that Sheehan's "rainbow flag is not welcoming to anyone who is a Christian or who is pro-life."
Sheehan described Wydaho Roasters as an "openly liberal" establishment that hosts LGBTQ coffee meet-ups and flies the pride flag, emphasizing that his stance on abortion is clear. "This is one of those black-and-white issues for me," he said. He defended his right to decide which groups can meet at his establishment, stating he believed they would respect his wishes not to use his business for their meeting. The group had ordered food and drinks before the interaction, according to Hawkins.