Sausage shop that slammed Juneteenth as sign of ‘moral decay’ faces backlash in Oregon
_fitted.png "In a Facebook post to the business’ page, We’re The Würst, a butcher shop in Redmond, Oregon, says that the holiday is not “some arbitrary moment that Texas slaves understood freedom.”")
A sausage maker in Redmond, Oregon is facing criticism after using social media to criticize the Juneteenth holiday.
A post to the We’re The Würst Facebook page on June 14 said that the Juneteenth is not “some arbitrary moment that Texas slaves understood freedom.”
Instead, the post said, “[i]t is a national holiday to excuse the anarchy that took place and the lack of law and order that is now common place. … #Juneteenth is a federal holiday that celebrates the moral decay and corrosion of our country, under the guise of #equality.”
Juneteenth, celebrated on June 19, became a federally recognized holiday last year and marks the anniversary of when Americans enslaved in Texas received word in Galveston on June 19, 1865 that they were free, according to a proclamation signed by the president.
“As those who were formerly enslaved were recognized for the first time as citizens, Black Americans came to commemorate Juneteenth with celebrations across the country, building new lives and a new tradition that we honor today,” the proclamation says. “In its celebration of freedom, Juneteenth is a day that should be recognized by all Americans.”
In an email to McClatchy News, Matthew Fidler, owner of We’re The Würst, quoted Winston Churchill, saying “A lie is halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.”
After We’re The Würst’s Facebook post made rounds on social media, customers and clients began calling out the business.
“Nothing like lecturing on history and getting your history totally wrong,” one Facebook user commented on the original post. “But thanks for self-identifying. You never have to worry about selling anything to me.”
Some businesses are even cutting ties with the shop.
Monkless Belgian Ales, located in Bend, Oregon, commented on Reddit on June 19 that the sausage maker’s views and values are not aligned with their own.
“We are managing the issue and taking this situation very seriously. Please be patient with us as we source new product and reprint our menus,” the comment says.
Robin Clement, owner of Monkless Belgian Ales, confirmed via an email to McClatchy News that the business had stopped ordering from We’re The Würst.
“As a small business, our decision to do so is because we cannot allow another business to negatively impact ours,” Clement said. “We fully support the right to free speech. However, we must make the decision that we feel is best for our business.”
Bend Grocery Outlet also pulled the shop’s products, stating in an email about a Reddit post that they “were made aware of the [We’re the Würst] post this morning and have already pulled all of his products. We do not condone that type of behavior,” NewsChannel 21 reported.
When asked about the businesses pulling the shop’s products, Fidler told McClatchy News that “there are much bigger giants for me to throw stones at.”
In a followup Facebook post on June 20, the We’re The Würst posted that it has faced threats following the initial Juneteenth post, including “doxxing” and “cancellation.” The shop has had death threats, and the owner’s children have been threatened, the post said.
Nonetheless, the business goes on to say they “understand the first amendment, and although as consumers we may disagree with them, we do not attempt to eliminate and extirpate their existence.”
This story was originally published June 22, 2022 at 1:13 PM with the headline "Sausage shop that slammed Juneteenth as sign of ‘moral decay’ faces backlash in Oregon."
