This week’s “Business Shaming” honor goes to none other than the Fabulous Fox Theater in St. Louis, Mo.
They were honoring the death of George Floyd on their marquee, along with the death of Police Captain, David Dorn, who was murdered by looters outside of Lee’s Pawn Shop, a local business in St. Louis, MO. Captain Dorn was a friend of the family, and beloved member of the community, who was responding to an alarm when he was murdered outside of the property. They were also honoring law enforcement by displaying the hashtag “Blue Lives Matter”.
After some local backlash, the theater issued an apology for displaying the Blue Lives Matter hashtag on their marquee and proceeded to remove it.
This was their apology:
“We sincerely apologized to the Black community for the hurt we have caused by our recent marquee messaging. While our intention was to display a show of unity and to honor both George Floyd and Officer David Dorn, the delivery of that message failed when we included the blue lives matter hashtag. We are truly sorry for the hurt and anger this mistake has caused.
“The Fabulous Fox is a place for all, and we condemn racism and hate in all forms. We love St. Louis and we want to be a part of the solution. We are listening and we are learning.
Unequivocally, #BlackLivesMattter.”
If the The Fabulous Fox was really a “place for all”, they would have stood firmly behind their decision to honor Captain Dorn, Mr. Floyd, and the police officers, who put their lives on the line every day for their patrons and citizens of St. Louis.
Unequivocally, #BlueLivesMatter.
Instead, they decided to take a knee, and in the process, dishonored the memories of Captain Dorn, George Floyd, and their families.
I, for one, will never patronize the Fox Theater in St. Louis and call on a boycott of this establishment. The Fabulous Fox Theater got this one wrong.
Read the story below here: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/fox-theater-apologizes-for-blue-lives-matter-on-marquee/ar-BB15m9hf