Social media abuzz after Nazis secretly gather at Arkansas cafe
Betrayed. That鈥檚 how the owner of an Arkansas restaurant describes herself after a group of white supremacists and neo-Nazis used her caf茅 for a secret weekend meeting.
Dawnel Verkler, who owns the Mean Bean Caf茅 in Conway, Arkansas, said she had no idea that long-time racist Billy Roper and his associates would be eating hamburgers and discussing their racist views in the restaurant she鈥檚 owned for seven years.
In an interview with Hatewatch, Verkler said she took Saturday off to be with her family after the recent death of her mother-in-law.
The restaurant鈥檚 lead cook and general manager, identified in social media posts as Kenneth Ellis, previously had asked Verkler if he could use the facility, closed to the public that day, 鈥渇or a political meeting of a conservative group,鈥� and she agreed.
鈥淗e led me to believe this was a little Republican powwow he was putting together,鈥� Verkler said.
So, she said, she was surprised, startled and disgusted Sunday 鈥渨hen my phone started blowing up鈥� with messages that the 鈥淢ean Bean鈥� had been used by neo-Nazis and white supremacists posing for pictures with racist flags.The photos were widely posted on social media, apparently after they were obtained by anti-racist activists.
鈥淚 was blind-sided by this,鈥� Verkler told Hatewatch. 鈥淗e wasn鈥檛 just an employee.聽He was someone I鈥檇 built a trust with for a year and a half.聽I was lied to, I was betrayed.鈥�
Verkler said she has no idea exactly how many people attended the 鈥渨ell-orchestrated event,鈥� but said she has learned some attendees 鈥渇lew in and were vetted off site鈥� before being driven to the secret restaurant location.
Upon learning of the event, Verkler said she immediately fired Ellis, whom she otherwise described as a 鈥済reat employee.鈥澛燞e left behind $240 in cash that he collected from hamburgers he cooked and sold to the racists.
Later, on social media, he admitted deceiving his former employer.
鈥淚 did it,鈥� Ellis said in a post.聽鈥淚 lied to the owner about the reason I wanted to rent the place. She trusted me and I deceived her. She had nothing to do with what happened.鈥�
After the event, Roper boasted on his blog that 鈥淎rkansas anti-whites [had been] fooled again鈥� by his 鈥渟ubterfuge and misrepresentation.鈥�
Roper said the event was a gathering of supporters of his 鈥淪hieldWall Network,鈥� which he describes as a 鈥渓ocally-focused, grassroots endeavor鈥� without membership fees or dues, only a 鈥渃ommitment鈥� to his racist views.
鈥淎lthough we look forward to the time when anti-free speech censorship will be overcome, and renewed freedom will allow us to gather without the need for subterfuge or misrepresentation, for this meeting we did perhaps misrepresent ourselves to the business employee with whom we had spoken to arrange the meeting,鈥� Roper said on his blog.
Verkler said she鈥檇 never heard of Roper, who once unsuccessfully ran for governor of Arkansas. The caf茅 owner said she 鈥渨ould never associate with these hateful groups.聽I鈥檓 anti-violence, anti-hate.鈥�
鈥淗ate begets hate,鈥� she said.聽鈥淭hat鈥檚 what this meeting was all about.鈥�
