OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - A longtime Omaha cafe which faced weekend protests over an objectionable Facebook post and a breakfast dish named after Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee has closed and its owners said on Wednesday that it will not reopen.
Protests Saturday and Sunday at 11-Worth Cafe near downtown Omaha drew police, the Omaha World-Herald reported. A “closed” sign was hung inside the door on Monday.
Flyers circulated at a protest included the since-deleted Facebook post, apparently written by a member of the owner’s family. In response to national protests that had turned violent, the post said “Get rid of the rubber bullets and it’s time to go lethal.” The post also referred to using rioters “as target practice.”
Protesters called for the restaurant to be shut down.
“Our customers and staff are of the utmost importance to our family,” the restaurant owners said in a letter. “The verbal abuse, taunting and having to be escorted to and from their cars by police and security officers for their safety for two straight days was more than we could watch them endure.”
In addition to protests outside the cafe, the owners said they had received threats via social media and had to call police twice to their family homes.
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