BLM Demands “Monthly Donation” from Louisville Business, Decried for “Mafia Tactics”

Black Lives Matter protesters in Louisville, KY issued “social justice” and “black liberation” demands to a restaurant owner Fernando Martinez that included a directive for “donations” to organizations run by non-whites.

The protesters say business owners in the area have benefited from years of gentrification following the demolition of a public housing complex that displaced many Black families. And they put forth the demands during a demonstration last week, calling on the owners to employ more Black people, purchase more inventory from Black retailers and undergo diversity training.

Some owners have embraced the requests, saying they recognize the area’s history and want to make their businesses more inclusive.

But others, including restaurateur Fernando Martinez, say they take issue with how the demands were presented. Martinez dubbed them “mafia tactics” used to intimidate.

“If you and I can sit down as human beings that we are without screaming at each other, without calling each other names, without offending each other, we can come to an understanding,” Martinez told one protester after explaining that he felt threatened by the way the demands were delivered to his business. “… How is destroying our business going to bring any justice?”

“There comes a time in life that you have to make a stand and you have to really prove your convictions and what you believe in,” Martinez posted to his Facebook post. “… All good people need to denounce this. How can you justified (sic) injustice with more injustice?”

After BLM members saw the post, they returned with their list of demands and vandalized the restaurant.

The demands and an attached contract, which were created by local organizers and activists, ask NuLu business owners to:

• Adequately represent the Black population of Louisville by having a minimum of 23% Black staff;
• Purchase a minimum of 23% inventory from Black retailers or make a recurring monthly donation of 1.5% of net sales to a local Black nonprofit or organization;
• Require diversity and inclusion training for all staff members on a bi-annual basis;
• And display a visible sign that increases awareness and shows support for the reparations movement.

Phelix Crittenden, an activist who works with Black Lives Matter Louisville, said the demands and related “NuLu social justice health and wellness ratings” were not meant to be a threat but were instead intended to start a conversation with owners about how their businesses can better reflect and support Black people.

Additional demands issued via the letter included the option to give 1.5 percent of revenues to a local “black nonprofit or organization” in lieu of purchasing a minimum of 23 percent of the business’s inventory from “black retailers,” mandated “diversity and inclusion training” for all employees, and displaying of left-wing messaging to support “reparations.”

The posters include a stated commitment to be publicly visible as a public service announcement pending future “inspections” of restaurants and other businesses.

Three varieties of posters with the message, “YOU CAN’T STOP THE REVOLUTION,” were directed at restaurants in Louisville’s NuLu neighborhood with the grades A, C, and F according to a “NuLu Social Justice Health and Wellness Code.”

Posters with the C-grade declare, “A facility that fails two (2) consecutive regular inspections will be under administrative review.” Those with an F-grade include the following message, “[This] facility has failed to meet minimum requirements of the Nulu Social Justice Health and Wellness Code inspection. This includes [a] failure to create a safe space for black inclusion.”

The letter includes neo-Marxist assertions, decrying “gentrification” as a “process [that] has been happening to black, indigenous, and persons of color at the hands of white, heterosexual patriarchy since the inception of this nation we call home. Black folx [sic] can’t ‘have their own space’ when wealthy white folks see an opportunity to make more money.”

“Repercussions of non-compliance” are listed in the letter:

• Reduction in Racial Index Score/bias report to the Better Business Bureau.
• Social Media Blast: Notification, via all social media platforms, of non-compliance.
• Boycott: Public boycott, coordinated through social media and mail announcements, of yours NuLu establishment AND any other business ventures owned by you.
• Protest: Visible, media-covered demonstration/sit-in outside your establishment.
• Invasive Reclamation: Placement of booths/tables outside your establishment where competing Black proprietors will offer items comparable to those offered by you.

On Sunday, the Cuban community rallied in support of Martinez.

Martinez said he’s been called racist along with other names that he said do not represent him after not agreeing and signing a list of demands composed by protesters.

“How could I be called a bigot and a racist when my family is black, when my son is gay,” Martinez said.

The Cuban group said they want protesters to stop attacking Martinez’s businesses.

“We respect your opinion, please respect our businesses,” a representative for the Kentucky Cuban American association said.

Many of the signs protesters held up read “Justice for all” and “No socialism in America” which is what the group feels like the protesters demands represent.

“I’m against socialism because I escaped socialism,” Martinez said. “I’m not against the black community.”

Black Lives Matter Louisville is threatening small businesses with "mafia tactics" that don't pay

They demand 1.5% of net sales to approved NPOs, diversity training, diversity hires

They vandalized a business that refusedhttps://t.co/lj6gBOR5U1

— Tim Pool (@Timcast) August 2, 2020

Sources: courier-journal, courier-journal, wav3, Breitbart