A high school coach in northern Indiana has been fired after tweeting that a local pizza restaurant should be burned down for its answer to a hypothetical question from a local television reporter.
As Indiana’s legislature and governor considered, and eventually made law, a state-level version of the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act signed into law two decades ago by Democratic President Bill Clinton, a furor erupted across the nation over claims Indiana’s statute would allow discrimination based on sexual orientation. In the midst of the hostilities, a local television reporter asked the owner of Memories Pizza in Walkerton whether she would cater a same-sex wedding. The restaurant owner stated that she would not do so because it would conflict with her religious convictions.
After the story aired, the restaurant had to close temporarily as the owner was subjected to a hail of criticism, much of it obscene and threatening. Among those critics was Jessica Dooley of Goshen, who tweeted, “Who’s going to Walkerton with me to burn down Memories Pizza?”
Dooley has now been fired, and local authorities are considering criminal charges against her. The restaurant has reopened, and in fact has received $840,000 in donations raised in just three days at a GoFundMe page.