Idaho coffee shop owner Jim Sheehan sparked a firestorm after telling a pro‑life group to leave Wydaho Roasters in Driggs and comparing them to the Ku Klux Klan. The remarks triggered death threats and a viral video that has dominated social media.
Owner denies ejection, cites business rights
Students for Life of America brought roughly fifteen people to the café on Monday to discuss a ballot measure that would legalize abortion up to twenty‑four weeks in Idaho, a state where most abortions remain illegal. The gathering was organized by sixteen‑year‑old Bear Hawkins to recruit volunteers and plan support for local mothers.
Group members ordered food and drinks before Sheehan approached, declared them unwelcome, and suggested they meet at the public library instead. He told them the café was his business and that he did not support their cause.
Sheehan said he messaged the group on Facebook the day before, asking them not to use his venue because its agenda conflicted with his values. He denied forcibly ejecting them, claiming the video posted online misrepresents his actions.
In the recorded confrontation he said, “If the KKK asked to meet here, I would say no,” a remark he later called a mistake, insisting he did not intend to equate the group with the hate organization. He maintained his right to choose who he hosts.
Since the incident, Sheehan and his wife have endured nonstop death threats, which they attribute to the public nature of the dispute over who may gather in their establishment. He continues to defend his decision to bar the group.
Students for Life contends Sheehan’s actions amount to an ejection, alleging he turned up the café’s music to drown out their discussion. The group says the hostile environment prevented them from speaking.
Hawkins said Driggs residents, though politically liberal, are generally welcoming, making the confrontation all the more shocking to her. She expressed disbelief that a community‑friendly town would turn hostile over a political meeting.
Sheehan emphasized his shop is openly liberal, flies an LGBTQ Pride flag, and hosts LGBTQ coffee meet‑ups, asserting that supporting a pro‑life gathering would clash with his core beliefs. He said the issue is black‑and‑white for him.
The episode underscores a broader clash between abortion‑rights activism and business autonomy in a state where cultural divisions run deep. It highlights how local businesses become battlegrounds for national debates.
