Daily Brew‘Occupy’ protests spread to Tim Hortons
If you thought that the 'Occupy Wall Street' protests had spread to just about everywhere, there's one place they hadn't quite reached: Tim Hortons.
On Thursday October 27, that could change.
Building on the momentum of the Occupy Wall Street protests that have been going on since September 17, a group of residents in a town near Chatham-Kent, Ontario are planning to protest at a local Tim Hortons after the manager asked a lesbian couple to leave for public displays of affection.
Organizers of the 'Occupy Timmies' event have created a Facebook page and Kijiji ad recruiting people to participate in the occupation of the Blenheim Tim Hortons, as well as other Timmies across Canada. According to the Facebook page, the group will be there to support LGBT (lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender) rights and a "public demonstration against the discriminatory practices of this Tim Hortons location."
The Facebook page states that Patricia and her partner Riley Murphy were asked to leave the restaurant while they were eating there with their family. They say that the manager was seen speaking to Rev. Ken Powell who was also in the restaurant at the time, then approached them saying they had to leave.
"A manager came over and said what we were doing wasn't acceptable, it was a family environment, and we had to leave within five minutes or the cops would be called," said Murphy in a London Free Press story. "We were shocked. We left because the whole family was there."
A representative from Powell's congregation contacted the Free Press denying the story, and Tim Hortons has since apologized for the incident, saying that "all families and communities" are welcome at all Tim Hortons locations.
Despite attempts to placate the Occupy Timmies group, plans for Thursday's protests still seem to be firmly in place. Since being posted late Sunday night, the Facebook page has gained over 530 followers, although the comments on the page indicate that people remain split on the issue.
(CP Photo)
