A black business owner says he’s getting the shaft just because his white landlord saw video of him at a peaceful protest, and assumed he was looting.
The business owner, Jeremiah Johnson, got video of his confrontation with the landlord near Des Moines, Iowa. Jeremiah runs a fashion/retail biz called Stylent Brands, and rents office space … or at least he did.
Apparently, his landlord saw Jeremiah and some of his partners in a recent protest while he was watching the news, and decided he didn’t want Jeremiah conducting biz on his property anymore.
In the clip, you see Jeremiah trying to get a reason for why he was being evicted — but after a lengthy conversation, the only thing the landlord has to say is … being around “illegal activity” is just as bad as partaking in it. That’s pretty much his whole rationale.
Jeremiah explained he was NOT participating in any of the looting or rioting that had occurred in Des Moines, but that wasn’t good enough for the landlord. He tells Jeremiah that if he was in his shoes, he’d be nowhere near that scene — implying that Jeremiah and co. should’ve known better.
It gets even crazier though … Jeremiah says the landlord sent his attorney an email, allegedly saying they were out there protesting for rights they hadn’t yet earned or deserved!!!
So, where do things stand now? Jeremiah says he’s taking the dude to court, and is waiting to get before a judge to plead his case. Obviously, he’s alleging racial discrimination, but also violation of first amendment rights and violating the lease he signed.
He also tells us his business is hurting right now with no office space to work on shipping his product, or to store his inventory.
What would you do if you were in his situation?
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