Business Owner Says He Was Evicted For Participating In BLM Protests

Source: Xinhua News Agency / Getty

A Black business owner in Des Moines, Iowa is currently being evicted from his storefront for taking part in a peaceful Black Lives Matter protest.

The owner in question is Jeremiah Johnson, who owns a fashion/retail store called Stylent Brands. He previously rented an office space in the city, but that all changed once his landlord saw him and his associates protesting while he was watching the news. From there, the landlord assumed that Johnson was looting and/or conducting “illegal activity,” so he decided to terminate their lease.

Jeremiah tweeted about the incident over the weekend.

In the footage Johnson uploaded to social media, Johnson tries to explain to his landlord that there were two completely separate groups of protesters–emphasizing that he and his friends were part of the peaceful protesters who were distancing themselves from those inciting riots.

Unfortunately, the owner of the storefront was not convinced, even going as far as sending Johnson an email from his lawyer claiming that he and the other protesters were seeking rights that they haven’t “earned.”

Now, Johnson is telling TMZ that he plans to take his landlord to court over this incident. When he finally gets in front of the judge, Jeremiah says he will detail how the move is racial discrimination–a violation of the First Amendment–and breaches the lease he signed with the owner.

Until then, though, Stylent Brands has no office space and can’t hold or ship any inventory.