Idaho Coffee Shop Owner Compares Pro-Life Group to KKK After Kicking Them Out

Clear Facts

• Idaho coffee shop owner Jim Sheehan ejected a pro-life group from his establishment, comparing them to the KKK in a viral video
• The Students for Life group, including 16-year-old organizer Bear Hawkins, had gathered to discuss opposing a ballot measure to legalize abortion up to 24 weeks
• Sheehan claims he politely asked the group not to meet at his business on social media before the incident, though the group says they never saw the message

A confrontation at an Idaho coffee shop has ignited a firestorm after the owner compared pro-life advocates to the Ku Klux Klan and demanded they leave his business. Jim Sheehan, owner of Wydaho Roasters in Driggs, is now claiming he and his wife have received “nonstop death threats” following the viral incident.

Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America, posted video evidence of the confrontation to social media on Monday. The footage shows Sheehan telling the peaceful gathering they were not welcome in his establishment.

A group of approximately 15 people had assembled at the café to discuss strategies for opposing a ballot measure that would legalize abortion up to 24 weeks in Idaho, where most abortions are currently illegal. The meeting was organized by 16-year-old Bear Hawkins, a fellow with Students for Life, who also planned to discuss supporting mothers and families in their rural community.

According to Hawkins, group members had ordered food and drinks before sitting down when Sheehan approached them. The recorded confrontation reveals the shop owner’s true feelings about those who defend life.

“This is my place of business,” Sheehan says in the video. “I did a lot of work to get people on the ballot so women would have the right to choose in the state of Idaho, and this is something I do not support, nor does my wife, and it’s our business. So we have that choice.”

When Hawkins asked if he was kicking them out, Sheehan’s response was unequivocal.

“Did I make it very clear that I did not want you here?”

Then came the shocking comparison that would spark national outrage.

“It’s like, if the KKK asked to meet here, I would say ‘no.’ In my world, it’s the same sort of concept.”

Sheehan later disputed claims that he “kicked out” the group, insisting the viral video was misleading. He told Fox News Digital that he had politely asked the group on Facebook the day before not to use his business for their meeting.

“Sunday she announced on a local community page they were holding this meeting at our business naming it — I responded to the post politely asking them not to use our business as the agenda of the organization does not align with us,” Sheehan said. “They showed up anyway.”

Hawkins told Fox News Digital they had not seen the social media reply from Sheehan before holding the meeting. The first they heard of any objection was when the owner confronted them in person.

In an interview with Cowboy State Daily on Wednesday, Sheehan acknowledged the KKK comparison was a mistake. He stated he “didn’t think through that analogy.”

Despite the public backlash, Sheehan defended his right to choose which groups can gather at his establishment. He said he objected to his business being associated with a cause that he and his wife adamantly opposed.

“I figured they would respect my wishes and not hold it there,” he told the outlet.

Sheehan explained that his coffee shop is openly liberal, flies the pride flag, and hosts LGBTQ coffee meet-ups. He characterized the issue as black and white.

“It’s not a surprise where my stance is on something like that,” he said, adding that promoting a pro-life meeting would go against his fundamental values. “This is one of those black-and-white issues for me.”

Students for Life maintained that Sheehan’s actions clearly amounted to an ejection. They allege he turned up the café’s music after the interaction to prevent them from speaking.

Hawkins said that while the community in Driggs leans liberal, her neighbors are typically welcoming and friendly regardless of political differences. She expressed shock at the confrontation.

“I think it was shocking to see somebody who had obviously said multiple times and in social media posts and has been out the community saying that they were a community organization, coffee shop … you know, everyone’s welcome sign and his rainbow flag is not welcoming to anyone who is a Christian or who is pro-life.”

The incident highlights the growing intolerance some Americans who defend traditional values and the sanctity of life face in their own communities. What was intended as a peaceful gathering to support mothers and oppose radical abortion measures became yet another example of how the left’s claim to tolerance often excludes those with different moral convictions.

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