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Restaurant owner defends “Muslims Get Out” sign
Posted On Sep 21 2016
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The other side of the sign reads “In support of St. Cloud”.
Lonsdale Police Chief Jason Schmitz said Ruedinger had a First Amendment right to post the sign, according to the Lonsdale News Review.
“We are not targeting the Muslims in general, just the extremists”, Dan Reudinger said on Monday.
The Lonsdale News Review reported that Dan Ruedinger, the owner of Treats Family Restaurant, chose to put his sign up after last weekend’s attacks in the NY area and a mall in St. Cloud, MN.
Freedom of speech goes both ways, and on Monday evening, those who disagreed with the “MUSLIMS GET OUT” statement on the sign at Treats Family Restaurant, formed a peaceful protest outside of the establishment.
Jaylani Hussein, executive director for the Minnesota Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, planned to visit the Lonsdale shop Tuesday afternoon and ask the owner to take down the sign.
Several potential customers decided against eating at Treats on Tuesday because of the sign’s message.
“It’s a really great community and I don’t want people to think that it’s hateful”. Bottles were thrown through the window, and a “hate note” had been left. However, Rud noted that the sign was in compliance with city ordinances, and that he respected the business owner’s right to free speech.
Still Ruedinger claims response from the public to his sign has been overwhelmingly positive.
Hussein says he told Ruedinger that Muslims are in the majority of those killed by terrorist organizations.
“I’ve had enough and I’m standing up”, Ruedinger told the paper.
“My business actually doubled last night”.
Lonsdale is a town of about 4,000 residents and is about a hundred miles south of St. Cloud.
Jaylani Hussein, the executive director of the Minnesota Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told the Star-Tribune that he meant to meet with Ruedinger to explain to him that the sign is offensive.
Hedberg declined to comment on whether he agreed with the sign’s anti-Muslim message.
