This browser does not support the Video element.
(KMSP) - A Minneapolis developer and business owner is facing backlash for a political donation he made to notorious white nationalist David Duke.
According to public records filed with the Federal Election Commission, Julius DeRoma donated $500 to former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke’s U.S. Senate bid.
When the news broke Tuesday, DeRoma’s popular Northloop bar Club Jager saw employees quit and DJ’s vow to never play the venue again.
While DeRoma couldn’t be reached for comment Tuesday, the bar’s manager Ryan Crossland posted publically on Facebook saying, “The staff and I are sick about this. This is not who we are or what we believe in.”
DJ and local music writer Jen Boyles quickly got online and started a Go Fund Me for employees of Club Jager. She says the funds will support those who decided to quit after hearing the news, or are put out of work if the bar cannot survive.
“I can’t imagine what it would be like for someone who worked there for ten years to have to leave in this way,” said Boyles. “It’s just a really loving community and so I think this news was shocking to a lot of them.”
Some businesses that lease space from DeRoma were also feeling the heat Tuesday. Founder of HUGE Improv Theather in Uptown says his business has absolutely no ties to their landlord.
“Obviously we don’t want to support anyone who supports racism and fascism, and that’s a difficult position for us to be in,” he said. “The damage that could potentially be done by closing our doors and re-locating is something we have to weigh really heavily.”