Coffee shop's disabled employees harassed over viral feet-licking video, director says
A nonprofit coffee shop that employs students and adults with intellectual, developmental and physical disabilities has received phone threats, angry emails and poor reviews online following a controversial video that went viral last week.
Tim Herbel, executive director of Not Your Average Joe, told The Oklahoman his six coffee shops in the Oklahoma City metro have been blindsided following a fundraiser by Deer Creek High School students that included licking feet during its Wonderful Week of Fundraising event.
Herbel said he wasn’t at the event and that the students themselves decide each year to pick a nonprofit as a recipient of the fundraiser.
After Fox 25 published video from the fundraiser, Herbel said, it went viral and people started calling his coffee shops, which employ about 100 students and adults with various disabilities.
“They call our stores and our friends with special needs usually answer the phones and they are being cussed out and called pedophiles,” Herbel said. “One star reviews from all over the country. We’re not this well-funded machine that has all these dollars. We’re getting beat up. The kids are getting beat up.”
Threats have included phone calls telling the coffee shop it needed "to be removed" and "you're going down."
On Instagram, the coffee shop recently posted its spring menu.
One commenter wrote:
“Are you guys really taking money from the Oklahoma City school that had kids suck on adults (sic) toes for charity?”
People are using the coffee shops’ contact form to write insults. One person wrote:
“You had children licking toes to raise money? What in God’s name is wrong with you perverts?”
Herbel started Not Your Average Joe in 2019 as a way to honor his nephew, Braxton, who died at 11 years old. Braxton was born with cerebral palsy and hydrocephalus.
Part of the fundraiser money will be used to open another coffee shop later this year in Edmond, and hire more people with special needs.
“The kids did the best they could and this one thing didn't go the way they expected,” Herbel said.
Ryan Walters, other conservatives blast Deer Creek School District over feet activity
The Deer Creek School District announced that its fundraising week took in nearly $153,000.
But as video of the fundraiser went viral, conservative pundits and officials immediately took to social media to blast the school district.
On X, formerly known as Twitter, Ryan Walters, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, wrote:
“This is disgusting. We are cleaning up this filth in Oklahoma schools. Our agency is investigating.”
Popular conservative social media channel “Libs of TikTok,” whose creator was appointed by Walters to an Oklahoma library media advisory committee, posted:
“Students sucked on the toes of adults during a school fundraising event. Who approved this???”
On X, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas wrote:
“This is child abuse.”
In the fallout from the video, Deer Creek issued a statement explaining that the feet-licking activity involved high school students only, and it was during an assembly titled “Clash of the Classes.”
“We want to stress to our community that much of the information accompanying this video is inaccurate,” the distinct said. “However, through this specific game we failed to uphold the dignity of our students and the proud image of our community. We have a responsibility to protect our Antlers and showcase them in a positive light. In regards to this one particular activity, we fell short and for that we greatly apologize.”
The district wrote that it is taking steps to ensure the activity is not repeated and that all fundraising activities are carried out “with the pride and respect worthy of our students, staff and community.”
The district acknowledged students and staff who contributed to the fundraising week.
“Our students who participated in the game in question, as well as those involved in all our other WWF activities, deserve our full support for their philanthropic intentions,” the district wrote.
Herbel also acknowledged the students who helped raise money for Not Your Average Joe. The viral video simply “took on a life of its own,” he said.
“The kids meant well and that's the people who are ultimately hurting right now,” Herbel said.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Not Your Average Joe nonprofit harassed over viral Deer Creek video
