Shop overwhelmed by PETA supporter complaints about reindeer event
KENTWOOD, Mich. (WOOD) — A metro Grand Rapids coffee shop is coming under fire from animal rights activists after the organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals learned it was hosting an event featuring live reindeer.
Coffee Clubhouse co-owner Morgan Williams says the Kentwood shop on Wednesday received a barrage of voicemails and messages from PETA supports about its “Meet the Reindeer” event scheduled for next week.
“They went wild. We had to shut our phones off. We had 40-plus phone calls in one hour, threatening and harassing my wonderful staff here,” Williams said.
“‘Just you wait,'” Williams said one caller told a barista. “And then they hung up.”
Debbie Metzler, the director of captive animal welfare for PETA, said Coffee Clubhouse is among about two dozen businesses across the nation that the group reached out to this year with concerns about events that include reindeer.
“Reindeer are tundra animals. They migrate over a 1,000 miles on ice and snow and they should not be strapped to Santa’s sleigh or used for photo ops. These are wild animals,” Metzler told News 8.
Williams said the Meet the Reindeer event is meant to spread joy and education this holiday season and help out another West Michigan business, GG Reindeer Farm.
“They help children all the time help learn about the reindeer,” Williams said. “(The farm owners explain that) indeed, they (the reindeer) are not cold standing out there. They were built for this kind of weather. These are what kind of things they like and don’t like to eat.”
Metzler said PETA may hold a protest at the event, though nothing has been planned so far.
“Nothing is off the table, really,” she said. “But online activism is very easy for people to do. It’s quick and it is extremely effective.”
But the coffee shop says some of the calls and messages were threatening, leading it to disable its phones and social media comments.
“(A caller was) telling her (an employee) how she’s such a bad mom and how her children are going to be just like her, and calling her swear words and screaming at her,” Williams described one call. “We’re wondering if these threats are empty or if they’re just trying to harass us. A lot of these phone calls are coming from people who don’t live in Michigan and certainly no one from the Grand Rapids area.”
PETA said it reached out to Williams and her employees earlier this month to ask them to cancel the upcoming event.
“We always reach out behind the scenes to give them a chance to respond before we alert our supporters,” Metzler said. “We know that some callers can be a little rude. They’re using their passion. So we can’t fault them for that, but we do ask them to remain polite. And we don’t consider this harassment. We think that people are just voicing their opinion.
Williams said that the coffee shop chose not to respond to PETA’s earlier message. Even with the onslaught from PETA supporters, she said, the event — which is not the only one of its kind in West Michigan — will go forward on Tuesday. It will be held on the back lot of the business, where the reindeer can roam on the grass.
“Of course we care about reindeer,” Williams said. “That’s why we’re trying to educate people on that and spread love and spread happiness.”
Williams said the coffee shop plans to ask for one or two police officers to be around at the event to make sure everyone feels safe.
Coffee Clubhouse, which has an indoor play area for children, also has Santa Claus and Polar Express events coming up.
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