A former U.S. Navy SEAL who says he shot Osama bin Laden is on the heart of a a lot completely different battle in Virginia, the place plans for a military-themed brewery are drawing opposition over his alleged racist and homophobic remarks.
Robert J. O’Neill has a small possession stake in Armed Forces Brewing Firm and has served as its model ambassador. His current social media grievance a couple of Navy sailor who performs as a drag queen and a police report alleging he used a racial slur are fueling efforts to cease the brewery from opening in military-friendly Norfolk.
The corporate, which markets itself with politically conservative adverts, has dismissed claims of bigotry and toned down O’Neill’s public-facing function. However final month, Norfolk’s planning fee really useful the Metropolis Council deny permits for the deliberate taproom and distribution heart, which might be just a few miles (kilometers) from the nation’s largest Navy base.
The nonbinding 4-to-2 vote got here after practically 800 public feedback had been filed, lots of which opposed the enterprise. The brewery additionally didn’t get the assist of the native neighborhood affiliation, which serves the largely Black group of Park Place.
The Metropolis Council might vote as quickly as Tuesday on the brewery’s conditional use permits. The corporate has warned it’s going to sue if the appliance is rejected.
In a letter to Norfolk’s legal professional, brewery lawyer Tim Anderson mentioned the planning fee’s vote was primarily based on the homeowners’ political opinions.
“What is 100% clear to me is that if my client was an activist brewery positively engaged in promoting LGBTQ ideas — the application would have sailed through planning,” Anderson mentioned.
In some methods, the matter resembles an inverse, if miniature, model of the uproar over Bud Light sending a commemorative can to transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. Sales of the brand plunged amid a conservative backlash, though Bud Gentle’s dad or mum Anheuser-Busch additionally angered supporters of transgender rights who believed the corporate later deserted Mulvaney.
Opponents say Armed Forces Brewing could be a obviously unhealthy match for the town of about 230,000 individuals on the Chesapeake Bay. They argue its possession doesn’t mirror the range of the U.S. navy, veterans or liberal-leaning Norfolk.
Robert Bracknell, an legal professional and former Marine, mentioned the corporate made no effort to win over surrounding neighborhoods whereas counting on conservative id politics for its branding. Group opposition will not be anti-military however “anti-intolerance and anti-hate,” he mentioned.
“These guys are not the Navy,” mentioned Bracknell, who lives lower than 2 miles (3 kilometers) from the proposed taproom. “They’re a really small sliver of a veteran community that doesn’t represent the rest of us.”
Opponents cited O’Neill’s August arrest in Frisco, Texas, by which police mentioned he assaulted a lodge safety officer whereas intoxicated and used a racial slur. O’Neill, who faces misdemeanor assault and public intoxication prices, later posted on the social media platform X, previously Twitter: “I categorically deny ever using this horrible language recently reported.”
In response to information that an active-duty sailor who moonlights as a drag queen was serving to Navy recruitment efforts, O’Neill posted on X in Might: “Alright. The U.S. Navy is now using an enlisted sailor Drag Queen as a recruiter. I’m done. China is going to destroy us. YOU GOT THIS NAVY. I can’t believe I fought for this bull.”
O’Neill, who’s now a public speaker and podcaster, didn’t reply to a request for remark despatched by way of his web site, LinkedIn profile or Facebook web page.
Brewery opponents additionally targeted on shareholder and advisor Gretchen Smith. The Air Drive veteran posted on X that Derek Chauvin, the previous Minneapolis police officer convicted of killing George Floyd, was harmless.
One other Smith put up cited the “Great Reset,” a conspiracy principle that the Anti-Defamation League mentioned can have antisemitic overtones, though she voiced assist for Israel in different posts.
The corporate’s promotional movies additionally drew criticism. Some contain the firing of plenty of weapons. And a tongue-in-cheek advert for buyers warned off anybody who has ever watched “The View” tv present or loves “taking your 5-year-old child to drag shows.”
In response to efforts to get remark from Smith, Armed Forces Brewing mentioned she was overseas. However the firm mentioned in an electronic mail: “Gretchen is disliked by the vocal minority because she holds political views that tens of millions of conservative Americans hold — and which she has the First Amendment right to express on her personal social media.”
Planning commissioner Kim Sudderth voted in opposition to the brewery, citing reservations about antisemitism and violent hate speech.
“I’m genuinely concerned that you may not comply with city conditions and partner successfully with the community,” Sudderth mentioned at a gathering final month.
Alan Beal, Armed Forces Brewing’s CEO, informed the fee that O’Neill and Smith aren’t a part of day by day operations. Though O’Neill nonetheless sits on its board, he’s now not the brewery’s director of navy companies, Beal mentioned, noting that O’Neill lately sought remedy in Mexico for post-traumatic stress.
“Despite the rumors that the opposition is spreading around town, no one is running around the brewing facility with AR-15s or guns and there’s no barbed wire up on the fence,” Beal informed the fee final month. “The military is diverse. And yes, everyone is welcome at Armed Forces Brewing Company.”
In a promotional video, Beal mentioned the objective is to brew beer for the navy group whereas using veterans and supporting their causes.
Anderson, the brewery’s legal professional, informed the planning fee that the enterprise must open for individuals to appreciate it’s not the “boogeyman.”
“This is not going to be some place that’s going to hold rallies against the LGBTQ community or anything distasteful,” Anderson mentioned. “Everything’s going to calm down.”
Jeff Ryder, president of Hampton Roads Pleasure, is skeptical. He mentioned the group will proceed elevating considerations whereas attempting to ascertain a relationship with the brewery.
“But they haven’t really given me any indication they want that,” Ryder mentioned.
