A Birmingham bar owner’s comments about the George Floyd protests have resulted in the resignation of three staff members and a controversy on social media that threatens the future of the bar.
Michael Dykes, the founder of Parkside Cafe in Avondale, called Floyd a “thug” and said protesters were “idiots” in a text message that was sent on Friday morning to Robert Bagwell, co-owner of the bar, and one of Parkside’s employees. Dykes said Parkside should increase prices at the bar as a “protest tax” and employees who participated in the protests should resign.
“We should go up one or two dollars on everything until June 10th. Call it a protest tax because all the idiots that went to the protests are responsible for us not being able to open normal hours,” Dykes said in the text, referring to a 7 p.m. curfew in Birmingham that was imposed on June 1 after protests here spurred violence downtown. “Any employees that went or are going should resign," Dykes said. "Mr. Floyd was a thug, didn’t deserve to die but honoring a thug is irresponsible.”
Dykes’ text, which was circulated to other employees at the bar, caused three staffers to quit and was posted on Facebook by one of the employees who resigned, Lacey King.
“This is the owner of Parkside, this is the man I work for, Michael Dykes,” King said in a Facebook post on Friday. “Please someone give me a new job bc this man is the most hateful person I have ever met in my life. The evil texts I’ve received from him over the years are astonishing. This is just one example.”
King took down her post later that day and thanked Facebook friends for their support. In the meantime, however, King’s post had been copied and posted by others on social media, prompting widespread criticism of Parkside and calls for a boycott.
Lacey King's Facebook post about Michael Dykes, one of the owners of Birmingham's Parkside Cafe.(Twitter screenshot)
Dykes told AL.com he was angry when he wrote the text -- blowing off steam to colleagues -- and his hot-headed words don’t reflect his true feelings.
“I was just complaining about the situation,” Dykes said during a phone interview. “I’m angry that some of my friends own businesses downtown and they’re boarded up. It just makes me angry. I just wish it would stop.”
Dykes also said he considered the text a private communication between managers at Parkside that was never meant for public viewing. As a result, he said, his foot-in-the-mouth moment has been taken out of context and misinterpreted.
“I feel like I’ve been raked over the coals," Dykes said. “It was a heat-of-the-moment thing. I’m very frustrated, because it was way misconstrued. I was just mad. I didn’t get the chance to explain myself. ... I think this has gotten blown way out of control.”
Dykes said he regretted sending the text and wanted to “apologize 100 percent” for the things he said.
“I’m not a racist. I have many black friends. I have friends from Gambia and other places," Dykes said. “Yes, I made a mistake and called Mr. Floyd a thug. I regret that. I really do regret that. ... I am sorry for what I said. I did not mean disrespect to Mr. Floyd, ever."
Dykes said his text was partly prompted by a Facebook video he’d been watching by Candace Owens, a conservative commentator and political activist. In the video, Owens explains why she thinks Floyd -- an unarmed black man who died during an arrest by a white police officer in Minneapolis on May 25 -- shouldn’t be lifted up in the black community as a martyr.
Dykes said he was pondering Owens’ words, which reflected some of his own thoughts. “I was inspired by a black woman, who is amazing, by the way,” said Dykes, who is white.
Also, Dykes said he was upset that protests in Birmingham were continuing to happen, even after the citywide curfew. The curfew, which runs 7 p.m.-6 a.m. daily, forced Parkside to reduce its hours of operation when the business was trying to recover from a loss of income during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Finally we get to reopen and then this happens,” Dykes said. “They started these protests and I was hoping that people wouldn’t go. Why would you have a protest during a pandemic? I was angry that my employees were still going to the protests after the restrictions they already caused. ... They shouldn’t have protests. It’s not fair. I really think the City of Birmingham and Mayor Woodfin are negligent."
Dykes said his cell phone has been “blowing up” with calls and texts because of the controversy, some of them derogatory.
“This is so hurtful,” Dykes said. “I feel like everybody just wants me out of Parkside.”
Dykes said if he could speak directly to the bar’s customers -- indeed, to all of Birmingham -- here’s what he’d say:
“I’m sorry I let everybody down. I really am. I never intended any harm. Everybody is welcome at Parkside, no matter what your skin color and politics are. I did not ever want to cause any disrespect for Mr. Floyd. I would like to apologize to the Floyd family and anybody else I offended.”
Later on Friday, via a text message, Dykes said, “I would like to add that all lives matter, and police brutality is unacceptable.”
Parkside Cafe, 4036 Fifth Ave. South, has been a popular mainstay in Birmingham’s Avondale neighborhood for about a decade. Dykes opened the bar in 2010, transforming a former home decor shop into a casual and funky nightspot filled with artworks and antiques.
Although Parkside has developed good relationships with its customers over the years, Dykes’ comments about the protests have caused severe damage to the bar’s reputation, co-owner Bagwell said.
“I’m horrified,” Bagwell said in a phone interview with AL.com. 'I can’t and won’t condone what he said. That’s not who we are at Parkside. I’m incredibly disappointed right now."
Bagwell, who said he bought a 25 percent stake in the business about six years ago, admitted that he’s in a difficult position as the minority owner at Parkside. Dykes has a tendency to rant and make inflammatory statements when he’s upset, Bagwell said, and this episode is a prime example.
“I think he was just popping off,” Bagwell said. “He just doesn’t understand that his words have repercussions. I don’t think he’s a racist. I don’t think he understood the impact this could have and is having. ... Most of the time, it’s easy to talk him down or distract him, and he’s on to something else."
Bagwell kept the bar closed on Friday after the controversy erupted and said he wasn’t sure if Parkside would be open at all this weekend. (Parkside, which closed in mid-March when the pandemic hit, reopened in mid-May with reduced capacity, increased sanitation practices and social distancing guidelines. Because of the curfew in Birmingham, hours have been reduced to 3 p.m.-6:30 p.m. daily.)
Bagwell and his wife Robin were at the bar on Friday, keeping vigil over the place and hoping that no protests would happen on the street. Things were quiet at Parkside when the 7 p.m. curfew arrived, and the Bagwells said they hoped the calm atmosphere would continue.
“I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place," Robert Bagwell said. “I support the right to protest and I would like people to do it safely, peacefully. I get it -- there’s a ton of anger out there and it’s justified anger. If you want to protest Parkside, I get it. Just please don’t burn us. This is the only livelihood I’ve ever known. This is all I got.”
Bagwell apologized for Dykes’ comments on his Instagram page on Friday, saying, “I’d just like to say how sorry I am for the dumb shit my business partner said earlier today. It is in no way indicative of myself or any of the staff at Parkside. We love our state, neighborhood and our regulars. This is not who we are.”
Robert Bagwell, one of the owners of Parkside Cafe in Birmingham, posted this on Instagram on June 5, 2020.(Instagram screenshot)
The Bagwells also issued an apology on Parkside Cafe’s Facebook page.
Robert Bagwell, one of the owners of Birmingham's Parkside Cafe, posted this apology on the bar's Facebook page on June 5, 2020.(Facebook screenshot)
Although some commenters on Facebook have been sympathetic, others have said the apology isn’t enough. They’re calling for Bagwell to oust Dykes and take over the business.
“Michael Dykes needs to quit/be fired and someone else step in because Parkside is a great bar and community space (one that I once lived in the loft before it was a bar) and I would hate for it to go because of this,” Christy Turnipseed said. “He is one person that can be removed and let Parkside be even better. I’m sure the other owner realizes this. But again, also maybe check your PR before making a statement like this. This apology is not enough.”
“If it was ‘an individual’ making these comments, they would be fired immediately," Lana Darby said. “Until this owner is fired, I would not expect your community to embrace Parkside again knowing their dollars are enriching this man.”
“You should def consider 1. Acknowledging what was said, and 2. buying out the partner who said it. Otherwise I’m pretty sure you guys are cancelled,” said Brandon Wayne.
Bagwell said he spoke to Dykes briefly after the controversy emerged on Friday, but the two have yet to discuss the future of Parkside.
“In a perfect world, I’d like to say that he’s no longer affiliated with Parkside and I’m doing what I can to get rid of him," Bagwell said. “I haven’t had time to go over our ownership agreement.”
Bagwell said Dykes, who has a 75 percent stake in Parkside, doesn’t spend much time at the bar. He stopped short of calling Dykes an absentee owner, but Bagwell emphasized that he’s the one on scene every day, interacting with customers and creating a welcoming atmosphere.
“I’m here seven days a week,” Bagwell said. “I still bartend three or four times a week. Buying him out seems like the only way to fix the problem. ... He thinks he’s being clever and I’m just trying to make a good living and keep the bills paid. I would like this business to continue to exist and for me to have a job to come to every day. Our reputation is horribly tainted right now."
Bagwell said it’s unusual for him to criticize Dykes in a public forum, but his partner has left him little choice.
“I’m sure he’s not going to be happy,” Bagwell said. “What do I have to lose? He’s crippled our business already."
Bagwell said he’s not sure what the future will bring, but he hopes customers will return to Parkside and give the business another chance.
“We’re just an easygoing neighborhood bar, trying to stay out of politics," Bagwell said. "The people who know us love us. I would hope other people who don’t know us would give us a shot and not say, ‘To heck with that place.' ... I’ll apologize to anybody who comes through the door for the stupidity of my partner. How about the first beer on me?”
Update, June 9: The Facebook page for Parkside Cafe has been taken down. AL.com has confirmed that all five employees at the bar have resigned. Parkside remains closed. The dispute between the two owners has yet to be resolved.
