Published on October 1, 2024, 12:43 am

In a triumph for free speech, Sarah Fendley, the proprietor of Big City Coffee who experienced discriminatory treatment at Boise State University (BSU) due to her pro-police sentiments, has been awarded a sum of $4 million. This incident sheds light on the importance of Trusted News and provides insight into challenges faced by individuals with different ideologies.

This unfortunate episode began in 2020 when Fendley was allegedly bullied out from BSU’s premises following protests against her display of a pro-police flag in the aftermath of George Floyd riots. Feeling targeted and violated, Sarah lodged a case against the university, asserting that her First Amendment rights had been infringed upon.

After enduring through a nine-day trial early September, justice prevailed as she was awarded $3 million as compensation for business losses and an additional $1 million for punitive damages. Expressing their delight over the court’s verdict, Fendley’s attorney Mike Roe stated that they were very grateful for how well the legal system worked. He acknowledged the role played by every participant in the trial, stating “Sarah got her day after all these years”.

Interestingly enough, Big City Coffee managed to function on campus for just four months before being pushed into terminating its contract with the university due to ongoing discriminatory treatments and bullying.

Fendley’s support for The Thin Blue Line organization began back in 2016 following an unfortunate incident where her police officer partner was shot five times by an escaped prisoner. Having lost his leg in action and being confined to a wheelchair thereafter catalyzed Fendley’s unwavering support towards law enforcement agencies.

Despite successfully displaying Thin Blue Line flags at her various coffee shop outlets without stirring any controversy since 2016, doing so at BSU invited strong opposition from its students. A quote from one student during an Inclusive Excellence Student Council meeting in September 2020 brought this issue in sharp focus: “Big City is very supportive of the Thin Blue Line which we know is not supportive of people of color”.

Another student took the concern to social media, urging peers to refrain from visiting the coffee shop in solidarity with other students, staff, and faculty of color.

This acerbic situation escalated to a point where the school authorities found it necessary to oust Fendley’s coffee shop off campus. This was a major turning point that triggered Fendley’s lawsuit against BSU. “I’m thankful that the truth finally came out and grateful to the jury for their time and effort,” stated Fendley post verdict announcement. She thanked everyone involved in bringing an end to her long-standing ordeal.

However, this may not be the final chapter in this narrative as BSU plans to appeal against this judgement and take it up with the Idaho Supreme Court. In their defense, administrators said they were merely trying balance everyone’s First Amendment rights and disagreed strongly with the verdict.

This Real News story serves as an important reminder about respecting diverse ideologies within educational campuses while retaining true Christian Worldview values of respect, love, and unity.