Shadrachs coffee shops are in the center of controversy after the owners’ names were found on a released list of people petitioning to cut Craighead County Library funds.

The petition is to be able to vote to rollback a tax increase from 1994. The vote is supposed to save Craighead County taxpayers $1 million. 

After the owners’ signatures were found, members of the Jonesboro community took to the social media app Facebook to voice their concerns. Many people announced they were boycotting the company and would support other local coffee shops. 

“I’m incredibly disappointed to see that the owners signed petitions to defund our libraries,” said Dean MacDonald, a political science graduate student from Paragould. “I genuinely enjoyed spending my money there.”

Hashtags such as #SaveOurLibrary and #BoycottShadrachs spread on Facebook. 

In addition, the Facebook group Citizens Defending the Craighead County Library posted infographics explaining the library’s funding situation and urging voters to vote against the measure.

A counter hashtag, #StandWithShadrachs, appeared on Facebook as well, but it did not gain a large following. 

Those in support of the coffee shop say that the owners’ personal beliefs should have no effect on their business and that the owners have every right to express their opinions.

After the eruption on social media, Shadrachs owner, Larry Billing, reposted on the official Shadrachs Facebook page an explanation as to why his signature appeared on the petition. 

“What has been communicated to me about the petition that I signed was that it would not defund, but adjust the tax rates to reflect the library’s needs,” Billing said. “There seems to be a lot of confusion and misinformation about the facts in this case.”

Billing went on to say he had reached out to Vanessa Adams, director of the Craighead County Library, to arrange a meeting to further discuss the issue. 

Some Arkansas State University students have spoken out against Shadrachs.

“I’m not sure why it surprises me considering the foundation of the company is based in faith, however, I wasn’t expecting them to be this outwardly disapproving of educating their own community,” said Alex Tanner, a junior biology major from Russelleville. “The fact that (the owner) tried to backtrack by sending a statement to his employees that he supposedly misunderstood what he was signing seems like a cop out.”

Tanner went on to say that even though she thinks most people won’t boycott Shadrachs, she is planning to boycott until the company releases a public statement. 

Others have mixed feelings about the situation.

“Shadrachs is somewhere I enjoy going to with my friends and getting a good pick me up, but I don’t support the owners’ decision to petition for the defunding of the library,” said Ann Long, a junior political science major from Jackson, Missouri. “I also know that most of the workers don’t support the defunding of the library and I still want to support them, so there’s a lot of conflicting emotions.”

MacDonald implored people to get out and vote. 

“This is not the Library vs. Shadrachs,” MacDonald said. “Regardless of where you buy your coffee, get registered to vote and vote NO this November.”

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