aw_200629_nation

Pine Hall, N.C. – The owner of a North Carolina racetrack said he has faced death threats, lost employees and seen “all but two” of his sponsors evaporate amid the backlash over his social media post invoking the noose found in the garage stall of Black NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace

Mike Fulp, who owns the 311 Speedway in Stokes County, said he knew his troubles from what he described as a joke were self-inflicted. Fulp’s post advertised “Bubba Rope” for sale on Facebook Marketplace the day after an FBI investigation determined the noose found at the Talladega Superspeedway garage had been there since at least October and was a coincidence, not a hate crime.

“I’ve lost all but two of my sponsors,” Fulp told the newspaper. “I’m responsible. I’m responsible for trying to make some jokes.”

Fulp said he’s been getting death threats and received messages threatening his family.

“My employees got harassed,” he said. “I had seven employees quit.”

The Greensboro newspaper reported Fulp canceled a “Stand for America” event planned for Saturday for safety reasons but plans to reopen 311 Speedway, perhaps as soon as next Saturday, and follow the state’s coronavirus guidelines.

Fulp said he wants “low-profile” racing and he plans to stay off social media. He said he is not a racist in an interview in which the newspaper reported he broke down in tears and sobbed.

Starbucks to pause social media ads

Starbucks is the latest company to say it will pause social media ads after a campaign led by civil rights organizations called for an ad boycott of Facebook, saying it doesn’t do enough to stop racist and violent content.

Starbucks said Sunday that its actions were not part of the “#StopHateforProfit” campaign, but that it is pausing its social ads while talking with civil rights organizations and its media partners about how to stop hate speech online.

The coffee chain’s announcement follows statements from Unilever, the European consumer-goods giant behind Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and Dove soap; Coca-Cola; cellphone company Verizon and outdoors companies like Patagonia, Eddie Bauer and REI; film company Magnolia Pictures; jeans maker Levi’s and dozens of smaller companies.

From wire reports