DETROIT – Former owner David Farber came out of retirement, repurchasing Detroit Popcorn following the statements made by his successor via social media. Evan Singer now has no ties with the company after the cancellation of several contracts with Detroit businesses.
Like so many others, Valencia Jones was disgusted with the alleged comment made by former owner of Detroit popcorn factory Evan Singer.
Under the alias, Even Sangria, he supposedly wrote a presumed reference to George Floyd and the recent protests saying, “they wonder why need knees in their necks” in a post that has since been deleted.
“I think it shows his beliefs and his views about not only African American people but just about the culture in the climate that we're in right now,” said Jones.
When the people on the internet started to contact the business, they denied having anything to do with Singer - claiming he was only a longtime customer, turns out that’s not the case. On Singers LinkedIn page he’s listed as vice-president, while other sources have claimed he’s been a co-owner for years.
“It's unbelievable. And it's disheartening,” added Jones.
Since then, several other companies with contracts to sell the popcorn have been cutting ties with the Detroit business including Quicken Loans and the Detroit Zoo.
Here’s the statement regarding Singer from Quicken Loans.
“This morning we were made aware of the statements made by Evan Singer, owner of Detroit Popcorn, on social media. In a statement released Saturday evening, Quicken Loans CEO Jay Farner committed to doubling down on our existing efforts regarding diversity and inclusion initiatives.
Our message is clear: any business working with our Family of Companies must always demonstrate the same purpose, passion and civility. Those who cannot uphold this standard will not work with us. As such, we are immediately severing ties with Detroit Popcorn.”
There is also another statement from the Detroit Zoo regarding Singer posted to their Facebook page.
“The Detroit Zoological Society (DZS) would like to thank everyone who alerted us to the racist comments made by the owner of Detroit Popcorn. Service Systems Associates (SSA), the exclusive service provider for Detroit Zoo concessions, cut ties with Detroit Popcorn this morning immediately after the comments were brought to their attention. You will no longer see Detroit Popcorn product at the Detroit Zoo.”
“I think that's good, I think. I think everybody needs to stand up and take a stand because saying nothing is saying a lot. I think if more people did that same thing when it comes to people saying negative, hateful comments like that, there would probably be far and fewer in between,” concluded Jones.
Detroit popcorn is now temporarily closed, As far as the future of the business, Local 4 has been told that Faber is pursuing a sale to African American Investors in the near future."
“I was very disheartened and disappointed in what Mr. Singer wrote on Facebook,” said Farber. “I don’t tolerate racism in any form, ever. Detroit Popcorn Company is closed in the short term until we can assess the best way to move forward and also facilitate a sale. Mr. Singer disrespected our community, customers, and employees. I could not tolerate this behavior at a company that I once owned, therefore, I decided to buy back the company,”said Farber.
READ MORE: David Farber repurchases Detroit Popcorn Company, plans sell business to black investors