Jason Fletcher and his Ice Cream & Café shop – Photo: KTTC screenshot
A gay-owned ice cream shop displaying a large Pride flag outside was attacked twice in 24 hours by a man who hurled Molotov cocktails at the business.
Jason Fletcher, owner of Fletcher’s Ice Cream & Café in Minneapolis, told NBC affiliate KTTC that employees had left just six minutes before the first attack, around 10:45 p.m. on Sunday, October 19. The suspect hurled a Molotov cocktail, shattering a window and igniting several chairs. Patrons at nearby Mac’s Industrial Sports Bar helped extinguish the flames.
The second attack came just over 14 hours later, around 12:52 p.m. on Monday, when the shop was closed. This time, the Molotov cocktail created a larger hole in the window, but its wick fell out before the flames could reach inside. The fire scorched the sidewalk outside, leaving burn marks near several tables and chairs.
A witness told police they saw the arsonist throw the firebomb through the window before fleeing in a Honda Odyssey — the same type of vehicle captured on surveillance footage leaving the scene of the first attack.
Minneapolis police later stopped and detained 30-year-old Firomsa Ahmed Umar, of Fridley, after linking the Honda seen at both fire-bombings to his vehicle. When officers pulled him over on October 20, just a few miles southeast of Fletcher’s, they found a gas canister on the front passenger seat.
Police arrested Umar and charged him with two counts of first-degree arson. Charging documents note that Fletcher’s shares a wall with a residential building — a factor that could bring additional charges or harsher penalties if Umar is convicted.
A spokesman for the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office told Minneapolis ABC affiliate KSTP that current evidence does not support treating the attack as a bias-motivated crime. The case remains under investigation.
Judge Paul Scoggin of the 4th Judicial District set Umar’s bail at $75,000.
Fletcher believes his shop may have been targeted because of the Progress Pride flag hanging outside.
“It happened twice here,” Fletcher told CBS News. “It didn’t happen at the bar next door, it happened here. There’s a reason why. And I’d like to think it’s not my flag, but it very well could be.”
In the wake of the fire-bombings, community members rallied around Fletcher’s. City Council Member Michael Rainville (DFL–Ward 3), who represents the neighborhood, urged residents to attend a “Neighborhood Safety Rally” outside the shop last week. Supporters filled the sidewalk, while a steady line of customers streamed inside to show their support.
“Honestly, it brings me to tears,” Fletcher said of the overwhelming community support. “I can’t even answer my phone calls fast enough, I can’t answer the text messages, the messages on Instagram or Facebook.”
Fletcher said he has no plans to remove the Pride flag or downplay his shop’s support for inclusivity and its longtime reputation as a “safe space” for the LGBTQ community.
“I’m not going to be in the closet, and I don’t think any queer-owned business should be,” Fletcher told Minneapolis FOX affiliate KMSP. “I think that it’s really important that we stand up for ourselves.”
The Capital Pride Alliance and WorldPride DC organizers hosted a "wrap-up party" on September 30 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center to unveil the WorldPride 2025 Impact Report, highlighting the celebration's economic and cultural reach.
The event, featuring food, drinks, and live performances, celebrated WorldPride’s success while giving LGBTQ community members a chance to reflect on the experience and the lessons learned from hosting a large-scale festival in D.C., helping build an infrastructure the city can use for future events.
An irate customer at a Florida Starbucks was arrested after throwing a tantrum over a Pride flag hanging on the wall.
Police say Tucker Alden Kemp, 31, of Clearwater, entered a Starbucks in St. Petersburg around 9:16 a.m. on October 22. Once inside, he took offense at a Pride flag and asked to speak with the manager, insisting it was offensive and should be replaced with an American flag.
When the manager refused, citing store policy, Kemp allegedly "decided to take matters into his own hands," according to an arrest affidavit obtained by The Smoking Gun.
The owners of Pink Pony, a new gay nightclub in Sydney, have apologized and vowed to change the club's name following backlash from the local LGBTQ community.
Kevin Du-Val and Michael Lewis — the owner and manager of the popular gay club Palms — had planned to open their new multi-level venue on Oxford Street, the main drag in Darlinghurst known for its vibrant LGBTQ nightlife, in early December.
But the club's name — which the owners said in a since-deleted social media post was "unashamedly inspired by its namesake song that resonates so profoundly within our community," referring to lesbian singer Chappell Roan's hit "Pink Pony Club" — sparked controversy after they described the type of patrons they hoped to attract, seemingly at the expense of others, according to 9News.
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