Portland donut maker 'commemorates' Oregon standoff leader
Voodoo Doughnut, a popular Portland, Oregon destination for doughnuts, has apparently released a new fried creation as an homage to recently jailed Oregon occupation leader Ammon Bundy.
Bundy, who led a group of militia that took over the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in protest of prison sentences for a group of Oregon ranchers, and others were captured by authorities and sent to Portland for sentencing.
The donut appeared on Voodoo Doughnuts’s Instagram account and was created by “donut artist” Shane Sweeney. At the time of publication, it had received over 600 likes.
Known for its own special brand of commentary, Voodoo Donuts, who created the Maple Blazer Blunt (in reference to previous Portland Trail Blazers and their propensity to enjoy marijuana), the donut is only for display and not for sale to the general public.
Voodoo Doughnut co-owner, Kenneth “Cat Daddy” Pogson noted to The Oregonian that the donut was his brainchild and more about commentary on today’s culture and the so-called “patriot movement” giving Oregon a public relations black eye.
"We're trying to avoid politics," Pogson said, "but this whole thing seemed like such a big deal — with them taking public property, armed to the teeth, making a stand that they thought everyone would join. It was a debacle that was on everyone's mind, left or right."
When it was determined that Bundy and others were on their way to Portland he instructed his donut artist to create “a face behind bars and the words ‘Welcome to Portland.’”
Pogson expected backlash, especially since one of the militants Robert “LaVoy” Finicum died in a shootout with authorities. "I figured we'd have some backlash, and I thought about whether this went too far," he said, also noting that Bundy and the campaign were responsible for his death.
"I didn't want it to come off like I was ridiculing (Finicum). He died for what he believed in. I don't believe in it."
Source: The Oregonian