A Whistler barber who sparked a firestorm of outrage on social media after posting a challenge on Instagram to those who attended an anti-racism protest in Whistler now says the Instagram image was a meme, was taken out of context, and reframed as racist.
In the original Instagram post Tyler Cheverie invited "any grown male adult who marched in or had their child march in or supported the fake 'black lives matter' protest in Whistler," which took place on June 1 to "mutual combat" last Saturday, June 6.
"I'm not going to sit back while you radicalize the kids," he wrote in the Instagram post. "Send this to everyone you know who participated and help get the word out. I'm not hiding ... See you outside the shop for the counter protest! All Lives Matter!"
In the caption of a follow-up post in response to the backlash, Cheverie said: "I'm not apologizing for the meme, no matter how offended anyone ever gets, because I didn't do anything wrong."
Cheverie declined to be interviewed by Pique but referenced the lengthy captions he has posted to Instagram in recent days.
Despite the public backlash, Cheverie on Saturday went to the site where he planned to hold his "counter protest."
While there was no such event, longtime local Bob Crook, said he felt a responsbility to show up on Saturday after seeing Cheverie's initial post.
"I was upset," Crook explained in a phone interview. "[I thought] 'I'm going to go down there and protest, a peaceful protest, because I think this is ridiculous.' In the 21 years that I've lived here, this is the most racially ridiculous thing I've ever lived through-and I've lived in New York, Vancouver, Toronto. I grew up in London, Ontario, and I've never [experienced] anything as awkward as this."
He continued, "I think it's a normal reaction to someone doing that in your hometown ... being a half black kid, growing up with a bunch of other mixed race kids, having the best time of your life and feeling more comfortable here [in Whistler] than you have anywhere else in the world, I felt obligated to."
While Crook admitted to having posted his own video online earlier in the week suggesting he was prepared for a physical altercation with Cheverie, he maintained that once his emotions settled, he, along with a couple of friends and acquaintances who joined him in the Upper Village, did not show up "looking for a fight."
Cheverie recorded their encounter, during which Cheverie repeatedly stated that neither he nor his post are racist. He shared the recordings on Instagram as a pair of IGTV videos.
Crook’s response? “I would say that when he types ‘racist’ into Google, it's a different form of Google than the one I use, because he has a complete and separate definition of what racism is.”
The backlash against Cheverie extended to his workplace, TNT Tattoo + Barber in the Upper Village, which was caught up in the social media storm as many locals commenting on the post called for a boycott of the business.
TNT co-owner and tattoo artist, Tyler (B) ATD, who happens to be Black, found himself and his business trapped in the crossfire.
Though screenshots of the business' website shared to social media appeared to have at one time listed both Tylers as co-owners of the local shop, the tattoo artist respectfully declined to elaborate on Cheverie's status in the business when reached by email.
A statement from Tyler (B) ATD, posted to TNT's Instagram account on Thursday, June 4, apologized "on behalf of one of my employee's actions yesterday."
It continued, "We have immediately and indefinitely suspend [sic] Tyler the barber from working at TNT. TNT staff as a collective do not stand for this type of thing and want you to know we support anyone voicing themselves for a good cause."
Over the last week, "Myself and my staff have been harassed constantly and continue to receive threats, slander and personal insults across all forms of communication. Some even racist," shared Tyler (B) ATD in an email—he also declined a phone interview with Pique.
In his most recent Instagram post titled "final thoughts," Cheverie noted that he plans to donate $25 to the Union Gospel Mission in Vancouver in memory of George Floyd, David Dorn-a retired police officer who was shot and killed during a pawn shop burglary during recent protests in St. Louis, "and anyone else who has suffered unjustly in the history of humanity.
"I'm not donating more because what sparked this was a very very minor thing.
"I'm not fired. You can't get someone fired for what has transpired here."
(Editor's note: The first individual to share Cheverie's post to the Whistler Summer Facebook group was Pique reporter Brandon Barrett, prompted by his strong personal opposition to the content included in the post. While he did so in a personal capacity, unrelated to his role with the newsmagazine, Pique is, as always, committed to full transparency in telling this story, and any other story we cover.)
