An unassuming Georgia business owner, who doesn’t have so much as a Facebook page, has made national news after bringing a case to a local appellate court.
David Birch, founder and CEO of Birch Architecture & Design in Macon, first made headlines when he was sued by an African American client for “boldfaced racial prejudice and discrimination” connected to a project Birch’s company was working on. The client claimed that he was unnecessarily upcharged for the construction project – a ballet studio – when Birch’s team opted to install expensive floor-to-ceiling bulletproof windows in the studio. According to Birch, they did this for additional protection, in case of a gang-related drive-by shooting. “Yes, I asked him for large studio-style windows,” said the client (who wishes not to be named for fear of ‘predictably racist backlash,’) “that much is true. But he has no reason, other than his own harmful preconceived notions about the color of my skin, to assume that I – a Juilliard School-trained ballet dancer with international experience – would need a level of protection more befitting of 50 Cent and Snoop Doggy Dogg. There are no Glocks here, Mr. Birch, only glissades. We prefer pirouettes to Pirus.”
Last week, Birch’s company lost the suit, forcing him to replace the windows and pay $25,000 in damages. On Thursday, he appealed the decision, citing the court’s apparent negligence in “separating well-informed opinion from genuine malice.” “This is exactly what’s wrong with this country today,” said a fuming Birch. “I stick out my neck to help out my fellow man and he turns around and tries to sue me for all I’m worth. How can you call that justice? Not only do I get persecuted for being an upstanding citizen, but even worse—and this is by far the worst thing these damn Democrats have done to our country—I get persecuted for simply having an opinion. You aren’t allowed to say anything; no, you aren’t allowed to think anything anymore! I’m just calling it like I see it. Black people—sorry, African Americans—are always shooting and getting shot at. Excuse me for noticing!”
Birch’s cause gained support from several conservative media outlets, with many going so far as to call him a hero. One local paper, the Macon Times-Herald, called him a “bulwark against our rapid descent into politically correct chaos.” When asked about his newfound celebrity status, Birch said that he was happy to have a platform. “There are a lot of people out there just like me. We are not hateful because we think black folks bring violence wherever they go. We are not hateful to think they shouldn’t be in government or in our neighborhoods or at our dinner tables. If that’s how I feel, I have a God-given right to feel that way, and that’s that. It’s nothing more than political opinion. In fact, my president has said even worse.” After these comments, the Times-Herald printed a retractive article admitting that “we may have gotten this one wrong.”
Featured image by Markus Winkler on Unsplash.