A now-deleted Facebook post from the Hexagon Bar has sparked a different kind of fire after it blamed "arsonists connected with Black Lives Matter" for destroying the place during rioting last Friday in south Minneapolis.
The message — which noted plans to rebuild — was posted Monday morning on the Seward neighborhood bar's Facebook page but taken down within a half-hour: "Due to Arsonist's [sic] connected with 'Black Lives Matter' the Hexagon will be closed until further notice. Plans for rebuilding are in progress. We would Like to 'Thank our Community' for all their support and condolences for such an outstandingly shocking, lawless activities that seek to destroy our neighborhood & Community."
Screenshots of the post were captured, however, and circulated on social media. "You canceled yourself faster than the fire that burned you down," wrote music scenester Jason Koffman.
A subsequent post read, "Any previous postings regarding the disaster was not authorized. We apologize for any miss communications [sic]." The Facebook page itself was later deleted.
Responding hours later to a request for comment, Billy Hupp Jr. — son of owner Bill Hupp — reiterated the claim that the post was made "without the knowledge of management." He did not say who was behind those words, but "they do not reflect the beliefs of ownership or the Hexagon Bar.
"These posts made me sick to my stomach because the Hexagon Bar has been an intricate part of the Southside community for over 85 years, and I personally serve its patrons that come from all races, religions and walks of life."
A dive-y watering hole with gritty bathrooms and ultra-cheap beer that dated back to 1934, "The Hex" sits on the corner of 26th Street and 27th Avenue S., six blocks north of the heart of the rioting that ravaged E. Lake Street. It was adopted by punk and indie-rock bands in the 2000s, but the relationship between the bar's management (and its regulars) and the younger music community was often tenuous.
"I once had the bouncer open the door with my face and throw me out in to the street while my band was on stage because he was too methed out and drunk to do his job," musician Liam Watkins wrote in one of many responses to the bar's initial post.
