A theater in Des Plaines, Illinois, canceled an event by a conservative group after saying it was barraged with threats.
The Des Plaines Theater pulled the plug on a panel discussion on sex education reform, scheduled for early February by the conservative activist group Awake Illinois.
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“Awake Illinois has learned that the Des Plaines Theater has opted to stop contracting the ‘Coalition For Kids’ event originally scheduled for February 8, 2023,” Awake Illinois said in a news release. “Due to threats of physical violence directed at the venue and at the participants, this decision was made by Onesti Entertainment, which has no affiliation with our organization.”
Promotional image for the planned Awake Illinois ‘Coalition For Kids’ event at the Des Plaines Theater
(Wake up Illinois)
Shannon Adcock, founder and president of Awake Illinois, spoke to Fox News Digital about the incident.
The group drew the ire of LGBT activists for unspecified comments that sparked an intense backlash, according to local outlet ABC 7. Fox News Digital has so far been unable to confirm the nature of the controversy, and Adcock says he is unaware of no specific comment cited. for the outrage.
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Members of the educational activism group Awake Illinois pose at the event. Photo provided by Shannon Adcock, president and founder of Awake Illinois.
(Wake up Illinois)
“I think they don’t like us to say ‘hairdressers,'” Adcock speculated.
According to Adcock, management at the Des Plaines Theater told him they received a bullet in the mail amid other death threats.
“I was really proud to be able to provide the opportunity for a forum for some positive, hopefully positive discussions, or what I thought would be possible discussions,” theater operator Ron Onesti told ABC 7.
Onesti told the local outlet that he was not aware of the politics of the event until the threats began to arrive.
Members of the educational activism group Awake Illinois pose at the event. Photo provided by Shannon Adcock, president and founder of Awake Illinois.
(Wake up Illinois)
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“It’s not my role to take a position on these issues. I’m just the place,” Onesti explained. “They said they were going to bring guns and show you what it’s really about. It just got really, really bad, involving all sorts of stuff, bullets and dog feces.”
Fox News Digital contacted the Des Plaines Theater for further comment.
“We’ve actually had a rush of people offering other places,” Adcock told Fox News Digital. Awake Illinois plans to move forward with the event elsewhere.
