The ongoing occupation of a federal wildlife refuge in eastern Oregon has divided public opinion for weeks, and now a doughnut commemorating the arrest of the group's leader is doing the same.
Two days after Ammon Bundy was arrested and booked in a Portland-area jail Tuesday night, famed Portland bakery Voodoo Doughnut posted a photo to its Instagram Thursday of a doughnut bearing Bundy's face (modeled off his mug shot,) which is shown behind bars and accompanied by the words "Welcome to Portland."
Doughnut Artist: @cowboydevil_ #voodoodoughnut #themagicisinthehole #goodthingscomeinpinkboxes #voodoodoughnuts #doughnuts A photo posted by Voodoo Doughnut (@voodoodoughnut) on Jan 27, 2016 at 2:44pm PST
Bundy, along with multiple members of his militia group, was arrested after a more than three-week long standoff with the federal government, prompted by disagreements over land ownership and the takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in early January. One group member, 54-year-old Robert "LaVoy" Finicum, was killed during a shootout with authorities that night.
Social media reaction to Voodoo Doughnut's creation, which a bakery employee told The Oregonian was "just for display in the case and for the Internet," has been mixed.
The majority of the comments on the Instagram post have applauded the creativity of the doughnut, as have many people on Twitter.
Ammon Bundy is getting his "just desserts". #Oregonstandoff #VoodooDoughnut pic.twitter.com/fvfWUg9lBs— Cornelia (@PaladinCornelia) January 29, 2016
Ammon Bundy gets his own Voodoo Doughnut. He asked for snacks. Now he is one. #Oregonstandoff https://t.co/C6yarZu8vR— Laura L. Roberts (@Laura_LovinLife) January 29, 2016
Can I get 1 Bundy-Behind-Bars please? #VoodooDoughnut #Oregonstandoff https://t.co/z4J1wG76iz pic.twitter.com/xuboA8mUv0— Kirsten Nicolaisen (@QueenKiks) January 28, 2016
Some critics, however, were quick to accuse Voodoo of being insensitive to the mission of the group and making light of Finicum's death.
Really? Finicum not even buried and it’s time to promote ridicule. Stay classy @VoodooDoughnut’s. #Oregonstandoff https://t.co/8Slklvirgr— Mac (@macrant) January 28, 2016
@Oregonian @VoodooDoughnut this is really not helpful -- many in E OR resonate with the issues -- polarizing snobbery does not solve any.— Ann Fontaine ☩ (@seashellseller) January 28, 2016
@KATUNews @OregonStandoff @VoodooDoughnut This is in poor taste. Nothing like beating a dead horse. Do you trip the crippled too?— J.Randall (@JRandall_000) January 28, 2016
Voodoo Doughnut co-owner Kenneth "Cat Daddy" Pogson, who came up with the idea for the Bundy doughnut, told The Oregonian he expected the post would stir up some controversy, but said he ultimately wanted to make a statement about the "debacle" dividing the state.
"I figured we'd have some backlash, and I thought about whether this went too far," Pogson said. "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."