Meet the Man Who Said Juneteenth Supporters Are "Destroying the Community"
June 03, 2026 | Freeport, IL
The Comment That Started It All…
"The only ones that give a f*** are the ones that are destroying the community."
That was the comment Lena resident Korey Merkel chose to post on Fighting4Freeport's Facebook page during a discussion surrounding Juneteenth.
It was not a discussion about taxes, crime, city spending, or local government policy. It was a discussion about Juneteenth, the federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.
For many readers, the statement was difficult to understand. Juneteenth is not a political candidate. It is not a political party. It is not a government program. It is a recognition of freedom and one of the most significant moments in American history.
Yet Merkel's contribution to the discussion was to suggest that those who care about or celebrate the holiday are somehow responsible for "destroying the community."
And let’s not sugarcoat it. He isn’t that high brow. He made a racist comment blaming black people for destroying the community. Period. Stop.
As community members responded, the conversation quickly escalated.
From Juneteenth to Personal Attacks
What began as criticism of Juneteenth soon shifted toward personal attacks directed at Fighting4Freeport Chairman Joshua T. Atkinson.
During the exchange, Merkel posted an image containing the phrase "Pipe Down Monkey." The image was directed at Atkinson, who is Black.
For most readers, the significance was immediate. Comparing Black people to monkeys has a long and well-documented history as a racist insult in the United States. Numerous community members viewed the image not as political criticism, but as a racial attack.
The controversy did not stop there.
Merkel also shared an image depicting Atkinson's residence, where Atkinson lives with his husband of eleven years. The image labeled the property the "Freeport Fudge Factory."
The image was posted publicly during the same exchange.
Several commenters viewed the post as an attempt to mock Atkinson and his husband based upon their sexual orientation.
Throughout various social media feeds, Merkel continued making comments about Freeport, referring to portions of the community as "ghettos" and describing its residents as "trash."
His comments quickly spread across social media.
But it also raised an important question.
If Korey Merkel believes others are "destroying the community," who exactly is Korey Merkel?
A Public Record Spanning More Than Twenty Years
A review of publicly available Stephenson County court records reveals a criminal history extending back more than two decades.
Court records show convictions for multiple misdemeanor and felony offenses.
Felony Convictions
Public court records show felony convictions including:
Aggravated Battery in a Public Place
Criminal Damage to Property Between $10,000 and $100,000
Manufacture and Delivery of Cannabis
Obstructing Justice / Destroying Evidence
Producing 5 to 20 Cannabis Plants
Misdemeanor Convictions
Public court records further show convictions including:
Disorderly Conduct
Resisting a Peace Officer
Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
Multiple Underage Possession and Consumption of Alcohol Offenses
Additional Court History
Court records further reflect:
Multiple probation terms
Multiple petitions to revoke probation
Multiple probation violations and extensions
Court-ordered drug treatment
Court-ordered alcohol treatment
Conditional discharge sentences
Restitution proceedings
Jail sentences
A sentence to the Illinois Department of Corrections
Numerous traffic-related cases
Most recently, court records show a 2025 Order of Protection case in which an Emergency Order of Protection was entered on July 29, 2025. Court records further show that an agreed Plenary Order of Protection was entered on August 13, 2025.
This was not a single youthful mistake.
This was not one isolated incident.
This was not one bad decision followed by an otherwise spotless record.
The public record reflects repeated interactions with law enforcement, prosecutors, judges, probation officers, and the criminal justice system over a period spanning more than twenty years.
More Than a Slap on the Wrist
At some point, the conversation has to move beyond "everyone makes mistakes."
Nobody is talking about a single poor decision.
Nobody is talking about a teenager making a bad choice.
The public record reflects more than two decades of criminal cases, convictions, supervision, probation, probation violations, treatment programs, jail sentences, and prison time.
Time after time, the system offered opportunities for rehabilitation. Judges imposed sentences. Probation officers monitored compliance. Treatment programs were ordered. Additional chances were granted.
That is not a criticism of rehabilitation. Rehabilitation should always be the goal.
But eventually the public is entitled to ask a simple question: Did rehabilitation actually occur?
Because when someone with a public record like this enters a discussion about Juneteenth and declares that the people celebrating freedom are "destroying the community," it is difficult to ignore the contradiction.
The public record speaks for itself.
The Question
The comments.
The images.
The public record.
The facts are all there.
If Korey Merkel believes others are "destroying the community," readers are left to ask a simple question:
Who is really harming the community?
Chairman's Analysis | Joshua T. Atkinson
As I reviewed Korey Merkel's public record, one thing became impossible to ignore. This story is not really about me. It is not about Fighting4Freeport. It is not even about Korey Merkel. It is about accountability.
For more than twenty years, the public record shows repeated interactions with law enforcement, prosecutors, judges, probation officers, treatment programs, county jail, and ultimately the Illinois Department of Corrections. At every stage, the system did what it was designed to do. Judges offered opportunities. Probation officers monitored compliance. Treatment programs were ordered. Sentences were reduced. Additional chances were granted.
That is not necessarily a criticism of the people involved. Rehabilitation should be the goal. A healthy society should believe people can change. We should want people to learn from their mistakes, become productive citizens, and move forward with their lives.
But eventually we have to be honest enough to ask whether rehabilitation actually occurred. If people like this can be fixed? After more than twenty years of convictions, probation violations, treatment programs, jail sentences, prison time, and now the conduct displayed publicly for everyone to see, readers can draw their own conclusions.
Because when someone with a public record spanning more than two decades enters a discussion about Juneteenth and declares that the people celebrating freedom are "destroying the community," something is wrong. When that same individual posts a "Pipe Down Monkey" image directed at a Black man, something is wrong. When that same individual publicly mocks a same-sex married couple and turns their home into the subject of ridicule, something is wrong.
Those actions do not demonstrate growth. They do not demonstrate accountability. They do not suggest someone who has learned meaningful lessons from decades of interactions with the criminal justice system.
As a proud Black man, I was not surprised by the monkey image. Disappointed? Absolutely. Surprised? No. America has a long and ugly history of comparing Black people to animals as a way of dehumanizing us. It is one of the oldest racist tactics in existence. The goal has always been the same: to make us feel less human, less deserving of dignity, and less deserving of equal treatment.
What affected me far more was seeing my home become a target once again.
My husband and I chose Freeport. We invested here. We purchased a historic property that many people had written off and committed ourselves to restoring it because we believed this city was worth investing in. We believed its history was worth preserving. We believed this community was worth fighting for. While many people have been supportive, others chose a different path.
During the 2025 mayoral campaign, our home began being referred to as the "Freeport Fudge Factory." Someone even created a fake Google business listing using that name so it would appear on maps. I said nothing publicly. I quietly made a few phone calls and it disappeared. As a gay Black man running for mayor in a community that is overwhelmingly straight and white, the message felt familiar. It felt like a reminder that some people believed I had become too visible, too outspoken, and too willing to challenge the status quo. In short, it felt like an underhanded attempt to remind me to stay in my place.
Earlier this year, during my campaign against State Senator Andrew Chesney, it happened again. Again, I stayed quiet. Not because I was afraid. I have thick skin. I can take a punch. But more importantly, I was hiding this from my husband. I did not want my him to hate our home. I did not want him to hate the people who have spent generations trapped in cycles of ignorance and division. Most of all, I did not want him to hate Freeport.
I knew there was no point in having it removed again. At some point it stopped being about the name itself. It stopped being about a fake listing, a meme, or a joke. It became a reminder that there are still people who see a gay Black man speaking up in his community and decide that he deserves to be mocked rather than heard.
Then I saw the images posted earlier today, and I soon received a text message from my husband that stopped me cold.
"Now I have to live in fear thinking someone will throw bricks through my window, set this house on fire or attack me when I'm outside with the dogs."
That hit me harder than I expected.
Because for the first time, I realized this is not about politics anymore or a difference of opinions. It is not about social media. It is not about campaigns. It is about people in this community quietly living in fear simply because of who they are and others who have become so distressed in their own lives that they attempt to prey on others.
And if I am being completely honest, there is another feeling that comes with all of this that many victims quietly carry but rarely say out loud.
The feeling that somehow it is your own fault.
It would not have happened if I had not run for mayor.
It would not have happened if I had not run for state senate.
It would not have happened if I had not stood up for this community.
It would not have happened if I had not spoken out against corruption, abuse, wrongdoing, and pedophiles.
It would not have happened if I had simply ignored the calls for help from this community.
That is the mentality that bullies count on. That is how they force people like me and you to stay in our place.
Victim blaming. Not asking why people behave this way. Not asking why they target others. Instead, people quietly convince themselves that if someone becomes a target, they must have somehow brought it on themselves. That their skirt was just a little too short.
I was not asking for it.
My family was not looking for attention.
I was standing up for my community.
I was standing up for taxpayers.
I was standing up for you.
But that is exactly what bullies count on. They count on nobody getting involved. They count on the public staying silent. They count on victims blaming themselves. They count on families deciding it is easier to stay quiet than fight back. Easier to move away.
That is what has happened to Freeport and that is why Fighting4Freeport exists.
Because there are far too many people in this community being bullied, manipulated, intimidated, ignored, or taken advantage of by individuals who believe they are untouchable.
Eventually somebody has to stand up and say enough.
The comments. The images. The public record. The facts are all there.
So we ask again:
Look around. Review the facts.
Who is really "destroying the community"?