UPDATED Sunday, July 9 11:08 a.m.: Politics and real estate are never far apart, but it’s somewhat more unusual for them to meet in a barroom brawl. The brokerage Nooklyn [TRDataCustom] has come under attack from Donald Trump supporters and the alt-right after a fight between a broker and a Trump supporter left a man bloodied.
“Hey @nooklyn, how do you feel abt your employee Leonard Heinert viciously assaulting a Trump supporter?Do you think he’s a good rep for you?” Laura Loomer, a reporter for the far-right Canadian media outlet, The Rebel, tweeted.
Hey @nooklyn, how do you feel abt your employee Leonard Heinert viciously assaulting a Trump supporter?Do you think he’s a good rep for you? pic.twitter.com/UApBTcQCEK
— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) July 8, 2017
Together, her tweet was liked and retweeted more that 1,000 times.
It’s unclear exactly what occurred between Heinert and the Trump supporter Jovi Val, but it seems to involve a “Make America Great Again” hat, and a woman who was with Heinert at the bar.
Val, who previously stormed the stage of a Julius Caesar performance in which the Caesar resembled Trump, was celebrating at the bar after attending rightwing celebrity Milo Yiannopoulos’ book party in the Lower East Side. During the confrontation between Val and Heinert, Val was hit in the face with a beer bottle, which Val’s supporters allege came from Heinert. Images shared on social media show severe cuts on Val’s face. Multiple right-wing bloggers claim that Heinert was arrested at the scene and a spokesperson for Nooklyn told The Real Deal that Val and others were arrested as well.
Social media outrage from the right was swift, with many of the tweets directed toward Heinert’s employer Nooklyn. In response, Nooklyn tweeted: “We have officially terminated Mr. Heinert’s salesperson license from Nooklyn. Mr. Heinert is no longer associated with our company.”
We have officially terminated Mr. Heinert’s salesperson license from Nooklyn. Mr. Heinert is no longer associated with our company.
— nooklyn (@nooklyn) July 8, 2017
Nevertheless, the social media torrent against Nooklyn continued with many accusing the brokerage of fanning the flames of political violence or questioning whether it would refuse to rent homes to Trump supporters. Others congratulated Nooklyn on their swift action.
Hey, @nooklyn, if a client shows up wearing a MAGA hat, would your agents punch him/her in the face? A concerned public would like to know pic.twitter.com/bKT1CvmMcV
— Lesbian Conservative (@lesbianoutsider) July 8, 2017
Mr. Harley Courts @gnarlycourts is CEO of @nooklyn, the Brooklyn based tech startup where Leo works, what wld their $$ backers think?
— Heartland Patriot (@HEARTLANDPAT) July 8, 2017
Credit should be given to you for quickly investigating & disavowing, thanks for doing the right thing!
— John (@johnmd520) July 8, 2017
The spokesperson for Nooklyn said that there is currently a police investigation into the matter and that they were not yet prepared to comment any further on Heinert’s termination. However, they did note that the situation is not as “one sided” as it is being portrayed online and that someone in the “‘alt-right’ group allegedly punched a female friend of Heinert’s. Since police have received video of the incident, the spokesperson said, they have downgraded Heinert’s charges to a misdemeanor.
Damn… WTF?!? His estate just got real!
— Paul Etheredge (@PaulyDeathwish) July 8, 2017