[THEBALTIMOREPOST] Former City of a Baltimore mayoral candidate, Rikki Vaugh, is still in the spotlight. Months after losing the Democratic primary when, according to his campaign website, he campaigned to "rebuild, repair and replenish" Charm City alongside its residents, Vaughn has been ordered to stay away.According to court records, Vaughn has been instructed to not abuse, contact, enter a residence and business, and was required to pay the undisclosed complainants’ fees. He is also being sued by the Baltimore County state’s attorney for malicious destruction of property.
Issued in August 2020, the two peace orders expire in January and February 2021, respectively. Vaughn has appealed.
The aspiring politician and self-identified multi-restaurant owner did not say what prompted the peace orders — both involving violations in Baltimore County — but did speak with The Baltimore Post earlier this month about his work opposing Middle River seafood restaurant, Vince’s Crab House, where the son of its founders posted racially insensitive remarks on his personal Facebook page following riots that broke out after the death of George Floyd. A source, familiar with the case, affirmed that the peace orders are connected to disturbances occurring at Vince’s Crab House which is also suing Vaughn for harming the business.
Since the the social media posts were discovered, crowds of protestors have harassed the restaurant and its customers, sometimes yelling racial epithets at them while calling out the offensive posts.
In July, Vince’s Crab House filed suit against Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski for failing to have Baltimore County Police protect the restaurant, leading its owners to shutter the business for nine days which led to loss of revenue and employees’ livelihoods.
In September, racial justice activist, Tamara Bent, who had initially joined the movement opposing the restaurant, told WBFF-TV during a presser that she witnessed organizers accepting envelopes of cash while protesting outside the seafood establishment. One organizer claimed the cash was from passersby thanking protestors for their activism. [Start Press Conference Video at 15:30]
Vaughn has been vocal about his opposition to the restaurant, acting as one of a handful of leaders of the movement which aims to kill the business permanently for one person’s indiscretions. (Stay tuned for The Post’s next story on leaders of the opposition against Vince’s Crab House.)
Although the mainstream media failed to dig into Vaughn’s own past while he campaigned to lead Baltimore, court records also show a slew of past criminal charges against the aspiring city leader. Among them, Vaugh acknowledges a felony conviction in which, records show, he was charged in 2004 for theft.
Campaign finance records show that Vaughn, a successful entrepreneur and restaurant owner himself, almost completely self-funded his run for mayor, loaning himself over $340,000.
Records also show that, in 2019, Waverly Seafood and Crabs, located approximately 11 miles from Vince’s Crab House, donated nearly $3,500 to Vaughn’s campaign.
Vaughn initially agreed to a second interview with The Baltimore Post upon his return from an out-of-town trip. Instead, he posted a video on Facebook Thursday, affirming his commitment to shutting down Vince’s Crab House, stating, in part, "We will continue to have all our foots in your ass, when one of your knees is on our neck."