DC pizza shop removes menu item mocking Marion Barry after threats – Washington Examiner
A Washington, D.C. pizza shop, &Pizza, recently faced backlash and threats of boycotts after introducing a dessert called “Marion Berry Knots,” which referenced the late mayor Marion Barry’s notorious past with drug addiction. The dessert, a sugary pastry, was promoted with social media imagery that alluded to Barry’s history, including a famous incident where he was caught smoking crack. Prompted by criticism from activists and community leaders, who deemed the menu item culturally insensitive, the restaurant removed the dessert from its offerings. Notably, former Mayor Barry’s wife criticized the item as “racist and disrespectful.” The controversy led to vandalism of one of the restaurant’s locations and organized protests against it, showcasing the strong reactions from the local community, including comments from prominent figures and social media users. Despite the varied responses, the incident highlighted the delicate balance between humor and respect in cultural references.
DC pizza shop removes menu item mocking Marion Barry after threats
&Pizza, a Washington, D.C., pizza restaurant, sparked controversy this week by creating a local-themed dessert item referencing the late “Mayor for Life” Marion Barry, but after numerous threats of boycotts, the restaurant removed it from its menu.
The restaurant had marketed a sugary doughy knot pastry topped with a vanilla icing drizzle dubbed as “Marion Berry Knots.”
A social media post on X promoted that the dessert would “blow you away” while showing an image of small bags of white powder, a thinly veiled reference to his infamous history of cocaine addiction.
A press release on the new dish touted that the item was “so good it’s likely a felony.”
Barry was caught smoking crack in a 1990 FBI sting operation where he famously declared on videotape, “B**** set me up!“
Despite the well-known details of the former mayor’s past, activists organized against the pizza restaurant’s snarky menu item.
“I will do everything I can to shut down that pizza place,” former Barry colleague Bernard Demczuk reportedly said. “They have no right to monetize someone’s problem that’s a big problem for a lot of people in this country. It’s disgraceful, making a profit off a man who devoted his life to helping people.”
Cora Masters Barry, wife of the late former mayor called the menu item “racist and disrespectful.”
One of the restaurant’s chain locations in southeast Washington, D.C., was vandalized on Wednesday morning with yellow and orange paint splattered all over the store’s windows.
Washington, D.C.’s NAACP branch pressured &Pizza to take the “inflammatory, culturally insensitive and drug-use insinuating” item off the menu.
Washington, D.C., Councilman Trayon White joined a group of protesters on Wednesday to hold a press conference to organize a boycott against the restaurant. White said Barry provided “hope” for Washington, D.C., residents.
Ward 8 Councilmember @trayonwhite, who pleaded not guilty to federal bribery charges last month, is speaking now about his support of the boycott pic.twitter.com/ECgE21yAMV
— Daniel Hamburg (@DHamburgReports) October 23, 2024
Many social media users reacted to the backlash and calls for a boycott.
“lol it’s pizza. Folks gotta relax,” one X social media user quipped.
“ANYONE who lived under BARRY KNOWS what a dirt-ball… As a former city-employee I consider him a DISGRACE to his constituents,” a Washington, D.C., resident said.
“Lmao so what we all mad about today? Seriously people it was no known secret that Berry was a drug user,” another person reacted.
BREAKING: @andpizza pulls Marion Berry Knots from the menu and issues an apology. “We made a mistake.” @WTOP pic.twitter.com/VRlksM2IuX
— Mike Murillo (@MikeMurilloWTOP) October 23, 2024
“Can’t believe people are so triggered and outraged over this let’s put that effort into solving real problems like carjackings shootings, murderers, and robberies,” an X user said.
&Pizza CEO Mike Burns released an apology on Wednesday stating, “We made a mistake. And for that, we sincerely apologize. We hear the D.C. community and have removed the ‘Marion Berry Knots’ from our menu effective immediately.”
Barry died in 2014 at the age of 78.
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