Protesters in Washington, D.C., are demanding a local pizza shop apologize over a new ad campaign that seemingly mocks late Mayor Marion Barry's drug use.
D.C.-based chain &pizza promoted Marion Berry Knots, a new dessert featuring marionberries, with ads featuring drug-related jokes.
"For a good time, it's the powder that's the ultimate headline grabber. The Marion Berry Knots have enough powdered sugar that will have customers bumping elbows to order and even force the DEA [Drug Enforcement Administration] to look twice," one ad read. A press release touted the dessert as "so good it's likely a felony."
Protesters gathered outside an &pizza location on U Street on Wednesday, calling on the chain to remove the item from its menu and apologize. One protester said the ad was "degrading" not only to Barry's legacy, but also to his family. Another location in southeast Washington was vandalized with paint.
Barry, who served four terms as mayor, remains a beloved figure for many Washington residents for his civil rights activism.
He was arrested in a hotel room in 1990 during an FBI and local police drug sting. He famously complained that his ex-girlfriend, an FBI informant, had set him up. He was convicted and served six months in prison. He won a fourth term as mayor in 1994.
The Washington chapter of the NAACP demanded that &pizza take the "inflammatory, culturally insensitive and drug-use insinuating" dessert off the menu and to "issue remuneration to support substance-abuse prevention in all cities within the &Pizza marketing area."
In response, &pizza CEO Mike Burns said in a statement: "We're talking about a marionberry, that's spelled with an 'e'. We stuff that into a knot, drizzle it with icing and then top it with powdered sugar. It's delicious — we can't wait for D.C. to try it."
Kate McManus ✉
Kate McManus is a New Jersey-based Newsmax writer who's spent more than two decades as a journalist.
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