*Former Washington, D.C. mayor Marion Barry is generating headlines posthumously, with a popular local pizza chain (&pizza) seemingly capitalizing off his infamous arrest.
TheGrio reports the situation centers on “Marion Berry Knotts,” a new powdered, berry-filled dessert launched by &pizza. The chain has received backlash among city leaders and the community, who have called for a boycott. As a result, Marion Barry Knotts have been pulled from the &Pizza menu, by the eatery.
Marketing for the dessert started before the launch, with the Knotts being teased as a “new, secret menu item inspired by none other than the city’s vibrant political scene,” A press release referenced by Eater Washington DC further hyped the pastry, stating “The Marion Berry Knots have enough powdered sugar that will have customers bumping elbows to order and even force the DEA to look twice.”
DC News Now further mentioned the promotion of the Knotts, voicing how the dessert “may not be the perfect dessert, but they’re the perfect dessert for D.C.”
The controversial marketing of the Knotts has become a hot topic as it goes back to then-Mayor Barry’s arrest in 1990 for using crack cocaine. The arrest led to a possession conviction for the politician as well as six months in prison. In 2014, Barry passed away. He was 78.
In addition to media coverage, memories of Barry’s arrest have come into play with promotional images of a silver tray covered in a mound of white powder. With the situation returning to public consciousness, old wounds have reopened among those in the Black community as well as Barry’s family.
In an interview with DC News Now, Barry’s widow, Cora Masters Barry, voiced her outrage over the Knotts, labeling the pastry as “racist and disrespectful.”
“I just think it’s racist. In this city, it is outrageously racist,” she told the outlet.“It’s racist and disrespectful.”
In a post on X also made Monday, At-Large D.C. Councilmember Christina Henderson added to the widow’s disdain, taking to X with her thoughts: “This isn’t clever marketing [&Pizza],” she posted on Oct. 21.” It’s tone-deaf and hella disrespectful.”
City leaders continued their opposition to the Knotts as Ward 8 council member Trayon White called for a boycott for the “shameless and tasteless exploitation of Marion S. Barry’s legacy” via a post on Instagram on Oct. 22.
&Pizza CEO Mike Burns responded to the situation initially with statements in the Washington Post and Washingtonian magazine that seemingly brushed off the mounting controversy. On Oct. 23, community leaders held a rally and press conference in response to Burns’ comments. From the event’s organizers came the hashtag #KNOTINDC.
That same day, Burns apologized for the disorder caused by his creation, with an intent to reach out to community leaders to learn how he could better work with them in the future. “While humor was our intent, it was regrettably off the mark,” Burns wrote in a statement. “The parody of the former Mayor and portrayal of substance abuse was wrong. We have read the countless messages and social media posts and understand the frustration this has brought forth — especially to the Barry family.”
Burns’ statement comes after Don’t Mute DC’s Ronald Moten joined critics. For him, the issue isn’t related to one race. It affects Washington, D.C. as a whole.
“We just want you to know that we’re coming as a united front. This ain’t one person. This ain’t two persons. This [is] not black. This [is] not white. This is Washington, D.C. and we here to tell you: not in D.C.,” Moten said, according to Eater.
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