Paisano’s, an Italian restaurant in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has caused a controversy for selling merchandise mimicking the Black Lives Matter movement.
The restaurant first made headlines in July when it faced social media outrage for a billboard sign that read “Black Olives Matter, Try Our Tapenade”, making light of the Black Lives Matter movement.
“We put up what we thought was a cute play on words, which we do commonly here at the restaurant,” owner Rick Camuglia said as reported by The Denver Post. “We were trying to promote our pan-seared Ahi tuna with a black olive tapenade relish. And so we put ‘black olives matter, try our tapenade.’”
Now the restaurant is back in the news for selling shirts with the same slogan.
The International Business Times reports that Camuglia’s restaurant “produced the merchandise at the request of people who supported the restaurant.” He added that “people wanted something of a souvenir from the restaurant” and said that his “business was doing great.”
“People have filled the restaurant and told us to leave up the sign,” Camuglia reportedly said. “That’s great, you know, because a lot of people make a living off working for this restaurant.”
Naturally, #BlackOlivesMatter began trending on Twitter.
Stop the apartheid. End segregation now ! #BlackOlivesMatter pic.twitter.com/JNhFoa391d
— Tim Jenkins (@TimothyJenkin17) August 16, 2016
#BlackLivesMatter What started as PeacefulProtest4 #BlackOlivesMatter,turned violent when SpanishOlives were stabbed pic.twitter.com/WlaX6V6bAY
— Michael Bailey (@mikelbtko) August 16, 2016
So Black Olives Matter now? Oh. Ok.
Tell us what you think about the slogan below in the comments.
