&pizza under fire for naming dessert after former Mayor Marion Barry
WASHINGTON - A D.C. pizza chain is facing backlash over its decision to name a menu item after the late Marion Barry.
Critics say using his name trivializes his complex legacy – both his political achievements and personal scandals.
&pizza says it "may not be the perfect dessert, but they’re the perfect dessert for D.C."
However, some people disagree.
"It’s very disrespectful to a man who did a lot for the city," said Keith Taylor, a Washingtonian.
Marion Barry served as mayor of the nation’s capital for four terms. In 1990, he found himself at the center of a scandal. Barry was arrested in a high-profile FBI sting operation for smoking crack cocaine.
If you check out the &pizza website, it reads: "These knots will blow you away" next to a small pile of white powdered sugar. Many Washingtonians don’t think it’s a funny joke and instead, it looks like mockery.
"He’s more than just that incident. It was a bad incident, he served time for that incident, and you have to understand there’s a lot more to Marion Barry," said Taylor. "He was a person who helped me out when I was younger. I was in the youth program. I was lucky to be part of the youth program Upward Bound."
Woman hit with baseball bat outside &pizza on U Street breaks silence
Taelor London is a 26-year-old single mom who just moved to the area. She says she is traumatized, and probably won't go to another &pizza ever again.
The news release about the Marion Berry knots states the dessert will "even force the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) to look twice."
The announcement continues with: "One thing’s for sure – like many of D.C.’s elected officials, &pizza is not afraid to have a little fun."
Even visitors from out of town who know the history are calling this ridiculous and feel the business is just doing this for attention.
FOX 5 contacted &pizza about the criticism and the CEO, Mike Burns replied, saying: "We’re talking about a Marion berry, 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."
"I mean I definitely think I would be curious on the reason why they decided to name it that way, but I also understand that people are trying to find some things to relate to D.C.’s culture," said Bryan Buckley, D.C. resident.
A representative for former D.C. First Lady Cora Masters Barry says she’s not issuing a statement at this time, but will be asking attorneys to look into the matter and act accordingly.