The swearing-in ceremony for the 2009 District of Columbia City Council. Pictured, Councilmember Marion Barry makes a few remarks after his swearing-in. | Source: The Washington Post / Getty
A restaurant in the nation’s capital has doubled down after coming under fire for the name of a new item on its menu that’s being called “racist and disrespectful” to its purported namesake, Marion Barry , the late former mayor of Washington, D.C.
The restaurant, &Pizza, seemingly invited the backlash not only with the name of its new “Marion Berry knots” but also by choosing to describe the dessert in terms that could be confused for references to the cocaine scandal widely associated with Mayor Barry’s tenure.
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A photo of the “Marion Berry knots” on the front page of &Pizza’s website claims that they will “blow” away people who try them and is accompanied by a photo that shows a small pile of powder that resembles cocaine. A social media post promoting the new menu item claims the “Marion Berry knots” are “topped with icing and enough powdered sugar for you and a few friends!”