Italian restaurant under fire for selling 'Black Olives Matter' merchandise
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - An Italian restaurant in New Mexico is drawing criticism on social media for making merchandise with a slogan mimicking the Black Lives Matter movement.
News station KOAT-TV in Albuquerque reports that Paisano's in Albuquerque is selling "black olives matter" shirts and hats after making national headlines for putting the phrase on a sign outside the restaurant.
Owner Rick Camuglia says he emblazoned the phrase on the restaurant's main sign to sell a new recipe: a tuna dish with black olive tapenade.
Camuglia posted pictures of the dish and the sign on Facebook, drawing complaints he was being insensitive and trivializing a movement aimed at trying to stop police shootings of black residents.
Camuglia says he's not trying to stir racial tensions and was only trying to sell food.
“People were calling us racist. Saying we were a white supremacist restaurant. Some got really derogatory and just started cursing me out.”
He said that people from all over the world has called his restaurant to show him support.
"It's gone so viral. We've gotten calls from Australia, Spain, France, you name it," Camuglia said.
He said that he put the slogan on hats and T-shirts because people who supported the restaurant wanted to by a souvenir of sorts from the restaurant. Camuglia also told the station that business is booming.
"People have filled the restaurant and told us to leave up the sign," Camuglia said. "That's great, you know, because a lot of people make a living off working for this restaurant."