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Italian restaurant sees surge in business after posting controversial ‘Black Olives Matter’ sign

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Is this sign offensive? The owner of an Italian restaurant in New Mexico doesn’t think so. (Paisano’s Facebook)

The owner of an Italian restaurant in New Mexico says hes seen a surge in business after posting a billboard that featured a food-centric pun playing off the Black Lives Matter slogan.

Rick Camuglia, owner of Paisanos in Albuquerque, posted what he thought would be a well-received joke on the marquee sign in front of his restaurant last week. It read:

“BLACK OLIVES MATTER TRY OUR TAPENADE.”

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Were currently offering a special seared ahi tuna with a black olive tapenade, Camuglia told FoxNews.com. My chef had prepared the topping and placed it in the fridge. He wrote Black Olives Matter on the container and I thought it was hilarious. So we put it on the marquee.

Eager to promote the seasonal fish dish, Camuglia also posted a picture of the sign to his restaurants Facebook page.

But the restaurant owner never expected the post to go viral.

It wasnt a mistake to put up the billboard, says Camuglia, but it was a mistake to post it on Facebook.

Within hours of Paisanos post, Camuglia says the page was flooded with negative comments and the restaurant was inundated with phone calls.

People were calling us racist. Saying we were a white supremacist restaurant. Some got really derogatory and just started cursing me out.

On Twitter and other social media platforms, many echoed similar sentiments.Facebook comments included, How insensitive, Very poor taste and What the hell is wrong with you people? 

Despite the virtual vitriol, Camuglia says theres been a major upside to the postbig business.

Our phone has also been ringing off the hook with people making reservations. People are placing carry-out orders in the high hundreds, says the restaurant owner. And theyre asking for black olives on everything. Black olives on the salad, Ill have extra black olives on my sausage sandwichweve had to order more from our supplier.

Paisanos has been family owned and operated since the 1970s. Unlike many traditional Italian restaurants, the Albuquerque eatery specializes in homemade gluten-free pastas. Now locals, and many others, just want more.

Weve had customers coming over from California, people even calling in from Australia.

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Despite the uptick in business, Camuglia says he wasnt personally immune to the criticism. His restaurant is known for posting witty signs to drum up businessa previous post read Gluten-us Minimus for your Gluteus Maximus– but nothing has gone national until now.

The president of the Albuquerque branch of the NAACP weighed in on the matter, providing a statement to KRQE:

The posted sign at Paisanos Restaurant that included the phrase Black Olives Matter is a nice marketing idea, Harold Bailey wrote. However, with all of the national uproar, demonstrations and marches, regarding the shooting of African American men and youth by police officers, the Albuquerque NAACP feels that it was in bad taste.

Hopefully, the owners at Paisanos will be a bit more sensitive in the future. Unjustified killing of innocent Black men is nothing to joke about. Whether it was intentional or not, it sent the wrong message to many.

On Friday, Camuglia took down the sign due to the continuous barrage of Internet harassment but he thanked the Albuquerque community and his customers for boosting his business in a Facebook post.

But he still remains unapologetic.

Our intention was never to offend or hurt anybody, he says, But all of this just says a lot about the state of our society when you cant even make a simple statement about a fruit without people attacking you. People may need to recalibrate their politically correct meter.

The sign may be gone but the dish lives on. The Ahi tuna special is still on the menuCamuglia says its deliciousand it costs $28.95.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2016/07/20/italian-restaurant-sees-surge-in-business-after-posting-controversial-black/

Facebook’s neighbors are losing their homes. What’s being done about it?

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As the company prepares to bring thousands of new workers to its Menlo Park campus, advocates say it must do more to help lower-income local residents

The first time Tameeka Bennett had to drive two hours in traffic to get to her job in East Palo Alto, she broke down in tears in her car. It was October 2014, and Bennett, 29, had never imagined she would have to move away from the Silicon Valley city where she grew up, which is one of the least affluent communities in the region.

But her family had lost their home to foreclosure, and they couldnt find an affordable house to buy in East Palo Alto. So they were forced to move to Oakland, which is 40 miles north and a nightmarish commute away from Bennetts job as executive director of Youth United for Community Action, an East Palo Alto not-for-profit group that fights displacement.

While Bennett recognizes that there are multiple factors driving the regions housing crisis, its hard for her to ignore the most obvious force less than three miles north of her organization: the Facebook headquarters.

This week, Bennett and other northern California advocates are pressuring Facebook to make substantial investments in affordable housing as the powerful social networking company pushes forward with a major expansion that experts say will drive up housing prices and exacerbate income inequality in the center of the booming tech economy.

The brewing dispute over Facebooks expansion in Menlo Park which is adjacent to East Palo Alto and not far from the headquarters of Apple and Google has exposed what many critics of the industry see as a glaring contradiction in the tech sector. That is, these hugely profitable companies cast themselves as do-gooder innovators creating transformative technology, but in their own backyard, theyre contributing to a crisis that has grave consequences for disadvantaged communities and theyre doing little to disrupt the poverty plaguing their neighbors.

Menlo Park officials and residents debated Facebooks growth plans during a lengthy city council meeting that dragged on past midnight on Tuesday evening. The public discussion came one day after reports that founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, are exploring ways that their new philanthropic organization could help alleviate the high cost of housing in the region.

Facebook which set up its huge campus in Menlo Park in 2011 has proposed two new office buildings that would add roughly 126,000 sq ft to its campus, along with a 200-room hotel. The project is expected to bring more than 6,500 new employees to Facebook and the hotel, which would increase the entire Menlo Park workforce by more than 20%.

As part of the expansion, Facebook is required to contribute $6.3m to below-market-rate housing.

The company further agreed to provide $350,000 for a study of housing conditions; $1.5m for a housing innovation fund for various initiatives; $1m for for a preservation fund to buy and protect units housing at-risk populations; and $2.15m for reduced rents in 22 units of workforce housing, with priority given to teachers.

Tameeka
Tameeka Bennett moved to Oakland after her family was unable to find an affordable house in East Palo Alto. Photograph: Courtesy of Youth United for Community Action

But critics say those are relatively inconsequential benefits given the size of the project and scale and urgency of the housing crisis and considering that Facebook is now worth about $350bn, making it the sixth-most valuable company in the US.

Research has repeatedly suggested that Silicon Valley tech firms have worsened inequality, and data shows the area has lost affordable units at alarming rates. Recently, there have been numerous mass evictions and threats of widespread displacement near tech corporations.

With a surge in tech jobs at Facebook, the project will probably attract tens of thousands of additional workers in lower-paying jobs that support the industry, said Sam Tepperman-Gelfant, senior staff attorney at Public Advocates, a not-for-profit group that has, along with the ACLU, raised formal objections to Facebooks project.

It is those workers and other poorer residents who will suffer the most from a jump in the regional housing demand, he said, pointing out that roughly 70,000 low-income workers in Silicon Valley already commute more than 50 miles to their jobs, which also has environmental consequences.

Its fundamentally not fair to ask low-wage workers in Silicon Valley to be bearing the personal costs for global corporate production, he said. Facebook could have a substantial role in correcting those deficiencies.

In East Palo Alto, officials have also gathered compelling evidence suggesting that Facebooks presence has had tangible consequences for low-income renters.

From 2011 to 2015, the average asking rent for a one-bedroom apartment in East Palo Alto increased by 89%, according to records.

One property owner acquired roughly 40% of the citys entire rental housing stock in December 2011 after Facebook moved to Menlo Park and the new landlord subsequently issued a significant number of eviction notices, officials have noted in city records.

That real estate company has specifically advertised new housing to Facebook workers, writing on its website: Now is the time to consider affordable East Palo Alto apartments before the rest of the Facebook and Google employees do!

In a recent letter criticizing Facebooks project, East Palo Altos mayor, Donna Rutherford, included that quote and pointed to research showing that in 67% of all recent house sales and rental units in East Palo Alto, the marketing materials have mentioned Facebook.

Its not that were against Facebook, but we want to make sure that when the expansion happens, it benefits not only a group of people, but the wider community, said Carlos Martinez, East Palo Alto city manager.

Caprice Powell, 24, who grew up in East Palo Alto, said she is moving to Atlanta, Georgia, this summer in part because she cant afford to rent here any more.

Facebook is coming in and bringing along all these rich folks Theyre able to afford our housing, because its nothing to them.

Powell said her sister and mother had both been priced out of East Palo Alto and that she was temporarily living in a small room in her godfathers house one of five people crammed into a two-bedroom. After she relocates to Georgia, she hopes to eventually return to East Palo Alto, but shes not confident it will be financially feasible.

It feels like East Palo Alto is not our home any more, she said.

Bennett, who said she knew at least five local families who had been pushed out, also pointed out that Facebook had offered its employees generous bonuses to live closer to campus, which has accelerated gentrification.

You are directly displacing families, she said, adding that Facebook should look beyond its impact on Menlo Park and commit to funding housing in surrounding cities.

One resident at the council hearing also pointed out that black employees account for only 3% of Facebooks senior leadership in the US, but others praised the company for bringing jobs and supporting local not-for-profit groups.

Facebook declined an interview request, but said in a statement: We understand that our growth affects the everyday lives of our neighbors, and we want to be respectful and thoughtful about how we approach our expansion. The future of Menlo Park is extremely important to us, which is why we work with city and community leaders to tackle local priorities, including transportation, housing and the environment.

The statement did not mention East Palo Alto.

At the council meeting, John Tenanes, Facebooks vice-president of global facilities and real estate, did not address criticisms over housing, but said: You have my commitment that Facebook will continue to be very active above and beyond what weve negotiated.

A spokesman for the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative declined to comment on the rumors about potential housing initiatives, saying in a statement: We are in the process of examining a number of potential issue areas for future work.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jul/20/facebook-headquarters-expansion-menlo-park-california-housing

Crossfit Games to award Glock pistols to winning athletes | Fox News

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The founder of the hugely popular CrossFit Games recently announced that he would be giving away the pistols to athletes that win the competition referring to it as “Glock for the podium.

The CrossFit Games are trading gold medals for Glock metal.

The founder of the hugely popular competition, for which Reebok is the title sponsor, recently announced he would give away the pistols to the winners, referring to the plan as “glock for the podium.

“The top male athlete, the top female athlete, and every member of the winning team will receive a GLOCK pistol,” Dave Castro, Director of the CrossFit Games and a former Navy SEAL, wrote in a posting on the Facebook page for the CrossFit Games, along with a flashy video highlighting the popular pistol.

The CrossFit Games began Tuesday  at the StubHub Center in Carson, California.

People immediately expressed outrage over Castro’s announcement on social media and in comments on the post, saying that it was in poor taste given recent tragedies like the Orlando and Dallas massacres and spate of police-involved shootings.

Crossfit needs to rethink its sponsorship and marketing strategies, said one angry Facebook user in the comments section. You’re a global brand. Take a minute to analyze our current gun situation in America and around the world before you sign these contracts. NO REP!

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People immediately expressed their outrage over the announcement on social media.

Another said the announcement was horrible timing and that it simply glorifies gun use.

This is infuriating, posted the irate user. We’re mourning the loss of our queer brothers and sisters in Orlando, Phil in Minneapolis and Alton in Baton Rouge, and police officers in Dallas.

“All were innocent lives taken from us by guns. If you don’t want to be part of the solution, fine, but don’t be part of the problem by glorifying weapons and violence. Guns shouldn’t a prize. They should be the very last resort.

As of Friday, nearly 20,000 people signed an online petition demanding that the CrossFit Games cancel the Glock prize.

CrossFit is a branded fitness regimen that was created in 2000 and promoted as both a physical exercise philosophy and competitive fitness sport. CrossFit workouts incorporate elements from high-intensity interval training, Olympic weightlifting, powerlifting and gymnastics. Each summer, championship games are held in California in which Cross Fitters from around the globe complete in Olympic-style events.

Castro, who was a SEAL for over a decade and a competitive shooter for the past six years, said that he has received as much positive response as negative.

[M]ost are only focusing on the negative aspect of it, he told  FoxNews.com. Guns are legal in all 50 states and they are a normal part of life for millions of law abiding citizens. I am one of those and proud of it.

The CrossFit Games director pointed out the organization has given out similar prizes in the past and even held events that combined CrossFit and competitive shooting. He added that winners of the competition will not be getting the actual pistols but rather a gift certificate to purchase one if they desire.

Since I am an avid shooter, I have friends at some of the major shooting companies, he said. One of them said Glock would be interested in giving guns to the winners of the Games.  I said absolutely.  We have gifted guns at the Games before, this is not a first.

But former CrossFit employees told FoxNews.com that there may be more beneath the surface in the recent promotion and that it could be just a publicity stunt.

It’s an aggressive move to disrupt the system in its current state, said a  former contractor who worked with CrossFit and asked  to speak on condition of anonymity.

 It’s always been about getting the extreme reaction and because CrossFit is so closely tied to military and SOF [Special Operations Forces] groups, this creates a bit of a safety blanket.

Handing out guns is nothing more than a look at us move. It’s in poor taste, and being a gun owner and someone who works closely with these same groups handing out guns as prizes is nothing more than a way of creating attention.

Officials for the lead sponsor of the Games, Reebok, told FoxNews.com in a statement that while they do not agree with the decision, its out of their control.

As the title sponsor of the Games, we unfortunately do not have input regarding other partners or promotions, the spokesperson said in a written statement.

While we understand CrossFit’s foundations are tied to military and first responders, we do not agree with this decision, particularly in light of current events in the United States.

Perry Chiaramonte is a reporter for FoxNews.com. Follow him on Twitter at @perrych

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/07/19/crossfit-games-to-award-glock-pistols-to-winning-athletes.html