DC pizza chain declared ‘racist’ over ‘hella disrespectful’ dessert

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A local D.C. pizza chain called &Pizza introduced a new dessert, aptly called the Marion Berry Knots, and found itself labeled “racist” by the late mayor’s wife.

Sprinkled with white powder, sugar in this case, the promotion was chock full of drug references given that the dessert’s namesake served time in federal prison for possession of crack cocaine, and that did not sit well with Cora Masters Barry, who married the controversial politician in 1994 after he was released.

“For a good time, it’s the powder that’s the ultimate headline grabber. The Marion Berry Knots have enough powdered sugar that will have customers bumping elbows to order and even force the DEA to look twice,” &pizza announced in a press release.

The restaurant’s website states: “Bump up the party with our all-new Marion Berry Knots! Wanna know what you’re getting into? These delicious, doughy knots are stuffed with berries, drizzled with creamy vanilla icing, and topped with powdered sugar. And then a little more powdered sugar. (Enough powder for you and a few friends!) It’s criminal how good these are.”

Barry, who died in 2014, served three consecutive terms as mayor of D.C. after being elected in 1978. He was reelected in 1994 after being busted for possession of crack cocaine.

Mrs. Barry was not too pleased with the limited-time offer and, as might be expected, played the race card.

“I think it’s racist. In this city, it is outrageously racist. You can print that. It’s racist and disrespectful,” she said, according to Fox News.

D.C. Council member Christina Henderson called the dessert “tone deaf and hella disrespectful,” according to The Washingtonian.

“The life, legacy, lineage, and name of Marion Barry deserves to be remembered as a pioneer for economic development, real estate development, black business empowerment, youth employment, and as the Mayor of the people. Mayor Barry taught us the power of economics and today, we call on the community to demand &Pizza right this egregious wrong,” NAACP D.C. President Akosua Ali declared in a statement.

In addition to calling on &pizza to take the “inflammatory, culturally insensitive and drug-use insinuating” item off the menu, the NAACP branch worked in a shakedown by demanding that the chain “issue remuneration to support substance-abuse prevention in all cities within the &Pizza marketing area.”

When asked by NBC Washington for a statement, &Pizza CEO Mike Burns said: “We’re talking about a marionberry, 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.”

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Tom Tillison grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills. Tillison also contributes to BizPac Review.