Lack of courage will be the death of America.
A restaurant in Winooski, Vermont called Sneakers Bistro removed a sign “Yield Sneakers Bacon,” meaning yield to the allure of Sneakers Bistro’s delicious bacon, after a Muslim complained that she was offended by the sign.
Winooski is a small city of 1.5 square miles and a 2010 population of 7,267, located at the mouth of the Winooski River. The city is part of the Burlington-South Burlington, VT Metropolitan Statistical Area. According to the 2000 census, the racial makeup of the city was overwhelmingly white (90.55%), with only 1.25% African American, 0.52% Native American, 5.40% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, and 0.53% from other races.
Sneakers Bistro should change its name to Spineless Bistro
WPTZ reports that there used to be a sign on a lamp post at the bottom of the Winooski Circle displaying the words “Yield Sneakers Bacon.”
But the bistro’s owner, Marc Dysinger, took the sign down on Aug. 22, 2014, when a woman wrote in a discussion about diversity on the Winooski Front Porch Forum that the bacon sign was insensitive to those who do not eat pork, and that as a vegan living in a Muslim household, she was personally offended by it.
Dysinger told WPTZ he had reached out to the woman and proactively took the sign down. Dysinger said he regrets any harm caused by the sign, and that his goal is to provide a joyful place for the entire community, not to cause stress or bad feelings.
Speaking on behalf of the city, Winooski’s city manager Katherine Decarreau said “The cool part of living in a diverse community is that it’s not always comfortable. It’s a fascinating place with lots of opportunities for conversation. The City has to pay attention to a lot of factors while acting within what we can regulate.”
USA Today reports that the bistro’s removal of its bacon sign sparked a firestorm of criticisms.
“I actually liked the restaurant and food but will never return as I am offended that my family has a 200 year old history of fighting and dying for our Freedom and that the owners aren’t courageous enough to stand up to an intolerant and unreasonable person,” wrote one commenter, Steven Conklin, on a public Facebook page about the controversy.
So Sneakers’ owner Marc Dysinger engaged a public-relations firm, People Making Good.
Nicole Ravlin of People Making Good said the bistro should focus on its local community and customers rather than addressing national and international comments because most of the social media criticisms have come from outside Vermont.
Marc Dysinger, owner of Sneakers Bistro
What good is the Constitution’s First Amendment guarantee and protection of freedom of speech when Americans like Marc Dysinger willingly muzzle themselves just because a Muslim claimed to be offended by a bacon sign?
Here’s the restaurant’s contact info:
Marc Dysinger, owner
Sneakers Bistro
28 Main Street
Winooski, VT 05404
Ph: (802) 655-9081
H/t Jihad Watch
~Eowyn