Community Corner

'Racist' Bar Sign: White House Smells Like Fried Chicken

The restaurant has made headlines for posting signs that others called racist.

The recent sign posted at Mulligan's Food and Spirits has some people calling the restaurant racist...again.

Recently, the restaurant on Marietta's busy Roswell Street posted a sign that read, "I heard the White House smelled like collard greens and fried chicken."

Mulligan's former owner Mike Norman was no stranger to posting controversial signs and even sold T-shirts depicting President Barack Obama, then a presidential candidate, as the monkey, Curious George.

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Norman died in October 2011, and his daughters, Brandi and Kelly, have now taken over as owners.

Gerald Rose, founder of the New Order National Human Rights Organization, and other members of the group plan to meet at the restaurant at 11 a.m. to speak with the bar's owner and hold a press conference.

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Rose wrote this in an email to Patch and other news outlets:

"As African Americans we UNDERSTAND the meaning of FREEDOM of SPEECH, and we can also SEE when people ABUSE that RIGHT just to show their IGNORANCE! The Mulligan's Restaurant is NOT a STRANGER in DISPLAYING their HATE toward ANYONE that's ou...tside of their own race. So, being the case Gerald E. Rose and New Order will be holding a PRESS CONFERENCE on THIS TUESDAY at 11:00am at the Mulligan's Food & Spirits. As a race we have come TOO FAR to GO BACKWARDS, and instead of REMAINING SILENT our VOICES will be HEARD!"

This isn't the first time the bar has posted signs deemed racist by community members. In April 2011, the bar posted a sign that read "W------s R criminals! Hire one and U R too! House Bill 87" referring to controversial House Bill 87, an anti-illegal immigration bill which Gov. Nathan Deal signed into law. Various individuals and members of human rights groups said the law encouraged racial profiling.

Norman, who owned the bar before he died in October 2011, told CBS Atlanta in 2011 that he did not think his sign was racist.

"I am just telling it like it is," Norman said.

However, Jerry Gonzalez, executive director of Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials, said the sign was racist and "the hateful rhetoric" is inappropriate for Georgia.

"It’s racist. It’s pejorative. It’s demeaning. It’s dehumanizing,” said Gonzalez.

Editor's Note: Mike Norman, who owned Mulligan's, died in October 2011.

Do you think the sign is racist? Why or why not? Would you eat at Mulligan's after the recent signs posted there? Tell us what you think in the comments below.


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