Costco has reportedly stopped selling Palmetto Cheese after the owner of the brand wrote in a Facebook post that Black Lives Matter and antifa “must be treated like the the terror organizations they are,” CBS reported.
Brian Henry, the founder of Palmetto Cheese and mayor of Pawleys Island, South Carolina, reportedly wrote in an Aug. 25 Facebook post about a double homicide, which involved a black man alleged to have shot two white people during a fight over a car crash in Georgetown, South Carolina, according to CBS.
The Georgetown County, South Carolina Sheriff’s Office identified the suspect as 23-year-old Ty Sheem Ha Sheem Walters III. He is charged with 2 counts of murder, 1 count of attempted murder, and the illegal possession of a gun. https://t.co/ZYjZJBpvc3 #southcarolinashooting
— Todd Kunz KIDK KIFI (@ToddKunzKIDK) August 29, 2020
“2 innocent people murdered. Not 2 thugs or people wanted on multiple warrants. 2 white people defenselessly gunned down by a black man,” Henry wrote. “So why do we stand by and allow BLM to lawlessly destroy great American cities and threaten their citizens on a daily basis … This BLM and Antifa movement must be treated like the terror organizations they are.”
The post was deleted but circulated on social media. Henry also apologized for the comments, saying they were “hurtful and insensitive” and urged those calling for a boycott to consider the hundreds of employees that depend on its success, according to the Post and Courier.
Costco reportedly stopped selling Henry’s brand, which was sold at more than 120 of its stores, after the post. The remaining containers of Palmetto Cheese at Costco will remain there until its sold out, the Raleigh News Observer reported.
Costco has yet to make a statement on the matter, according to USA Today.
“Costco rotates items in and out during the course of the year. They will occasionally add and drop products as a matter of normal business,” Henry told The Post and Courier. “We remain optimistic that Palmetto Cheese will be back on the shelves in the not too distant future,” Henry said according to the Raleigh News Observer.
Palmetto Cheese Original is On Sale from AUG. 17-30 at all Southeast Region @Costco Warehouses for $1.50 OFF!!! The sale is for the Southeast Region only and does not include Palmetto Cheese w/ Jalapenos. SE Region includes: AL, FL, GA, MS, NC, SC, and TN. #CostcoDeals pic.twitter.com/IBlR72cJji
— Palmetto Cheese (@palmettocheese) August 17, 2020
The company’s use of a Black woman on the cheese packaging also caused criticism. Henry’s company reportedly said it planned to redesign the packaging, and that a new label would appear on shelves by the end of October. (RELATED: Uncle Ben’s Rice Changes Name And Logo As Part Of Effort To Be Inclusive)