A Philadelphia restaurant that initially supported city police with a free lunch reneged on that offer Wednesday, calling the proposal “insensitive” and siding with Black Lives Matter.
The president of the Philly Fraternal Order of Police, John McNesby, tweeted his displeasure at that decision from Di Bruno Bros. Thursday, saying, “Rest assured Philly police will be boycotting @DiBrunoBros from here on out.”
Rest assured Philly police will be boycotting @DiBrunoBros from here on out. #BackTheBlue
— John McNesby (@john_mcnesby) June 4, 2020
The feud was the subject of conversation on “Fox & Friends” Friday. Fox contributor Dan Bongino, a former NYPD cop and Secret Service officer, said he is “genuinely worried about where we are going with this anti-police … attitude.” (RELATED: Seattle Councilmember Says She Can’t Figure Out Why ‘Looting Bothers People’ When People Are ‘Dying Every Day)
Di Bruno’s first offered the free lunch at its Chestnut Street location, a site close to riots and protests that have erupted in Philadelphia in response to the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. Looters have descended upon several stores in the area.
Offering assistance to the city police did not sit well with some employees and residents and the restaurant released a letter that explained the initial decision was “made in haste after a night of destruction and looting. It was insensitive and we sincerely apologize.” (RELATED: Owner Of Gutted Minneapolis Shopping Center Tells Governor And Mayor: ‘People Will Uprise Over This’)
The correspondence, addressed to Di Bruno employees and the local community, went further, assuring readers that “We stand in solidarity with the peaceful protesters against racism, injustice, and the senseless violence against people of color. We believe Black Lives Matter and are unequivocally against police brutality.”
Bongino said the decision to believe Black Lives Matter over police is disturbing. “I’m genuinely worried where we are going with this, this anti-police fomenting, festering attitude that is now exploding, I don’t know where the general population of the United States thinks this is going to go, where collectively you think this is going to lead,” he told “Fox & Friends.”
Activists gather in protest outside the 26th Police Precinct on June 3, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo: Mark Makela/Getty Images)
“The overwhelming number of Americans back our police officers. But do you understand there is this paper thin line between mass chaos and civility? And I mean paper thin. Measured in millimeters. You got a taste over the last week about how thin that is. You got a taste of that chaos.”
On Thursday, a group of protesters and the Washington, D.C. branch of Black Lives Matter announced that they are suing President Donald Trump and other administration leaders for being removed from Lafayette Park before the president’s Monday evening news conference.