ANDERSONVILLE — Last week, the owner of Andersonville's Italian deli Piatto Pronto found himself in hot water after a photo of him wearing a controversial shirt began making rounds on the Internet. But despite boycott threats from around the globe, business has improved, he said.
The T-shirt, which read "I can breathe. I obey the law," is a reference to the last words gasped by Eric Garner, who died after police put him in a chokehold in New York. "I can't breathe," was said by Garner, who was asthmatic, at least 11 times as police held him. The phrase became a rallying cry for protests and movements such as Black Lives Matter.
On Friday, Chicagoist reported that customers were furious after seeing a photo of the deli's owner, who would only identify himself as Mike, wearing the shirt. Social media users have since called for boycotts of the sandwich shop at 5624 N. Clark St. and taken to Yelp to badmouth the business, calling the owner racist.
"I can't sleep. I haven't even shaved. It hurts, you know," Mike said of the backlash.
But when asked if the bad press hurt his bottom line, he said business has improved. Customers at the store Monday said they didn't know about the T-shirt, and declined to comment.
Mike would not say where he got the shirt, only disclosing that it may have been from a customer, and waffled during an interview with DNAinfo between being apologetic about the shirt and defending his freedom of speech.
"I took a picture and didn't know anything was going on. Then I got a call from a lady, who was offended," he said. "I said, 'I'm sorry if I offended you,' but I am sorry. I wasn't thinking.'"
Later, the woman's fiance called back and he apologized again, he said.
"Sorry if I offended you. I have no interest in offending you," Mike said to the man. "Before I knew it I had everyone calling me names and a racist."
He said he allowed some regulars to take a picture of him wearing the shirt, not understanding that some might find it offensive until later. He said he hoped the shirt might save a life by reminding children to "obey the law."
He also was wearing a Chicago Police Department hat in the photo.
"I have family and friends in CPD. CPD shops here, but CPD has nothing to do with it," Mike said. "We know there's a [policing] problem in this country. We know that. But we also know not all [cops] are bad."
Even though he said the backlash had not hurt his bottom line, Mike said the negative reviews and social media post made him feel like he was being thrown under the bus by people who didn't "let me tell my side of the story, people in Ohio and England, who have never been here."
"How do you paint me as a racist and you don't know me, only a picture [of me]?" said Mike, who was born in Morocco, a country in North Africa. "You should get to know me. Give me the time of day."
Where my Chicago followers at pic.twitter.com/zgZFSmRQ4R
— سامر (@KababPapi) January 6, 2016For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
