Get a load of this. They want this guy to change the name of his restaurant "illegal pete's" because its 'offensive to immigrants'... meaning illegals!
If one is truly an immigrant who came here legally why would they be offended?
The good townspeople don't want to offend the "inhabitants" who broke our laws, jumped the fence, entering the country illegally. What is the rationale here? I can't understand why any American would support anybody, regardless of race, entering the country illegally. WTF do we have laws for?
After reading this article I came to the conclusion the guy who owns the restaurant is just as stupid as those who oppose the name!
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Owner of Mexican restaurant 'Illegal Pete's' won't change name 'offensive to immigrants' because it memorializes his father who died of cancer
• The restaurant in Denver, Colorado has been named Illegal Pete's for years and owner Pete Turner says the name wasn't meant to offend
• Pete wrote on the restaurant's website that when he was opening the restaurant, his father, also named Pete, was battling cancer
• Last month, Colorado residents urged Pete to change the name of his business due to its 'social context' but he says he won't budge
By Alexandra Klausner for MailOnline and Charlene Adams
Published: 18:19 EST, 7 November 2014 | Updated: 18:19 EST, 7 November 2014
A Mexican restaurant owner says he won't change the name of his establishment some community members find offensive to illegal immigrants.
The restaurant in Denver, Colorado has been named Illegal Pete's for many years and owner Pete Turner says the name wasn't meant to offend and was named after his rambunctious father with whom he shared a name.
Turner wrote a blog post on the restaurant's website saying that he 'appreciates' the community's concern but says that they vastly misunderstood the meaning of his restaurant's name and what it stands for.
Illegal Pete: Pete Turner said he never meant to offend illegal immigrants and that the restaurant is named after his father and after a bar in a novel he read as an English major at the University of Boulder
Thanks for the apology. I feel better now.
'When it came to the name Illegal Pete's, I settled on the name of a bar in a novel. The name resonated with me for the obvious reason that my name is Pete, but of equal importance, it was my father's name.'
Pete wrote on the restaurant's website that when he was opening the restaurant, his father was battling cancer.
'My father, who helped me secure the financing for the restaurant, was terminally ill with cancer, having battled stage 4 Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma since 1989. He was never able to work in the restaurant, but he was my moral support during the months leading up to opening and the two years of operation up to his death in August 1997. Needless to say, he was a fighter, and I liked that he and I could share the ins and outs of this business,' writes Pete.
The restaurant's mission statement is, 'To create an atmosphere that celebrates individuality and relaxed human connection.'
Fort Collins: Nearly 50 Fort Collins residents gathered at a meeting last month to demand that Turner change the name of the restaurant, just weeks before the new location's opening
Pete said he has chosen to brand the restaurant in several different ways but said none of those branding had an emphasis on illegal immigrants, reportsFox.
Last month, Colorado residents urged Pete to change the name of his business due to its 'social context.'
Pete Turner listened to a concerned crowd in Fort Collins in October as they urged him to change the name of his business, saying it was offensive to immigrants, according to the Coloradoan.
CBS Denver reports that nearly 50 people attended the meeting including community members and Colorado State University students and faculty.
Turner reportedly told the crowd that the name is a literary reference to a bar in a novel he read as an English major in Boulder.
Turner also told the crowd that he has helped pay for some of his employees to become citizens.
But crowd member, Lucy Gonzales, 25, told Pete to drop the 'illegal' -- or 'I-word' -- in the name and many likened the term to racial slurs toward African-Americans.
Kim Medina, Fort Collins immigration attorney and meeting moderator, said the issue was one of a social nature.
'Social context is hugely important,' Medina said at the meeting.
'We'll never get to big issues, such as immigration reform, until we can solve these smaller issues of language.'
The meeting comes almost three weeks before Turner is scheduled to open a new 'Illegal Pete's' in the town, according to the Coloradoan.
Turner's attendance at the meeting was prompted by a letter written to him from Antero Garcia, Colorado State University assistant English professor, the Coloradoan reports.
In the letter, Garcia wrote: 'The restaurant will be located in the same area that current Fort Collins residents remember often seeing signs saying 'No dogs or Mexicans.'
It is under this legacy of American racist practices that the name 'Illegal Pete's' becomes unacceptable.'
And at the meeting, Garcia said that Turner's restaurant would instil violence in the community.
After many shared personal experiences about growing up in Fort Collins during times of harsh racial discrimination, Turner said he couldn't imagine living that way, CBS reports.
Though he could empathize with the group, Turner said he did not realize the issue was one regarding free speech and said he believes he has a right to name his business whatever he chooses.
Cheryl Distaso, coordinator of the social justice non-profit Fort Collins Community Action Network, said that the restaurant's name is dehumanizing and she is confident that Turner will 'do the right thing.'
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