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SLO protesters target Giuseppe’s restaurant over political donation

August 3, 2020

By JOSH FRIEDMAN

Black Lives Matter protesters gathered and chanted outside downtown San Luis Obispo restaurants where people were dining outdoors on Friday, specifically targeting Giuseppe’s Italian Restaurant over its past support of Sheriff Ian Parkinson.

“Hey hey, ho ho. Ian Parkinson’s got to go,” protesters chanted while lined up on Monterey Street across from Giuseppe’s, as well as Finney’s restaurant and other downtown businesses. Other chants included “black lives matter” and “out of the shops and into the streets.”

Protesters made use of at least one bullhorn while standing in a line on the sidewalk and chanting. The protesters could be heard loudly from where people were eating and drinking in the new coronavirus-driven outdoor dining setup on Monterey Street.

Outdoor dining on Monterey Street with protesters lined up on the sidewalk in the background

Local Black Lives Matter activists have taken aim at Parkinson over recent comments he has made, including a statement that he does not believe systemic racism exists in SLO County. In March 2018, while running for reelection, Parkinson received a $3,384 campaign contribution from Giuseppe’s Italian Restaurant.

Support for the protesters is waning, as people question their lack of support for the civil rights of others. Protest organizers have accused business owners who boarded up their businesses or who have supported those with differing views of being racists.

A regular supporter of peaceful protests, KVEC radio host Dave Congalton questioned the protesters’ rationale for targeting a business because the owner donated to Parkinson two years before the sheriff’s alleged contentious comment.

“100 to 150 protestors lined up this afternoon across from Giuseppe’s, singling out my favorite downtown restaurant because Joe donated to Sheriff Parkinson’s campaign, Congalton posted on Facebook. “Note to protestors: Joe DiFronzo has done more for this community in the last 30 years than all of you combined. You get to protest. He gets to donate to campaigns. Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Expression come in many forms!”

Previously, protesters marched by people dining outdoors on Monterey Street during the July 21 protest that culminated with two arrests. Led by Tianna Arata, who was one of the individuals arrested, protesters chanted “f**k your comfort” while marching next to and through the outdoor dining area where people were seated.

Protesters marching through the outdoor dining area on July 21 while chanting “f88k your comfort”


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“Support for the protesters is waning, as people question their lack of support for the civil rights of others.”


This appears to be an opinion based on the thoughts of one individual, Dave Congalton, and is not sourced anywhere else in this piece. If this were indeed an op-ed by Mr. Congalton, it would be fine, but putting it across as a news story is a lie.


I wonder who “people” are. The writer could easily cure this fault in his reporting by recording several individuals saying they agreed with Congalton or producing a poll, however anecdotal, which proved that the protesters have very little support in the community.


-116

I used to support the theory of the protestors and the blm movement. But not anymore. These so called protestors are just miserable people spreading more misery. I will support any business who they target. I will use my checkbook, vote and other silent methods to support Parkinson, law and order, freedom of speech and local businesses.


139

Local BLM can’t find any better places to protest?


Looks like they can’t find any racism locally so they grasp for anybody…. like “uh, nothing here, no racism there, OK Giuseppe’s!”


What did they do racist?


… “nothing, but we need somewhere to make a scene.”


Proves Parkinson’s point.


They are protesting a community leader in business, one full of generosity with absolutely no indication of racism whatsoever.


150

Freedom to protest. To get so worked up over this is pretty funny though reading the Flamboyant comments here. If you cant see systemic problems in America, you’re better off being a Nationalist in North Korea. Reaper of Death and denial Ian Parkinson, Dirty Dow, Heidi, and many more have got to go, BLM. Keep BLM alive until change, real change happens. Defund the police, money for schools, not bullets! One bad apple at a protest, everyone here acts like racism isnt real, and go into some weird ideology swirl.


-189

One bad apple? I know people who live really close to places where BLM protested and there was destruction, looting and rioting that included businesses and organizations that were owned minority owned or run. Why do you see systematic racism where it does not exist and fail to see systematic violence where it does exist?


46

Can you give me one specific example of systemic racism on the central coast??? Or any racist law for that matter???


44

Pretty sure Guiseppe’s just got a TON of business. I’ll be ordering extra from them now because of this.


BLM doesn’t understand how excellent our Sheriff is and they definitely don’t understand how supportive our community is of law enforcement.


137

I had the joy earlier of attempted bullying on social media by 2 of these protesters .They joined together against me because they didn’t like my point of view …..So they both stated they would find out where I work and inform my employer so as to get me fired ……Well I didn’t inform them I was self employed for last 4 decades and now currently retired LOL ….But try as they will to get me fired for not agreeing with their point of view


131

If you have to sum this all up in one word the word would be fascist…these rioters and intimidators are doing the democrat party’s dirty work which connects them to government and that connection makes them fascists…..


123

At this point, I would agree that the protestors are deserving of criticism. Their actions lack discipline, focus, clear goals or a clear voice of rational leadership. It may be coming from a place of genuine need for reform, but that important message is being completely lost in the noise of conflict and poorly executed actions. But to identify that with a political party and call it “fascism”, suggests that someone needs to look up the definition of the term.


I do not deny the possibility that there are Fascists infiltrating that group. Lack of good organization and leadership can easily lead to such breach of integrity. It is happening all over the country, where far right wing groups are joining the protests to turn them violent, create chaos and the need for “law and order” martial law and even to execute LEOs.


At least one of these incidences in California has been documented in Oakland. The hit was done during a BLM protest that they expected to cover the crime, but the suspects were caught on camera and soon apprehended.. They were definitively right wing white power extremists. These specific groups have been identified by our FBI as more of a danger to our national security than Al Qaeda.


I mention that incident because I am concerned that these poorly organized and seemingly pointless actions in our county may end up targets of similar actions by right wing extremists. You all know we have them. They turned up maskless and armed with AKs and ARs in Paso to protest the lock down. Paso is now an escalating hot spot for infection, so I don’t think they were doing our county any favors.


It seems like at the time when we most need to be pulling together, we are becoming more and more divided by ideologies that do not bear close scrutiny. Or perhaps any scrutiny. We are not spoiled children and people acting like spoiled children are not Fascists. They are well organized, have very clear goals and certainly do not back left wing causes. They tend to be pro government, pro suppression, pro big money and big industry. They are also very much in favor of suppression of a class of people as servants of the elite. The kids on the streets (and freeways) of SLO are certainly none of those.


-100

At the end of the gilded age, after the western world’s wealthy had basically run their nations’ economies into the ground—circa 1920’s, two opposing forces reared their ugly heads.


On one hand were the Communists, who basically believed that a communal system where a group of individuals, acting on behalf of all the people (LOL), decided on how the country should be run. In Russia, these intellectual thugs coopted business and executed most of the wealthy men in sham trials and outright murdered the “kolaks”—prosperous farmers. These unfortunates were usually shot down on the land where they stood.


In the long run, it was a miserable mistake. In other words, the Communists seized the means of production through murder and mayhem in order to exploit its wealth. Because they had never experienced democracy, the Russian people acquiesced.


On the other hand were the Fascists, who believed that allegiance to one particular man was the right prescription. English philosopher Thomas Carlyle had suggested the “Great Man Theory” in the late 19th century and nations such as Germany, Spain and Italy took Carlyle seriously.


In 1925 the Italians turned over their fragile democracy to one man in the hopes that he could improve their economy. Eight years later in Germany, the fragile Weimar democracy collapsed, allowing Hitler to step into leadership at the height of a worldwide economic depression.


Rather than murdering or even intimidating the German industrialists, as the Russians had done, Hitler courted them and eventually got them to acquiesce to his requests. After all, it meant profits, because Hitler was bent on building up the nation’s military and bolstering its infrastructure (he built the autobahn and several state-of-the-art airports).


In return for profits the industrialists allowed Hitler to be a one man ruler. In the long run, it was a miserable mistake. In other words, the Fascists seized the means of production through simple strategy. Nevertheless, the German people, like the Russians, paid a high price.


So, what do these lessons tell us? For one thing, they tell us that bandying about terms like “Communist” and “Fascist,” as we do all too often these days, is ridiculous, especially so in a nation that has more than 230 years of democracy under its belt.


To label simple protests, where some diners may have been annoyed, as “fascist” is absurd.


What exactly do these protesters want? I sincerely believe they don’t want control of the nation’s means of production—primary goals of Communists and Fascists.


I believe they would be easily mollified if the nation adopted a reasonable minimum wage of $20 an hour, adopted universal health care and maybe even provided free college for eligible students.


These requests are not “Communism” or “Fascism.” They are nothing less than is guaranteed to citizens of places like, wait for it, Germany, or Spain, or Italy, or Great Britain, or France, or any other first world country.


-91

Since you think minimum wage should be $20 an hour let’s have you start you own business and pay all of your employees $20 an hour and see if your still supportive of the idea. I highly doubt it. Universal Health Care like they have in Canada where they have to wait a year to get an appointment and even longer for any necessary procedures. Guess who pays for that? We do (well probably not free riders like you). Free college like they have in Cuba. That’s really nice until you find out your education can be used to work in a third world county but that paycheck comes back to Cuba until you return back to your prison cell. So I guess that sayings “freedom don’t come free” or “nothing is free’ is SO SO TRUE!


69

Oh, bless your heart, mtasseff! I rarely get responses to my diatribes so this is a real treat. I’m glad to address your concerns because I believe there are real misconceptions about these issues in the United States.


First, a little background. My grandfather moved to Guadalupe from the Salinas area in the early 1920’s. He even has stories about when Cecil B. DeMille filmed the first “Ten Commandments” movie out on the dunes near Oso Flaco.


What he found was incredibly fertile soil where he could grow lettuce and harvest it a bit cheaper than those growers he had worked for in Salinas. By the late 30’s he was doing well and he basically bypassed any negative effects of the Great Depression.


Long story short, my family grew lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, etc. in both the Guad and Oceano area for decades, usually under the mantle of the bigger growers such as Minami, Furukawa and Teixeira.


I’m proud to say, that under the Teixeiras in the 1990’s, we raised our minimum wage to above $7 an hour—$2 more than the law required. We never missed a beat.


My grandfather, who lived until 1979—age 90—died a wealthy man and passed on plenty to my father, me and my sister. My father died in 2002—age 78— also a wealthy man. We only lost mom a few years ago, age 93.


In fact, in the 1990’s we capitalized big time on a very favorable stock market. Look it up, under Bill Clinton the stock market had its best years since FDR and may still be a record.


Ok, so much for the minimum wage accusation.


As for health care, I have another story—I always do. I have a second home down in Sun Lakes, Arizona. I love the golf. It’s a big retirement community where many Canucks (Canadians) live. They go down there in the winter to escape the snow. If you ever want to experience the greatest weather of all time, consider spending some time in the Phoenix valley in late February, early March—cactuses blooming, desert still green, just lovely.


But I digress. These Canucks get their health care for free so they always schedule their procedures for the summer. I’ve never heard any of them complain about the Canadian system. Wait times are roughly the same as here and care is equal, according to them.


As for free college, I never mentioned Cuba. Cuba is a reprehensible nation which inhibits its population from exercising its freedom.


I would draw my examples from Western Europe or Japan where free college is virtually universal as long as a student has the right qualifications and is willing to produce. These nations can afford it, why can’t we?


Oh, and the elephant in the room—”well probably not free riders like you”—is actually not all that far off. I do very little these days—walk the dog, tidy up the kitchen, etc. And, of course, check my stocks. Have you noticed the NASDAQ is now at its highest? Love those tech stocks. There was a time, however, that I spent hours in the fields, either driving a tractor or on the ground supervising workers.


But thanks for entertaining an old man, mtasseff.


-26

It’s just so easy to spend other people’s money…

After all, anyone who has anything, a good paying job, a good education, a house, retirement, money to go on vacation.,.you know, they probably just stole it from the little people, the downtrodden, and pro got it just because of their “white privilege”… has nothing to do with hard work, perseverance, talent, and a little luck perhaps.


Being facetious


6

They really know how to win over the hearts and minds of people…I can’t stand these people.They make everybody’s lives miserable just like theirs.


151

Well Said! 90 percent don’t even have clue what they are protesting about..


90

Obviously these are the same domestic terrorist who went onto the freeway and continue to disrupt hard-working people and businesses who are just trying to survive in this pandemic.


The very same hard-working people who are having taxes taken out of their paychecks, the same taxes that are being sent to these deadbeats as part of the Federal unemployment which subsidizes the state unemployment.


This is why we must cut out or significantly reduce these overpayments.


Every one of these freeloaders should be required by law to be identified before unlawfully assembling and required to be named on the rioting permit which should have a liability insurance policy for a minimum of $1,000,000 for every demonstration.


128

Yes they are probably those who are getting more in unemployment than they are when they are working. Hopefully that will stop soon.


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