Some New Haveners are planning to boycott Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana because one of the co-owners is an apparent supporter of the current president.
Gary Bimonte, the businessman in question, has posted a thank you note to Trump because American steel is being used in construction jobs. He was also photographed holding a “Deplorables for Trump” sign.
The initiative comes from Lorna Steele. She asked her fellow New Haveners to boycott the restaurant and thus stop funding hate. She included the mentioned photograph of Bimonte and shared his post.
Predominantly Democratic stronghold may be a fruitful ground for such initiatives. Steele believes that buying services or goods from individuals or companies that support the worst agenda coming from the White House at the moment is not acceptable. She is personally against the extremist views they have regarding the Second Amendment.
The post caused quite a debate and had 150 re-posts, 160 comments, and 71 reactions. The opinions differ, and some pretty interesting questions popped up regarding the Second Amendment and the ways to express one’s frustration on a particular matter.
Steele managed to garner a lot of support from the residents. But some people believe that her suggestion is not productive. There have been voices saying that boycotting a business for the personal beliefs of its owner is not really good. Especially if it does not involve the company.
One of the users suggested that if people started boycotting persons for their political orientation, they would be similar to pharmacists refusing to sell contraception on the basis of their own beliefs. The point seems valid because separating the business from its owner means showing respect to all the workers contributing to the company in question. Because the company is never just one person.
However, another Facebook commentator said that in this world, the government was a pawn of corporate influences. Every citizen has the right to disassociate themselves from the companies that do not contribute to their general welfare.
Both arguments have a sharp point, and the debate seems to be heating up. Frank Blackwell noticed Bimonte’s concern about the violation of his Second Amendment rights. As a passionate advocate for stricter gun control, he organized a March for Our Lives in his hometown Guildford. However, he is not too keen on boycotting.
As a frequent guest of the Pizzeria, he has never felt any of Bimonte’s views being promoted in the venue. He also praised the diversity of the staff, who seemed satisfied and relaxed in their workplace.
Bimonte looks like a person who is peacefully promoting his argument. Though he is on an entirely different side, he does not use his business to promote his beliefs. Nor does he try to influence the guests of his restaurant.
Blackwell, who is far from a Trump supporter, added that he understood why some wanted to distance themselves from anything that had to do with the president. But the already divided society cannot benefit from boycotts. The Guildford resident thinks that a discussion would be a fruitful way to overcome the obstacles. Also, Bimonte would get the chance to explain his views and hear some of the convincing arguments New Haveners have.
In the restaurant, the employees advised that Bimonte do not work at the restaurant regularly. But neither him nor Steele was available for comment by the closing of the article. The response did not come from the company head office either.
Federal Election Commission advised that there were no direct donations to Trump from Bimonte. But he seems to have given a donation to one of the gubernatorial candidates that was an active Trump supporter in 2018 as per FEC.
