By Darryl Hannah
It wasn’t too long ago that Latino residents in Fort Collins, Colo., were deemed “illegal” and barred from certain restaurants that bore the signs “No Dogs and Mexicans.” That’s why many in the community are urging restaurateur Pete Turner to change the name of his restaurant chain Illegal Pete’s.
“Using the word illegal when you are referring to a human being is offensive,” Cheryl Distaso of the Fort Collins Community Action Network told reporters. She and others involved in the campaign have likened the restaurant’s name to a racial slur used to describe African-Americans. “Messages range from heartfelt personal stories about what it was like growing up in Fort Collins with ‘No Dogs and Mexicans’ signs in the downtown area, in the very same place the restaurant is going to be built,” she said.
