Boise Restaurant Owner Under Fire for Video
Owner of Boise-based restaurant, PizzalChick, is under fire once again for posting a video some are calling racist and offensive. According to the Idaho Statesman, last summer, Brad Breakell was in the news after painting his face black, then posing "inside a cardboard cutout of a shark's head to film an ad for his Boise restaurant." After being accused of "blackface," he took the video down and release a follow-up apology video.
This time, Breakell posted a video meant to promote a "Mexican-style menu." To do so, he dressed in a sombrero and poncho, wearing sunglasses and drawn-on eyebrows and mustache. According to the Idaho Statesman, Breakell "appears to have darkened his face with brown makeup. Speaking in an exaggerated Spanish accent" and calling himself "Billy Burrito". Yesterday, Breakell claimed: "If you look at my body of videos, there's nothing offensive [...] are all actors racist? Where do you draw the line? I created a character, and I acted a part. It's not racism. It's not."
So what do I think? I'm Mexican, and personally I DO find this video offensive. Breakell called it humor. I don't find it humorous and I feel like it's poor taste and he used poor judgement.That being said, I won't call him names or tell you not to give him your business, I just choose not to support a business owner who chooses these tactics to promote his business.