“I have grown up in this town and I have always relied on the local police dept. to keep myself and my family and friends safe.”
The owner of Romanelli’s Garden Cafe—a New Jersey restaurant—has issued a public apology after an incident that occurred in the establishment. A police officer received a receipt that had the words “cops pigs” and “puercos” written on it. Puercos is a Spanish word for swine. A picture of the receipt appeared on social media, drawing outrage as it went viral.
The owner quickly released a statement apologizing for what he described as “very gross and disrespectful.” The statement was posted to the business Facebook page and signed by Drew Huggard. The long apology seemed sincere, and the owner reassured his clientele he does not condone such behavior. He also honored police officers by saying, “I have grown up in this town and I have always relied on the local police dept. to keep myself and my family and friends safe.”
While some commenters accepted the apology and commended Haggard’s graciousness, others condemned the business for hiring “thugs” with hatred toward law enforcement personnel.
The attitude toward police officers seems to have turned ugly in the United States over the past few years, perpetuated by rhetoric that is often incredibly degrading. Many citizens have lost sight of the fact that these brave men and women face danger on a daily basis. As a veteran, I have a lot of respect for those in law enforcement. In fact, it’s pretty common to find more than a handful of military veterans on the force.
I was able to leave dangerous locations once my tour was up. Police officers face any number of hazards in their daily lives. They also have to face scrutiny and criticism in the media and from so-called activist groups. It’s ridiculous that in 2017, a police officer can’t even sit down to a decent meal without being accosted in this manner.
Luckily, the employee involved was fired from Romanelli’s Garden Cafe after leaving the receipt. Customers have shown the restaurant support and given praise for having the courage to publicly admit what happened. It was also a good move to follow up informing the public of disciplinary action.
It’s important for that community to address these types of incidents to promote healing. Drew Huggard has also made clear that his establishment is one that supports police officers. The only thing he could have done differently was to include in the initial statement that the worker had been fired. It wasn’t until a Facebook user inquired about the fate of the employee was it made known that the person was terminated.
Overall, the owner did the right thing and hopefully will continue making it clear that police officers—like everyone else—deserve to be treated with respect and dignity. It’s been past time to end animosity toward law enforcement. One way to do that is to show support and speak up. This situation was not okay, and many citizens used social media to stand up and let the restaurant know.
