Current Events > NuLu restaurant owner says he was threatened by Black Lives Matter protesters

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Members of Louisville's Cuban community plan to gather Sunday in support of a NuLu restaurant owner who says he was threatened by Black Lives Matter protesters during a recent demonstration.

Fernando Martinez, a partner of the Ol Restaurant Group, was one of dozens of business owners in the downtown Louisville district who recently received a letter from protesters laying out demands that aim to improve diversity in the area, which is known for its locally-owned shops and restaurants.
Martinez has publicly denounced the demands on Facebook, calling them "mafia tactics" used to intimidate business owners. And on Thursday, a small group of protesters confronted him outside his newest restaurant, La Bodeguita de Mima, on East Market Street.

According to a press release, members of the city's Cuban community will meet outside the NuLu restaurant at 4 p.m. Sunday to support the immigrant-owned business, which "has been subject to vandalism and extortion in recent days."

The release states that La Bodeguita de Mima was forced to close July 24 during a demonstration that shut down East Market Street, at which several protesters presented Martinez with the list of demands and said he "better put the letter on the door so your business is not f***ed with."

The restaurant remained closed the next two days because "management and staff were concerned about safety," according to the release. "30+ staff members (mostly immigrants) were unable to earn a paycheck."

"There comes a time in life that you have to make a stand and you have to really prove your convictions and what you believe in," Martinez wrote in his Facebook post. "... All good people need to denounce this. How can you justified (sic) injustice with more injustice?"

On Thursday, a small group of protesters returned to the restaurant after seeing Martinez's post about the demands on Facebook. While there, one protester smashed a flower pot outside the business, while the rest spoke with Martinez and other employees about why the demands are needed.

https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2020/08/01/louisville-cuban-community-rally-support-la-bodeguita-de-mima/5562669002/

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The actual demands:

The demands and an attached contract, which were created by local organizers and activists, ask NuLu business owners to:

• Adequately represent the Black population of Louisville by having a minimum of 23% Black staff;
• Purchase a minimum of 23% inventory from Black retailers or make a recurring monthly donation of 1.5% of net sales to a local Black nonprofit or organization;
• Require diversity and inclusion training for all staff members on a bi-annual basis;
• And display a visible sign that increases awareness and shows support for the reparations movement.

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The demands and an attached contract, which were created by local organizers and activists, ask NuLu business owners to:

Adequately represent the Black population of Louisville by having a minimum of 23% Black staff;
Purchase a minimum of 23% inventory from Black retailers or make a recurring monthly donation of 1.5% of net sales to a local Black nonprofit or organization;
Require diversity and inclusion training for all staff members on a bi-annual basis;
And display a visible sign that increases awareness and shows support for the reparations movement.

Some of that is a little extreme lol but they totally lost me at reparations.

so if he or other businesses don't comply to these demands, they will be threatened, harassed, broken/vandalized, and arson or worse?

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Vampire_Wreath posted...

so if he or other businesses don't comply to these demands, they will be threatened, harassed, broken/vandalized, and arson or worse?

"You've got a nice independently-owned minority business going here. It would be a real shame if something happened to it."

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Vampire_Wreath posted...

so if he or other businesses don't comply to these demands, they will be threatened, harassed, broken/vandalized, and arson or worse?

Nope nothing will happen.

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Ugh, don't threaten the local businesses...

Lmao, as someone who lives within walking distance of NuLu, it's funny to see this story on CE. I'd like to add a few things.

1) BO$$, the group which conducted these "social justice inspections," is a fringe offshoot of BLM Louisville that thankfully doesn't reflect BLM Louisville as a whole.

2) The Courier-Journal has another interesting article about perspectives from other NuLu business owners. As you can see, it has been a polarizing situation among those tenants. https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2020/07/30/louisville-protests-nulu-businesses-respond-gentrification-demands/5546810002/

3) While the overarching BLM/Breonna Taylor protests have been widely discussed and supported in Louisville, the general public has mostly been either unaware of the BO$$ inspections or considers them hot air/unrealistic. Even on r/louisville, which is very liberal, these inspection demands have received far more criticism than support.

4) I've said it before and I'll say it again - Louisville is an absolute dumpster fire of a city, and you should exhaust all other options if looking for a place to live or visit.

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