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A political commentator for Fox News was asked to leave a North Miami bookstore and restaurant as he discussed politics with friends.
Gianno Caldwell had been eating a meal with a group of people at Paradis Books and Bread then he was asked to vacate the premises.
‘I can’t believe what just happened. I met up with friends for breakfast at Paradis Books and Bread in North Miami & while we were having discussions about politics we were told by the owner that we were not welcomed there because we aren’t politically aligned. Outrageous,’ he explained in an initial tweet.
‘No matter your politics you should not be discriminated against. I was discriminated against for being a conservative and told to leave a restaurant in North Miami because my politics didn’t ‘align’ with the owner. This is NOT okay,’ he stated in a followup posting.
Gianno Caldwell, a political commentator for Fox News claims to have been asked to leave a North Miami bookstore and restaurant as he discussed politics with friends
Caldwell explained in a series of tweets how he was discussing politics with friends and said the incident was a clear case of discrimination and promoting ‘a sort of political segregation’
Five friends, Ben Yen, left, Brian Wright, Sef Chesson, center, Bianca Sanon and Audrey Wright, far right, opened the restaurant in December 2021
Caldwell has said the incident was a clear case of discrimination and the bookstore’s actions were promoting a sort of political segregation reminiscent of the Jim Crow South.
‘In 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King said: ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.’ My experience at Paradis Books and Bread in North Miami is a clear case of discrimination that should not be tolerated in Florida or anywhere in America,’ Caldwell said to NBC6.
‘Whether liberal or conservative, no one should ever be asked to leave a place of business for engaging in political conversation in a respectful dialogue. Paradis is promoting a sort of political segregation that hearkens back to the days of the Jim Crow South and runs counter to the restaurant’s harm reduction policy.’
The bookstore, which is owned by five friends, Brian Wright, Bianca Sanon, Sef Chesson, Ben Yen and Audrey Wright opened in December 2021.
It has since closed its doors and posted on Instagram that they were starting their winter break early due to the incident.
The bookstore stated that the group’s behavior and language made other customers and staff uncomfortable and that they stood by their ‘zero tolerance’ policy.
Social media users were unimpressed by the restaurant’s antics.
‘Freedom of Speech seems to have become a subjective issue,’ wrote Glenn D Stewart.
‘I just saw this. I am shocked. Florida is supposed to be a conservative state. Sue sue sue!’ tweeted Linda.
‘Slippery slope when businesses invade the privacy of your conversation & feel some kind of way about your freedom of speech & kick you out. Remember the pendulum swings both ways & this country is headed towards political and racial segregation,’ posted Lashaun Turner.
‘It is time to introduce some Atifa type tactics for patrons of that restaurant and perhaps it is time to have it inspected for ADA compliance …and for good measure a discrimination lawsuit is certainly in order. The owner needs to relocate to Seattle / no room in Florida for her.’
Plenty on social media were shocked by the reaction of the restaurant
The restaurant took time to explain their side of the story before ultimately suspending their social media accounts entirely.
‘We experienced an incident in our space today and we feel that it is important to reshare our safer spaces policy that we have instituted since the very beginning.
‘A group of people came in, ordered their food, sat in the inside corner, and talked quite loudly for over an hour. a lot of what they were discussing was very troubling, specifically when talking about women in degrading ways, as well as using eugenic arguments around their thoughts on Roe v. Wade. their behavior and their words made other folks in the space as well as the one of us working very uncomfortable.
‘Once it was clear that they were finished with their meal, we told them that our views don’t align, and that the language they were using was unwelcome in our space. one person in the group said “that is your business model, and i respect that”. as a space co-owned by black folks and women, we firmly stand by our zero tolerance policy.’
The bookstore has since closed its doors and stated how they were starting their winter break early due to the incident
The restaurant took time to explain their side of the story before ultimately suspending their social media accounts entirely
Christian Caldwell, right, the 18-year-old younger brother of Fox News political analyst Gianno Caldwell, 36, left, was shot and killed on Chicago’s South Side last June
Caldwell, center top, is seen with five of his brothers and nephews in a photograph from 2011
‘What’s even crazier to me is I spent a big portion of time talking about getting justice for my brother & victims of violent crime in America then to be discriminated against by this white lady in 2023 because I’m conservative is unfathomable,’ Caldwell tweeted later on Monday.
His younger brother, 18-year-old Christian, was shot and killed in Chicago last June.
Caldwell, who has nine siblings, has been appearing on Fox since 2017.
He has described his growing up in Chicago as ‘really, really poor.’
His mother was addicted to crack cocaine and had to go to rehab. It meant the siblings were all placed in the custody of his grandmother.
Gianno Caldwell grew up in a Chicago family where he was one of nine siblings
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