HELL YES: Boston Mayor to Chick-fil-A: "You can't have a business in the city of Boston."

His personal views are irrelevant...though I would personally shun his business based on knowing his views.

Isn't this somewhat along the lines of pharmacists injecting their personal beliefs into how they dispense medications?

but if this is a closed, family-run business then his comments as COO or CEO are relevant to the licensing or permitting. What Menino's statement does is force the company to go on record stating that the restaurants don't discriminate and serves as a message that the company had better live up to that statement.

Chick-Fil-A is expanding into the San Francisco bay area and being met with similar opposition.

by making them public. What if he were a proud member of the KKK and said so publicly?

Do you think his business should be banned from a city if he were a member of the KKK? As long as the business doesn't discriminate, it's free speech and banning his business for his personal views is limiting his free speech.

What if a city in a heavily RW area didn't like the fact that you're an outspoken liberal? Should they be allowed to ban your business for that?

Some cities won't allow Wal-Marts to open. That has something to do with the size of stores and effects on competitors.

I think if individuals want to boycott Chick-Fil-A, then that's fine, but a government official trying to drive them out of a city based on something the CEO said makes me uncomfortable. It seems to push at the boundaries of the First Amendment. Of course, if the company actually refuses to serve or to employ people based on their sexual orientation, then that's a different matter, since it would fall foul of anti-discrimination laws, provided that sexual orientation is a protected class in MA (it isn't in all states).

He's letting them know they wouldn't be welcome there.

This has nothing to do with the views but instead illegal actions that this corporation pays out of court to hush up. Also when is the last time you heard of 17 job interviews to get a job?

This corporation makes sure that only their kind of people get hired and that is UnAmerican.


http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2007/0723/080.html

Oh and this is right-wing pro-biz FORBES magazine saying this.

this issue should stay out of politics. Let the consumers decide how they want to treat this cretin's fast food shop. The mayor is grandstanding. P.S. I'll never eat there again.

by also calling out how CFA uses FACTORY FARMED chicken.

but they certainly won't hire you.

To parade outside of chick-fil-a stores with Cows are homophobes signs.

Chick-fil-A uses B/W cows in their ads. Rainbow-spotted cows would connect immediately with most people.

trust me on that one.

The thing that people refuse to get is that our power rests in not giving these assholes our money. I love Chik-Fil-A sammiches, don't get me wrong, but I don't give them any of my money anymore.

Kudos to the Boston mayor, and to everyone bright enough to realize your power is in your pocketbook.

The openness is why this southern transplant is proud to call MA her home state!

for exposing the hatred and bigotry.

I don't think he can stop them, but he's clearly outing them for what they are.

Just like I will never go again to FL, AZ, AK or even TX because the leaders seem to hate liberals so much. So why would I go to a place and spend my money in those states.

Mayor Menino Rocks!!!

isn't, to my knowledge.

every day. I think it's fine to give employees a day off, no matter what the reason is. I just don't like them spreading their vile propaganda.

I so glad to see this happen.

Edited because I cannot read nor type

"Merino" is the wool..."Menino" is Hizzonah!!

Guess I should edit

now, didn't we?

There's only one of those outlets in MA that I know of, in a suburban mall in a food court with a limited menu. I looked it up awhile back, but never went to check it out.

What's ironic is that I've only eaten at one of those places a few times, every time way down south, and it was a gay family friend who took us there--he gave us the scoop on the place while we were eating, but he said he had a weakness for the chicken.

It certainly was an interesting experience, I must say. We went to the politically incorrect "Dwarf House" (and there was a little person behind the counter--not sure if that was just a coincidence or what) and had a large sampling from the menu. The staff were very accommodating and friendly. it was a bit of a surprise to learn about how hateful the organization was.

Their business model would be swell if they'd just get rid of all that hate and exclusion, pay their employees a bit better, and maybe open on Sundays, too.

There are 3 Chick-Fil-As in the Boston area - Peabody, Burlington, and Nashua, NH. I live in Maine, and as unpopular as this will make me here, I enjoy the chicken and in fact went to one just a week ago on a trip to Fenway.

I think their politics are repulsive. I thin their Sunday closing is stupid, and a political statement much more than a way to "give their employees the ability to celebrate the Sabbath".

But I am also a small business owner, and am not profitable enough to turn away customers because they don't agree with my progressive politics. So I keep my views to myself, do just as good work for the Republican pigs that buy my services as fellow Progressives. Do I really want to turn business down because of the political beliefs of customers? I guess I should have never visited my father either, when he was alive, because he was staunchly Republican.

There are gay Chick-Fil-A managers and employees, and none of the restaurants ask for a certificate of heterosexuality when you order their chicken. Everyone has the right to boycott them, and please do if you feel it's the right thing to do. But I have to ask myself two things. What corporations aren't offensive in some way? Papa John's owner holds fundraisers for Rmoney. The ownership of Country Inns and Suites are Dominionists. I'll bet a lot more businesses support the Republicans than the Democrats. The second question is: do I want to lose customers that hold different views than I do? Sorry - I'm not going to turn away their business. I don't ask their politics, I don't ask if they support marriage equality. Those folks that work at Chick Fil-A deserve to make a living - many think the beliefs of their company's owner are as abhorrent as I do.

Gays can get married in Masachusetts - I think that's great. I hope we in Maine will right a wrong in November and achieve marriage equality here. Mayor Menino can and should point out the anti-gay beliefs of Chick Fil-A's owner. But should he try and stop them from opening a restaurant when there is no legal basis to do so?

It's just not as black and white to me. A struggling tech writer like me needs anyone's business - I wouldn't like potential customers going to someone else because they found out I'm in favor of marriage equality. Sure, I can claim the moral high ground, but my kids need to eat.

And that's MONEY.

These people care what you do in your bedroom, but not at the dinner table.

If you are willing to leave them your money as you devour their artery-clogging "food," it's fine with them.

Gold
Oil
Drugs

Americans' obsession with god makes perfect sense when interpreted that way.

Calling into question the environmental impact of another drive-through, since the biases of the owners aren't enough of a reason to stop them. Even if they weren't batshit stupid, the "quality" of the food would prevent me from ever going there again.

I have a concern when the environment is used as a stand in for other issues. I do not know the particulars here. However, here I have watched Wal-Marts challenged by groups for environmental concerns when the Home Depot and Target just down the street are doing all the same things environmentally without a peep. This happens enough and the general public stops taking environmental concerns seriously,

I know it is tough because "due process" protections generally do not allow local gov'ts to hold a Chic-fil-a to a different standard than a McDonalds or Burger King (or whatever). But my take is that it is better for political decisions to be made on political grounds. Of course developers really don't like that a bit.

Some student groups have pointed out the disconnect between the student code of conduct and Chick-fil-A's corporate practices. But then the university where I teach is Penn State so moral inconsistency is common currency.

i boycotted them years ago when i found out they were closed on sunday because of the fundamentalism of the owners. i try to not support zealots. i've been boycotting mickie d's, coors, amway and domino's pizza for many years for much the same reasons (the first three mostly for funding nixon).

on the assumption it's at issue, these biased businesses should not get tax breaks for moving into a community.

ellen fl

But that was a nice welcome.

If they don't get it, they never will.

They attract RW jerks like flies. Not representative of Boston or Massachusetts.

Oh, and welcome to DU and HAVE A NICE DAY!!!

Perhaps the North Carolina woman who started the crusade against marriage equality will lead a boycott of Boston Markets. "We're not Massachusetts!," as one wingnut declared in a N&O LTTE.

hope they fail as a chain.


Suck a fart Chik FIl a.

but watch chick-a-fil play martyr to "ultra-liberalism"

It's processed meat.



http://www.chick-fil-a.com/Food/Menu/

looks nasty!

has any inalienable right to open a business in any community. If the mayor and city council don't want a business in the community, so be it. If the electorate think otherwise, they are free to either persuade or replace their elected officials.

It's a business purchasing private property and building on it. If the building and property meets zoning and fire codes and all that good stuff, then I don't see the mayor having any power over whether the business can open or not.


While it's certainly advantageous to have the mayor on your side, it's not necessary. I don't want to give Boston's mayor this kind of power, the same way I don't want the mayor of Atlanta to decide whether or not an abortion clinic or a porn shop can open.

That's why he keeps winning re-election.

Kind of an ironic thing to say when you are excluding a business though. Not that I disagree with the mayor, just a little irony.

If they come into the city, they aren't getting one cent from me.

And it looks like the haters have it all sewn up.

Unfortunately.

Hope he manages to do it.

I think Wendy's makes a better chicken sandwich. If they did open around here, I would not eat there. I have read that they contribute to anti gay movements and I detest bigots.

See the story of a Muslim employee getting discriminated against for not doing Christian prayer in article.

If you don't have the same political views as us you can't open a restaurant here.

troll

to keep my kids out of Chik-Fil-A. I tell them it is a bad location, too crowded, too expensive, and they won't let them get their own drinks. When they get bigger, I'll explain more about why we don't do business with them.

Decades ago I tried eating their food, but it gave me cramps and diarrhea, I suspect from being too heavy with sodium.

Yet, they are willing to discriminate against gays. Legally speaking, this will not fly. Chick-Fil-A cannot legally discriminate.

And definitely not a fan of the views of the right wing owner, but how are they breaking the law? How are they legally discriminating?

It's reprehensible to hate someone because of their sexual orientation, but it isn't against the law.

It's the millions of dollars this and other companies donate to hate groups like the Family Research Center. These right wing hate groups are actively working against gay rights and companies give them the money to do it. Millions of tax free donations to the Mormon church went spread hate in California. These hate groups wouldn't exist without the massive donations of companies like Chick-fil-a. But they will take the money from anyone who comes through the door. They've never gotten a penny out of me.

If you want some chicken, do you have to prove you like the opposite sex? And will they supply the girls to demonstrate on?

It seems the only reason that they exist is to generate money for far RW groups. They are openly intolerant and I think this is probably a bad business model.

They opened one of these at the Mall of America. These kinds of stories make me glad I don't eat meat anymore. It's not the kind of place I can go to anyway.

Another reason to move back to New England.

This commentary from The Atlantic was posted on another board. I agree with the author.

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/07/in-defense-of-eating-at-chick-fil-a/260139/#

Excerpt:

No matter what Chick Fil A does to support other charitable causes does not give them a pass on their bigotry.

And they use those causes to proselytize and bring more folks into "the fold" of fundamentalist bigotry and homophobia.