D.C.’s &pizza Faces Backlash Over Dessert Mocking Former Mayor Marion Barry: “These Knots Will Blow You Away”

D.C. is on fire right now, and it’s all thanks to &pizza’s latest move.

Their new dessert, the Marion Berry Knots, has the city talking — and not in a good way.

The pizza chain thought they were slick, naming their dessert after former Mayor Marion Barry, a man both loved and criticized in D.C.

But they went way too far with the jokes, dropping lines like “These knots will blow you away” and hinting at powdered sugar that could “even force the DEA to look twice.”

&pizza even posted a promo pic showing a pile of white powder next to the dessert, and folks are not having it

However, Marion Barry’s widow didn’t hold back, “In this city, it is outrageously racist,” she said. “You can print that. It’s racist and disrespectful.”

For many D.C. locals, using Barry’s name to promote a product with a not-so-subtle nod to his past just feels wrong.

But instead of pumping the brakes, &pizza’s PR team is sticking to their guns. BML Public Relations even doubled down, saying, “For a good time, it’s the powder that’s the ultimate headline grabber.”

Barry, who passed away on November 23, 2014, was first elected as Mayor of the District of Columbia in 1978. He went on to serve three consecutive terms and made a political comeback in 1994 when he was elected for a fourth term. In addition to his time as mayor, Barry also served in other capacities, including as the Ward 8 councilmember.

His 1994 reelection came after he served time for possession of crack cocaine, an incident that brought him national notoriety. Despite the controversy, Barry remained a polarizing yet beloved figure in D.C., with many admiring his commitment to the city’s underserved communities.