Pizzeria’s smallpox ad sparks outrage
A Greeley pizzeria put out an ad in a magazine that refers to the genocidal deaths of American Indians — and is facing an outcry.
The ad that Right Coast Pizza placed in the November issue of BandWagon — a Greeley-based music, arts and entertainment publication — shows a woman holding a pizza box in front of a kneeling native man wearing a headdress. The ad shows the woman saying: “Sorry about all the smallpox . ... Who wants a slice of pepperoni?”
Right Coast owner Justin Vogel on Sunday said he was trying to prevent circulation of the ad after he and Right Coast employees received phone calls and electronic messages lambasting their conduct. BandWagon’s electronic versions of the ad have been removed.
Vogel was trying not to be delinquent in minimizing circulation of print versions of the magazine, he said, and planned to meet Monday morning with BandWagon’s publisher.
“I don’t know if the right term is ‘racist.’ It is definitely not correct. It is, basically, making light of genocide. It is coarse and inappropriate,” said Vogel, 32, who has owned this pizzeria in central Greeley for 3½ years and also owns one in Wheat Ridge.
“I take full responsibility. … We screwed up. How can we make this right?”
Smallpox ranked among the most destructive diseases brought by European settlers. Scholars are exploring the extent to which smallpox was used as a biological weapon before settlers displaced, forcibly removed and in some cases slaughtered native communities.
The magazine’s website says it circulates for free to Greeley, Fort Collins, Loveland, Windsor and more. Vogel said he had put ads in BandWagon before and that, when BandWagon sales reps contacted him about what sort of ad he wanted for November, he told them to “get creative and come up with something.”
The BandWagon staffers suggested a “Thanksgiving theme” and Vogel said he told them that sounded fine. When BandWagon designers sent the ad for him to review before publication, Vogel was busy, he said, and didn’t look at it carefully.
Messages sent to Right Coast — including some from a native community estimated at 1,500 strong — criticized the ad as deeply offensive. Some people said they’ll stay away.
BandWagon’s publisher issued an apology using Facebook “to anyone that was offended by one of our ads,” saying “those of you who responded so strongly to that ad are a part of the same community that we are, and your voices are valid.” The apology statement said the ad is “insensitive,” that “the magazine and our clients regret ever printing it,” and that “the creative team behind this advertisement went too far and both the client and our publisher deeply regret our lack of quality control in letting this go to print.”
Right Coast is considering what to do, said Vogel, who discussed the matter in two phone calls with people who identified themselves as Native Americans. He was considering contacting community groups and charities, he said.
“We never intended any harm. … We don’t want to make it a spur-of-the-moment thing. We need to take our time and make it right.”