The University of Arizona Hispanic student organization MEChA is lobbying the owner of Illegal Peteβs to change the name of the chain thatβs opening a restaurant in Tucson.
In a letter to Pete Turner, founder of the Colorado chain of seven restaurants, the group said the name is offensive to Hispanics, who make up a larger percentage of the population here than in his markets in Colorado.
βWe are not like other communities where your business exists, and we are more than willing to show you that,β the group wrote. βWe are here to tell you that no longer will you be able to claim blissful ignorance and profit from racism.β
Turner was unavailable to comment Thursday. In an email, he said he was in Denver training his crew from Tucson.
Illegal Peteβs is expected to open in mid-December at 876 E. University Blvd., former home of clothing stores Franklinβs and Landmark.
Turner, who opened his first restaurant in Colorado in 1995, told the Star last spring that the name is meant to be βmysteriousβ and playful, and pays homage to his late father, whose name also was Pete.
Critics have said the name speaks anti-immigration volumes, something Turner has repeatedly defended.
βWords change in meaning. That word in particular is not a bad word. And who knows if it changes. Hopefully there will be some (immigration) reform in the next five years and things will change back,β Turner said last spring.
This is not the first time he has faced backlash. Residents in Fort Collins, Colorado, petitioned him to change the name in 2014.
MEChA of UA in its letter told Turner that while he controls his business, βWe, as voices of both the Latina/o community of Tucson and the University of Arizona student community β¦ control our community. We are here to tell you that you will no longer be able to continue under this hateful name. This letter is only the beginning.β
