The university activist group MEChA has called for a nationwide "call-in" to Illegal Pete's restaurants to protest the use of the word "Illegal" in its name.
In the message board of an online Change.org petition, the group urged its supporters to give "thoughts about the name ... Just be respectful, but also, be creative. Talk as long as you want," it says. It also urges supporters to write comments on Illegal Pete's website and Facebook page.
The Colorado-based Mexican restaurant has drawn criticism from Chicano-rights groups who claim the word "illegal" is a racial slur against Mexican immigrants. The controversy came to a head Wednesday, when protestors camped out for several hours in front of the University Boulevard restaurant, chanting and holding signs emblazoned with "#dropthenamepete".Β
The restaurant will open its first Tucson location 5 p.m. tonight in the former Landmark clothing store at 876 E. University Blvd.
