Costco has officially stopped carrying Palmetto Cheese owned by a South Carolina mayor, who called the Black Lives Matter and Anifa movements “terror organizations.” Brian Henry is the mayor of Pawleys Island and owner of Palmetto Cheese. He tells the Georgetown Times that the products were being pulled as a result of “a matter of normal business” and that Costco normally rotates items in and out regularly.
This doesn’t seem to truly be the case, however. “We remain optimistic that Palmetto Cheese will be back on the shelves in the not-too-distant future,” Henry says to the Georgetown Times.
Costco discontinues Palmetto Cheese after racially insensitive comments made by owner
Palmetto Cheese Original is On Sale from AUG. 17-30 at all Southeast Region @Costco Warehouses for $1.50 OFF!!! The sale is for the Southeast Region only and does not include Palmetto Cheese w/ Jalapenos. SE Region includes: AL, FL, GA, MS, NC, SC, and TN. #CostcoDeals pic.twitter.com/IBlR72cJji
— Palmetto Cheese (@palmettocheese) August 17, 2020
A Costco rep has declined to comment on the matters concerning the Palmetto Cheese brand. The Georgetown Times did publish a photo of a sign saying that the products were “discontinued and will not be re-ordered by Costco.” They added that the products would be removed from more than 120 Costco locations.
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Palmetto faced boycotts from consumers following a controversial Facebook post by the SC mayor and owner of the brand. The Georgetown chapter of the NAACP called the post “racist” and also called for him to resign.
Read the original statement
The original post read: “I am sickened by the senseless killings in Georgetown last night. 2 innocent people murdered. Not 2 thugs or people wanted on multiple warrants. 2 white people defenselessly gunned down by a black man. Tell me, where is the outrage? When and where will we begin rioting and burning down businesses in Georgetown. Answer is simple, it won’t happen. Because we live in a civil society, and it won’t change what happened. The victims’ families and friends will mourn and undoubtedly feel anger and confusion. Can’t imagine their pain. So why do we stand by and allow BLM to lawlessly destroy great American cities and threaten their citizens on a daily basis? Should they have a carte blanche license to pillage and destroy? Why? This has gone on too long.”
“Rise up America. This BLM and Antifa movement must be treated like the terror organizations that they are. Law and order, protection of liberty, and the right of peaceful enjoyment. If we don’t have that, we no longer have a country. My wife cried last night when she read about these murders. I’m sure their family is devastated. This did not have to happen. Does the senseless murder of these people not matter as much because it doesn’t fit the media narrative. You are damn right their lives matter. And we should all be outraged and engaged to demand action and stem the tide of lawless fringe. We can’t stay silent anymore. All lives matter. There I said it. So am I racist now? I think not. How about the POS who just gunned down 3 defenseless white people? You be the judge. We need Law and Order. Now!”
An apology from the mayor
The post has since been deleted, and Henry did follow up with a second post apologizing for his post that was deemed “racially insensitive” by his audience. “I want to start out by saying, I’m profoundly sorry for those offended with my post, last week. My comments were hurtful and insensitive. Before I could stand here in front of you today, I needed to self reflect and reach out for dialogue and understand. I spent 10 days listening and learning. The conversations I’ve had with friends, our staff, our community, and faith-based leaders, provided me with a deeper understanding of racial inequality, and the importance of diversity sensitivity, which is very much needed to heal Pawleys Island, Georgetown and our country.”