South Tampa Residents Protest New Haitian Restaurant
A South Tampa resident has called on residents to help him protest the opening of a new Haitian restaurant opening in South Tampa’s Hyde Park neighborhood shopping plaza.
“We can’t let these immigrants come here and cook our pets,” yelled Victor McArthurberg, a South Tampa resident and lone protester outside of a new restaurant that serves dishes inspired by the chefs Haitian background. “The longer we allow this restaurant to stay open the more pets in this neighborhood will die!”
The restaurant Mais Moulin recently opened as an upscale eatery in the trendy neighborhood. Executive Chef Bixley Katz is part Haitian and opened the restaurant so that he could sell overpriced rice and beans to rich South Tampa people.
“I have never cooked dog or cat meat and it was never a thing my mom cooked when I was growing up,” said Katz. “Honestly I was very offended when that guy tried to run in here and yell at my patrons that they were eating cat meat.”
McArthurberg has been given multiple warnings by the Tampa Police for harassing restaurant visitors but the police said that as long as he stays on the sidewalk outside the restaurant, he is fine to yell into a megaphone at people passing by.
“If we don’t shut this place down, I’m going to kill myself,” said McArthurberg.
Most of the people walking by ignored him completely.