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  • Does Nationals Park, 14th Street and Marion Barry make DC iconic? – WTOP News

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    Discover what truly makes D.C. iconic through the eyes of its residents. WTOP heard from locals about their favorite landmarks, moments and cultural gems.

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    Does Nationals Park, 14th Street and Marion Barry make DC iconic?

    A recent article by The Washington Post listed 101 of the greatest things about D.C., including movies, TV series, video games, artistic masterpieces, performances, landmarks, books and music.

    This list had a lot of us talking, debating and adding our own choices to that list.

    For example, does the 1983 comedy “D.C. Cab” really deserve to be in the must-watch Washington movies list?

    Who better to find out the things, people and places that really make the nation’s capital iconic than actual Washingtonians? WTOP headed over to Dupont Circle and asked those sitting around the fountain.

    From playing chess, to drawing caricatures for money, to enjoying a picnic with a friend and their pet cat, these people took a break and gave great thought before naming what they believed should be on the list.

    Nationals Park, 14th Street, and former D.C. Mayor Marion Barry were all named.

    Hopefully, while reading and watching the video, you will come up with some names yourself!

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    © 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Jimmy Alexander

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  • How a DC pizza chain is working to make amends after rolling out dessert mocking late mayor – WTOP News

    How a DC pizza chain is working to make amends after rolling out dessert mocking late mayor – WTOP News

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    &pizza is working to make amends with the community after removing its drug-themed dessert that poked fun at the late D.C. Mayor Marion Barry.

    A local pizza chain is working to make amends with the community after removing its drug-themed dessert that poked fun at the late D.C. Mayor Marion Barry.

    The item has been discontinued and the company has since apologized. But the backlash has continued since last week, prompting &pizza to release a statement Thursday making promises to the community.

    Those commitments come after &pizza executives, including its CEO Mike Burns, met with protesters who are boycotting the chain to discuss next steps.

    “We take full accountability for our misstep and wholeheartedly apologize to Mrs. Cora Masters Barry and to those we let down,” &pizza wrote in the post.

    That apology comes after lawyers representing the estate of late D.C. Mayor Marion Barry sent a letter to Burns, threatening to sue over the pizza chain’s use of Barry’s likeness and demanding a personal apology for Cora Masters Barry.

    Boycott to continue

    The activists that met with &pizza are part of the “Knot in DC Coalition,” with the Don’t Mute D.C. organization.

    Ronald Moten, one of the founders of the organization, was a part of those meetings. He said the boycott would be called off only after &pizza implements the plan it outlined in Thursday’s letter.

    “If they move forward with all the actions that were in the letter, it will be a good thing for them and to repair some of the damage over time with our community,” Moten said.

    But he said the protesters are hoping to end the boycott.

    “We’re not in putting people out of business if we don’t have to, because people from our community work in the majority of those 53 stores,” Moten told WTOP.

    &pizza wrote that it will continue to meet with the Knot in DC Coalition and other organizations moving forward.

    “Together, we discussed a range of initiatives that &pizza will take to demonstrate our steadfast commitment to accountability, peace, and working towards a world that prioritizes humanity and social justice,” &pizza wrote.

    Some of the promises in the letter include:

    • Making partnerships with minority-owned businesses in D.C.
    • Investing in an internship program for local high school and HBCU students to intern at &pizza
    • Aiding programs that invest in underserved communities, including job training and mentorship
    • Diversity training
    • Donating to racial justice and system inequality organizations involved with D.C.

    One point that’s particularly important to the group is hiring someone from the D.C. community to be a leader at &pizza.

    “If they had somebody from our community there, this would have never happened,” Moten told WTOP. “They would know that this was going to be something that would offend our community.”

    Moten said he hopes the changes will help repair the damage done to the community by the satirical dessert.

    “We want to make sure that they repair the damage done to Mr. Barry’s legacy with Mrs. Cora Masters Barry as well, and they assured us that they would want to work those things out with them as well,” Moten said.

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    © 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Jessica Kronzer

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  • Protest at &pizza still on despite apology for drug-themed dessert mocking late Mayor Marion Barry – WTOP News

    Protest at &pizza still on despite apology for drug-themed dessert mocking late Mayor Marion Barry – WTOP News

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    A large protest outside an &pizza location in D.C. is still set to take place Friday night in response to the local pizza chain’s creation of a controversial menu item that references the late D.C. Mayor Marion Barry and his cocaine use.

    A large protest outside an &pizza location in D.C. is still set to take place Friday night in response to the local pizza chain’s creation of a controversial menu item that references the late D.C. Mayor Marion Barry and his cocaine use.

    Organizers said the protest along U Street in Northwest was still happening despite a formal apology from Mike Burns, the CEO of the company.

    “Candidly, we made a mistake. And for that, we sincerely apologize,” Burns said in a letter to the community this week. “While humor was our intent, it was regrettably off the mark.”

    &pizza stirred up outrage by promoting a dessert called “Marion Berry knots,” which are pieces of dough covered with powdered sugar.

    Ads for the dessert make the powdered sugar look like cocaine sealed in tiny plastic bags, clearly making fun of Barry’s infamous drug arrest from the 1990s when he was caught smoking crack in an FBI sting operation.

    The ads include lines with references to cocaine use such as, “Enough powder for you and a few friends” and, “Our classic knots got a bump.”

    Supporters of Barry said focusing on his arrest was unfair, pointing to his legacy of creating the D.C. summer youth employment program back in 1979, which continues to this day and helps young people find jobs and training.

    The item has since been taken off the menu.

    “They make derogatory comments about Black leaders and then think there won’t be any repercussions,” said local activist Ron Moten, one of the organizers of the Friday protest.

    Moten said the protest would include people standing around the business and encouraging people not to go inside and spend money there.

    “He needs to be sensitized to what type of harm his remarks and his antics can do to a community,” Moten said, referring to Burns. “We do believe people can be forgiven if they’re sincere, but healing is a process.”

    Moten said he and others have agreed to sit down with Burns next week and discuss how they can move forward.

    When D.C. police were asked about the possibility of protests, the department said it “respects everyone’s right to protest and assembly.”

    “We routinely ensure the safety of First Amendment demonstrators, and handle thousands of protests each year. We will not tolerate any unlawful behavior and will hold anyone who commits a criminal act responsible,” a police spokesperson said in a statement.

    Moten himself said he would not tolerate anyone physically damaging the business in any way.

    “None of us promote or condone anything like that,” Moten said. “I wouldn’t even stand with anybody who would do that.”

    &pizza has locations in D.C., Maryland, Virginia, Philadelphia and New Jersey.

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    © 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Nick Iannelli

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