The corporate office of Mr. Pickle’s Sandwich Shops shut down the Davis store late Tuesday, after local franchise owner Mickey Mann sent an email to his employees, berating them for bringing Black Lives Matter into his workplace.
Michele Fagundes, president of Mr. Pickles Inc., responded to The Enterprise with an email Wednesday afternoon, before posting the same message on its social media: “Mr. Pickle’s is a franchise network of independently owned and operated shops. Corporate has been notified of the alarming and painful statements made by the owner of the Davis shop to his staff. We made the decision to terminate his franchise and (it) is now permanently closed for business. If that location ever reopens, it will be under new ownership that upholds our corporate standards.”
In Mann’s email — which he has publicly confirmed — the owner said he was upset when at least one employee wore a Black Lives Matter pin to work, saying they brought politics into his store against store policy, and against his will. “I do not support Black Lives Matter. I never have and I never will. You do not have arguments that can change my mind.” He later added, “BLM is the flip side of the KKK. Their tactics are out of the Mafia play book.”
Mann wrote that he and his wife Bonnie were harassed by employees. “I am not one to bend to bullying or run away. The members of this crew that are a party to the bullying and attempted oppression of Bonnie and I had better understand that right now. I have no fear of the repercussions that may come from standing up to you.”
Davis Police Department was “informed of the libel, slander and threats that have been made toward us. … I have no fear of any or all of you quitting. We started the store with zero employees, so if necessary, we will rebuild from zero again. If Mr. Pickle’s Davis suffers window breakage, vandalism, or theft I have names of the people that I will hold responsible.”
Davis police logs indicate the Mr. Pickle’s owner made two calls to police on the issue over the past week — the first at about 6:20 p.m. Friday, June 5, requesting extra patrols following a “protest encounter” earlier in the day.
A summary of the call indicates the “RP (reporting party) asked (an) employee to remove BLM badge, employee refused and left for the day. Protesters came back upset with RP,” and the owner expressed concern they would return to the business that night.
Police received a second report at about 10 p.m. Tuesday from the owner, asking officers to stand by as he installed a sign that the business was closed. The report said he received threats from BLM and he was concerned that his business would be vandalized.
Emails to Mickey and Bonnie Mann were not returned. Mr. Pickle’s opened in September 2012 at 2191 Cowell Blvd., Suite F, in South Davis.
– Enterprise reporter Lauren Keene contributed to this report. Reach Comings & Goings business columnist Wendy Weitzel at wendyedit@gmail.com, and follow her on Facebook at @ComingsGoings.