The Minneapolis NAACP is calling for action after a lynching photo was found in a Joe's Crab Shack table with a tasteless caption, WCCO reports.
According to the organization's leaders, two black diners, Tyrone Williams and Chauntyll Allen, sat down for a meal at the Roseville, Minn., diner when they noticed the disturbing image inside a decorative table. The picture, depicting two black men hanged while surrounded by a white lynch mob, was captioned, "All I said was, 'I don't like the gumbo!"
The diners also discovered, after a quick Web search, that the picture was authentic and depicted a real hanging that took place in Texas in 1896.
"Me and Chauntyll, we just felt sick and confused," Williams said. "It was just sickening."
The pair notified the manager, who was apologetic and who acknowledged that this might not be an isolated incident.
"When we talked to the manager, he said that he was pretty sure that these tables were designed by a particular person," Allen said, "and if that particular person had the mindset to pick that particular picture, I'm sure they picked quite a few more that are similar."
The NAACP is demanding a public apology and an immediate removal of any similar images from tables at Joe's Crab Shack restaurants across the country, as well as a donation to a local community-based organization that serves black youths.
Roseville officials also released a statement condemning the display.
"The City of Roseville was shocked and saddened to learn of the racist imagery being openly displayed," the city said in the statement. "The City condemns this type of display in the strongest possible terms and calls on Joe's Crab Shack to remove any and all racist imagery not only from its Roseville location, but all of its restaurants nationwide."
Read more at WCCO.