When it comes to fresh fish with a beautiful view, City Island, a waterfront community in the northeast section of the Bronx, delivers. A popular New York City destination for people looking for good seafood, there is no shortage of good restaurants. But restaurants owned by people of color are few and far between.
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Darryl Lelie, opened Seafood Kingz 2 in February, bringing his seafood and soul food sides to the Bronx neighborhood. But as one of the few Black-owned restaurants in the area, not everyone has given him a warm welcome. Last week, he received a racist cartoon in his mailbox from an unknown sender. The hand-drawn cartoon depicted a Black man and a Jewish man, calling them “bad news.” It was mailed in an envelope, processed in New Jersey without a stamp or a return address.
According to Spectrum News, at least three other restaurants on City Island have received the same form of racist hate mail, including Archie’s Tap and Table, a Jewish-owned restaurant, and Caliente Seafood, which is Black-owned. The investigation is still ongoing, and at this time, no arrests have been made.
City Council member Marjorie Velázquez, who represents the area, is encouraging people to show their support of minority-owned restaurants on City Island. “If you feel disturbed, if you feel bothered by that image, go out, support all of these businesses that have received this letter,” she said.
Despite the issues he’s experienced, Lelie says he plans to keep his doors open. “We just want to do good business. We don’t want no problems,” he said. “We’re here to stay. We’re not going anywhere. We’re here.”
The restaurant is hosting a rally on November 12. Faith leaders and other key members of the community plan to come out to show their support for Lelie and other restaurant owners who have been affected.
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