The owner of a small deli in the East Bay town of Clayton is facing a backlash from locals and social-media users after putting up a controversial promotion on Facebook.

In a post on his personal Facebook page, John Canesa, owner of Canesa’s Brooklyn Heros deli in Clayton, wrote: “Meatballs made with beef today in case we offend any of our overly sensitive pork haters!! Free side when you say send her back! #canesasbrooklynheros.”

The message immediately touched a nerve in the small community on the northern flank of Mt. Diablo, coming just days after President Donald Trump tweeted that four congresswomen of color “go back” to where they came from. That controversy was further enflamed last Wednesday, when a crowd of Trump supporters chanted “send her back” during a campaign rally in North Carolina — a slogan that Canesa was apparently referencing in his Facebook post.

“It’s a slap in the face to many people in this community,” said Chris Donton, who stopped outside the deli on Monday, of Canesa’s Facebook comments. Donton lives in the Santa Cruz mountains but spent years living in the Concord area and noted that both Concord and Clayton have become more ethnically diverse in recent years. Still, there’s an “undercurrent” of racism running through the area, he said.

Donton expressed sadness that Canesa, a business owner, would make comments that could make so many people feel unwelcome, but also placed blame on Trump.

“We have a leader who has made it okay to say things like this,” Donton said, noting that he left a negative review for the deli on Yelp based on Canesa’s Facebook comments. People should know what kind of views they are supporting when they decide whether or not to purchase from the deli, he added.

Donton was not alone in sharing his thoughts on Yelp, which put a notice on the Canesa’s Brooklyn Heros page Monday saying that it was temporarily disabling review posting to the page because of the media coverage.

“I am saddened to hear about Johnny’s racist views. I have always loved coming here but if he will no longer offer an inclusive restaurant, then I can no longer spend my money there in good conscience,” a user said in a review, prior to Yelp’s move, updating a previously favorable post and dropping their stars rating from five to one.

Canesa’s Facebook page is no longer visible to the public. The deli is closed on Monday mornings, and calls to the business went unanswered. Sara Zendenham, the KTVU reporter who first broke the story, said on Twitter that Canesa had informed her he’d received more than one threat since putting up his promotion on Facebook.

As reaction rolled in, both in support of and against Canesa, many immediately moved the conversation onto social-media platforms and local TV stations.

Some blasted Canesa’s post, including the foreign-born mayor of Clayton, Tuija Catalano, who said she was “very saddened” by the entire affair.

“We all have rights to our own political, religious, and other opinions,” the mayor wrote in her own Facebook post, including a screenshot of Canesa’s message. “We all have a right to post about them too. However, there is no place in our community for hatred and bigotry. When hateful comments are being promoted as part of a local business, they reflect on our community’s reputation. As an elected official, who is also a woman and foreign-born, I personally find a comment about sending anyone back over their political opinions unacceptable.”

Facebook

Catalano did not immediately respond to an email seeking further comment.

Glenn Miller, a Clayton resident walking near the deli on Monday, said he did not want to see Canesa attacked, and praised some of the charity work that he said Canesa has been involved with in the community.

Miller said also that Canesa’s deli has a “good product.” He called the business owner’s comments “unfortunate,” but also said they were “absolutely not racist.”

Shawn Robinson, a pastor at the Clayton Community Church, which is across the street from the deli, did not want to pick a side on the issue, noting that he did not want Canesa’s family to suffer from the negative attention over the Facebook post. Robinson said he was planning to go to the deli on Tuesday to eat, and that he hoped that he and other members of the church could help the community work out any tension.

Other social-media reaction was varied, with one Facebook user saying “They called out racism in Clayton. LOVE THEM” while another wrote: “I think what’s really important here is #sendherback. Just because y’all can’t take a joke doesn’t mean you have to try and punish someone else over it.”

The East Bay Human Rights Advocates group also took to Facebook to share their outrage over Canesa’s comments, writing “We at EBHRA strongly condemn the comments made by Mr. Canesa, and further ask that he apologize to our community for his hateful message and further division in an already divided nation.”

The group said it would hold a protest on Saturday at the Grove Park in downtown Clayton in an effort to promote tolerance and inclusivity but later noted that it would postpone its rally after it was met with threats of a counter-protest. The group said it was waiting to reschedule the rally “once we receive assurance from the City and police that our activists will be kept safe.”

Clayton Police Chief Elise Warren said her department was not able to verify any planned counter-protest or threat to the East Bay Human Rights Advocates’ rally but that police would be monitoring the situation.