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On June 23, New York City issued a proposal to cut down on wood- and coal-fired pizza ovens. According to the proposal, restaurants that had coal- and wood-burning stoves installed before 2016 had to have their equipment professionally reviewed to ensure safe filtration of pollutants. This proposal did not sit well with a lot of New Yorkers.
On Monday, June 26, artist and right-wing activist Scott LoBaido threw slices of pizza over the gates of city hall while yelling, "Give us pizza or give us death." The video of the incident, posted by Scott himself on Twitter, went on to amass over 1.5 million views. The proposal was intended to reduce air pollution from coal and wood emissions.
The new rules drafted by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection stated that pizzerias with coal- or wood-burning stoves installed prior to 2016 had to cut their carbon emissions by 75%. The process will not weigh lightly on the pockets of restaurant owners, who will be required to install filters or scrubbers and hire engineers for regular inspections.
Although the proposal will only affect under 100 New York businesses, its effect will mostly be felt by old-style establishments. The proposal also allows restaurant owners to just reduce emissions by 25% if they feel that 75% is not feasible or provide a valid explanation for why it cannot be done.
"Give us pizza or give us death!": Scott LoBaido
Artist, activist, and self-proclaimed "#1 Freedom Fighter" Scott Lobaido went viral for showing up at New York City Hall and letting the lawmakers know what he thought about the new proposal. LoBaido, who arrived with four boxes of pizza, read out a speech written on a piece of paper. In the speech, LoBaido blamed the proposal on the "woke" by stating:
"The woke a*s idiots who run this city are doing everything in their power to destroy it."
He then went on to criticize illegal immigrants and the government's negligence toward the American working class.
"We are being invaded by illegal immigrants who are being treated way better than our homeless veterans. Our teachers and first responder heroes who were fired, [are] still not compensated because they didn't take the Fauci injection."
He stated that the city schools produced the "dumbest kids" and called out the "woke a*s punks who run New York City" for being afraid of the food item. His rant continued on to the downfall of New Yorkers, whom he claims were once viewed as "tough, thick-skinned, and gritty."
After comparing the Boston Tea Party with the "New York Pizza Party," he yelled:
"Give us pizza or give us death!"
With the slogan, LoBaido marched to the entrance of City Hall, from where he flung slices of pizza over the gates. He criticized the city for "destroying every small business" and stated that New York was nothing without its pizza. He was eventually apprehended by the police, who wrote him a summons.
Scott Lobaido is known for being a controversial figure in the world of art and politics. The Staten Island resident is famous for his political-themed art, most notably his depictions of the US Flag. A vocal Trump supporter, LoBaido painted "POTUS 45," a depiction of a muscular Donald Trump. He even has an entire collection dedicated to Trump on his official website.
In 2006, he rose to fame after painting a flag on the rooftop of one building in all 50 states; this achievement made him a recipient of the ABC Person of the Week award in September. In 2015, LoBaido built memorials for Staten Islanders who died from Hurricane Katrina, and in 2018, he sculpted a public arts project called "Breaking Through Barriers" to promote autism awareness.
The New York Mayor responds to the backlash against the new regulation
On June 26, New York Mayor Eric Adams said the public still has time to weigh in on the new regulations that, if approved, would go into effect later this summer.
"Let the public weigh in. Let the public give their thoughts and then we make the final determination."
He added that the city doesn't want to hurt businesses and the environment.
"We don't want to hurt businesses in the city and we don't want to hurt the environment."
He further proclaimed his love for the dish.
"I love my vegan pizza with vegan cheese."
He added that "pizzas have saved more marriages than any other foods."
"I think pizzas have saved more marriages than any other foods. You know, sharing a pie with your boo is like, that's the ultimate."
The mayor explained that every toxic entity removed from New York's air added to the desire to deal with shrinking the Carbon footprint. He also addressed Scott LoBaido's protest.
"I'm going to throw the person who threw pizza over my gate to tell him he needs to bring a vegan pie so we can sit down and I want to hear his side of this."
DEP officials told the New York Post that the regulation was supposed to be enacted in 2020 but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the New York City DEP, the city will hold a virtual public hearing regarding the proposal on July 27.
