Tuesday, January 21, 2025
spot_imgspot_img
Tuesday, January 21, 2025

Milwaukee Press Club 'Excellence in Wisconsin Journalism' 2020 & 2021 Award Winners

Is Penzeys Spices Racist? Why Are There No Stores in Milwaukee’s Inner City?

spot_img

Is Bill Penzey a racist? Will the BLM stickers he’s giving away allow him to sleep better at night in his million-dollar suburban home?

We’re disgusted with white pandering liberals who trash Republicans for being “racist” and present themselves as the only people who care about the black community… but then don’t walk the walk. That brings us to Bill Penzey, the blowhard, anti-Republican perpetually ranting CEO of Penzeys Spices.

In the latest absurdity, Penzeys Spices announced that it is holding a special “Republicans Are Racists Weekend!” deal.

Yes, really. It’s right on the Penzeys Spices website. Bill Penzey has been ranting against Republicans and Donald Trump for some time. He’s known for it (after the Kenosha riots, he suggested “looting” his own store).

But guess what? We decided to take a look at where Bill Penzey has his Wisconsin stores, and not a single one is located in Milwaukee’s inner city, which has the state’s largest black population.

Bill penzey
Penzeys spices wisconsin locations

If Bill Penzey cares about black lives, why does he write off the black community as consumers, especially when the black community is disproportionately challenged with transportation out to the suburban locations?

Instead, multiple of his stores target largely white, affluent suburbs (like Delafield) or even a rural Wisconsin outlet mall (Johnson Creek).

But hey, he’s giving away 10 BLM stickers with each purchase.

Bill penzey

What a complete hypocrite.

Penzeys Spices locator map shows a single Penzeys Spices store in the City of Milwaukee. But it’s located downtown in the city’s business district at 638 N. Water St. The other Penzeys Spices Wisconsin stories are in Appleton, Brookfield, Cedarburg, Greenfield, Janesville, Johnson Creek, Kenosha, Madison (2 locations), Delafield, and Wauwatosa.

Furthermore, public records show Bill Penzey owns a million-dollar Wauwatosa home. The headquarters of Penzey Spices is also located, not in the heart of Milwaukee’s black community, but in Wauwatosa.


Bill Penzey on Waukesha County Residents

Penzey once trashed Waukesha County residents as people who “fled west” because they weren’t open to diversity. Why, then, does he sell spices to people he thinks are racists? Why doesn’t he live at 27th and Burleigh? Why doesn’t he invest in Milwaukee’s inner city by opening stores there, employing people who need jobs?

Hypocrisy.

Penzeys Spices used to have a store in the inner city at 4144 N. 56th St., Milwaukee, in the midtown area. A story in the Milwaukee Courier said it opened in 2010.

But guess what? It’s closed. That location is not listed on the Penzeys Spices website store locator, and its phone number is disconnected. We called the downtown Milwaukee store on Water Street and asked if the N. 56th St. store was still open. They said no. We asked if Penzeys has any other stores in Milwaukee besides the downtown Water Street location, and they said there were stores in Greenfield and Cedarburg. Which are suburbs.

Is it fair to say that Bill Penzey fled west and south?

Bill penzey

Penzey also recently closed a Milwaukee store at 619 E. Silver Spring Drive in Whitefish Bay to move downtown. He said the Cedarburg store became more popular.

“Remember when Black Lives Matter started to have some success getting all of America to see how unfairly Black Americans are treated in this country and the importance of us all saying Black Lives Matter until Black lives start to be treated as though they do matter?” Penzey’s tirade began.

But why isn’t Bill Penzey acting like black consumers matter?

According to the site Reference for Business, it’s long been like this: “In 1987, Penzey moved his mail-order business to an 8,000 square-foot building in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, and, in 1990, moved it again to a new 25,000 square-foot facility in Waukesha, Wisconsin,” the site reports.

The Penzeys Spices web page says Penzeys has declared it “Republicans Are Racists Weekend!”

“Cheese Off Racists for Free!” It reads.

There are then three spice bottles, “China Cinnamon,” and “Mexican Oregano,” and “Penzeys Curry.”

The order contains free 10 BLM stickers because they have “earned our respect!”

On Jan. 6, 2022, Penzey sent out a marketing email that “unleashed on Republican voters at large, calling them the ‘#1 threat’ to the United States,” Fox Business reported. He also funded Facebook ads calling for the impeachment of President Donald Trump.

trump inauguration highlights

The 17 Top Moments From Trump’s Inauguration Day

What a day; what a night! President Trump's second inauguration was moving, exciting, touching, optimistic, and...

The Inauguration: A New Era Has Begun [Up Against the Wall]

Ahh, the peaceful transfer of power. The pomp and circumstance. The ceremony. The music. An...
Trump

President Trump’s Full Inaugural Address: TRANSCRIPT & VIDEO

U.S. Capitol Washington, D.C. 12:10 P.M. EST THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Thank you very much, everybody. (Applause.) Wow....
glenn grothman office fire

Menasha, Wisconsin, Man Torched Rep. Glenn Grothman’s Office Over TikTok Ban: Police

A 19-year-old Menasha man is accused of setting U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman's office on fire...

Inauguration 2.0 [Up Against the Wall]

This is a column by Terrence Wall. I’m not going to talk about all the bad...

Milwaukee Fire & Police Commission’s ‘Disgusting’ Promotion Denial Roils MPD

Upset officers say they consider the decision unfair and believe it will reduce proactive policing...
Wisconsin Bans TikTok Ban TikTok

TikTok Restores U.S. service after Trump Intervention

TikTok restored service to American users Sunday after temporarily shutting down in response to a Congressionally passed law upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court over its Chinese ownership.

The company said it was restoring service after President-elect Donald Trump pledged to sign an executive order to give TikTok more time to work out its ownership concerns.

"We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive," TikTok said in a statement. "It's a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship. We will work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States."

The Supreme Court on Friday ruled that the ban signed by President Joe Biden was constitutional.

"There is no doubt that, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of community," the Supreme Court said in its decision. "But Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok's data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary. For the foregoing reasons, we conclude that the challenged provisions do not violate petitioners' First Amendment rights."

The ban enacted by Biden mandated that TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, sell by Jan. 19 or be shut down.

Federal lawmakers had argued the ban was necessary to safeguard sensitive data while the Chinese-owned company's legal team argued that it violates First Amendment rights, stating officials failed to provide sufficient evidence related to those concerns.

Trump had previously petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to delay the enforcement after expressing sympathy over TikTok's position. He asked that his incoming administration address the national security concerns through "political negotiations" rather than an outright ban.

"I’m asking companies not to let TikTok stay dark! I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security," Trump wrote on Sunday. "The order will also confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before my order."

Trump also said he'd like the U.S. "to have a 50% ownership position in a joint venture. By doing this, we save TikTok, keep it in good hands and allow it to say up."

• The Center Square reporter Shirleen Guerra contributed to this report.

trump inauguration party

Trump Inauguration Parties in Waukesha, Washington, Ozaukee & More

Here's a roundup of Trump inauguration parties in Wisconsin. Looking to hang out with like-minded people...
Trump Will Win Wisconsin

DAY ONE: Here’s What Trump Could Do on His First Day in Office

President-elect Donald Trump, who is set to take office Monday, has made a series of promises of major executive actions on “day one” in office.

One of the simplest and more controversial of those “day one” plans is to pardon some of the Jan. 6 protesters currently behind bars or facing prosecution. The president has broad power to pardon, shown most recently when President Joe Biden pardoned his own son for crimes he committed or may have committed over more than a decade span.

But Trump’s “day one” executive orders are far from limited to pardons.

On energy policy, Trump has pledged to open up domestic oil drilling in a major way in an effort to lower costs for Americans and boost the energy industry. He has also promised to end a Biden-era rule that would require more than half of Americans to transition to electric vehicles over the next decade.

Trump has also consistently tapped into America’s frustration over the border crisis and broken immigration system.

Since President Joe Biden took office, more than 12 million illegal immigrants have entered the U.S., overwhelming some cities and raising national security concerns, since some migrants are on the federal terror watch list.

Trump has also promised to end transgender participation in women’s sports, something lawmakers in the House have already passed a bill to quench.

Trump has threatened “day one” tariffs as well, though it is unclear how wide-ranging those tariffs could be, since Trump likes to wield them as a negotiating tool against other nations.

On foreign policy, a ceasefire in the war between Hamas and Israel apparently has been reached, just days before Trump took office. In the Ukraine-Russia war, Trump promised on the campaign trail to put an end to that war "in 24 hours.”

In a series of campaign speeches and media interviews, Trump has promised some “day one” actions to address the border and immigration crises.

These actions include:

• Trump has plans to reinstate Title 42, a COVID-era policy that helps shut down the southern border.

• Trump has said he would also reinstate “Remain in Mexico,” a policy that Trump used during his first term that requires asylum seekers to wait in Mexico for their claim to be processed. Biden ended that policy and let migrants in and asked questions later.

• According to Politico, Trump is considering designating cartels south of the border as terrorist organizations, a policy once pushed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis when he was running for president that could open up a flood of new resources and executive powers at the border. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott designated the violent Venezuelan prison gang, Tren de Aragua, a foreign terrorist organization last year.

• Trump has threatened to end birthright citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants born in the U.S., but it remains unclear if he has the Constitutional authority to do so since birthright citizenship is enshrined in the 14th Amendment.

• Trump has made overtly clear that he plans to kickstart a massive, never-before-seen deportation program for the millions of illegal immigrants in the U.S. Trump’s appointee as border czar, Tom Homan, has been clear saying publicly that Trump named this as a top priority when choosing him for the job.

“On day one, we will SHUT DOWN THE BORDER and start deporting millions of Biden's Illegal Criminals,” Trump said over the summer during the campaign. “We will once again put AMERICANS First and MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN!”

bob uecker dies

Milwaukee Brewers Icon Bob Uecker Dies at 90; Tributes Flow In

Bob Uecker was the "light of the Brewers, the soundtrack of our summers" - Milwaukee...
jim piwowarczyk

Gov. Evers Should Support Cops, Not Create Wasteful ‘Violence Prevention’ Office: Piwowarczyk

This is an opinion column by state Rep. Jim Piwowarczyk (R-Hubertus). Gov. Tony Evers’ announcement of...
gov evers

In Stunning Rebuke, Gov. Evers Says He Will ‘Absolutely Not’ Endorse Jill Underly in Primary

Gov. Evers isn't going to help Jill Underly as she faces the political fight of...
trump vs biden

Trump vs. Biden and the Chattering Class [Up Against the Wall]

This is an opinion column by Terrence Wall. So Trudeau quit, right after meeting with Trump....
Reduces $464M Bond Leaked Trump's Taxes Michaela Murphy Shenna Bellows Kicking Trump Off 2024 Ballot Fake Electors Lawsuit Classified Documents Trial Donald Trump Poll Documents Trial Trump’s Poll Numbers Spike After Indictment

Feelin’ Good, But Worried [Up Against the Wall]

This is an opinion column by Terrence Wall. Quite a few people have volunteered (out of...
Lanydria Beard

Critical Missing FOUND: Lanydria Beard, 13, Milwaukee

Update: Lanydria Beard has been located and is safe, according to MPD. Previous story: The Milwaukee Police...
jeff wright

Embattled Jill Underly Accused of ‘Cheap Political Stunt’ as Democrat Feud Boils Over

A Jill Underly supporter failed to kick Underly's leftist opponent Jeff Wright off the February...
theresa beck

Jefferson Co. GOP Slams Evers’ Appointee Theresa Beck for Failed Effort to Remove Opponent

The Jefferson County GOP is slamming Tony Evers-appointee Theresa Beck for her failed effort to...
cortney iverson

Despite Efforts to Stop Me: I’m Running for Jefferson County Judge

By Cortney Iverson I am running for Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge, Branch 2 because I...
Karl Rieves

Milwaukee Drug Dealer Suspected of 5 Fatal Overdose Deaths Wasn’t Revoked: Sheriff

Karl Rieves was accused in Ozaukee County of new felony counts late last year, but...
tony wied

Into the Wieds: Tony Wied Goes to Washington [Up Against the Wall]

This is a column by Terrence Wall. Remember the movie Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, me...