Threats Made Against Reporter who Interviewed Pizza Shop Owner
When WBND Reporter Alyssa Marino went into Indiana pizza shop, she did not expect to be doing an interview that would go viral.
Marino was getting reaction to the highly controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which allows Indiana businesses to claim religious exemptions from discrimination suits. She stopped by Memories Pizza for a sound bite.
“If a gay couple came in and wanted us to provide pizzas for their wedding, we would have to say no,” Crystal O’Connor, owner of Memories Pizza to Marino.
That quote went viral and both the pizza place and Marino have become targets on social media.
@alyssa_marino nice reporting on the nice pizza people…youll get yours girlfriend…what goes around comes around
— brent martini (@ChromeFox1000)
@alyssa_marino @webmarc Just walked in my ass, can it lady, if something happens to these people. blood is on your hands.
— An American Veteran (@AmericanVet3)
“I just walked into their shop and asked how they feel,” Marino said, adding that the shop had never been asked to cater a same-sex wedding. “I don’t think anyone was really aware the attention this would get at the time of the interview. They just spoke their mind.”
The pizza shop has closed their doors temporarily and Marino is getting threats for simply asking a question.
It's a story that has brought out the nut jobs on both sides of the issue and brought Marino a lot more attention than she was expecting when she walked into Memories Pizza.
This will be a memory for a longtime for Marino, that you can bet on.