A new dessert at a pizza chain in Washington, D.C. is sparking a big controversy ... and some folks say the treat named after late D.C. Mayor Marion Barry is straight-up racist.
Here's the deal ... a popular restaurant called &pizza recently rolled out a new dessert called "Marion Berry Knots" ... but the big issue seems to be the advertising campaign, which is leaning hard into Marion's infamous crack cocaine arrest.
The food item is a doughy knot stuffed with berries, drizzled with vanilla icing and topped with powdered sugar ... and &pizza says, "Bump up the party with our all-new Marion Berry Knots! It's criminal how good these are."
Other drug references and innuendos include one ad image showing a pile of a white powdery substance next to the knots, with big bold letters declaring "THESE KNOTS WILL BLOW YOU AWAY!"
A news release about the menu addition says the Marion Berry Knots "have enough powdered sugar that will have customers bumping elbows to order and even force the DEA to look twice."
On its face, the ad campaign seems designed to reference the low point of Marion's political career ... when the FBI arrested him on drug charges in January 1990 after federal agents videotaped him smoking crack cocaine in a sting operation.
Marion's trial prevented him from running for re-election as D.C. mayor, and he served 6 months behind bars. Ultimately, he was once again elected D.C. mayor ... and lots of folks in the city say he should be remembered for more than his drug arrest.
Cora Masters Barry, Marion's widow, offered the strongest rebuke ... telling DC News Now, "It's racist and disrespectful."
We reached out to the restaurant ... so far, no word back.