Photo by Max Bender on Unsplash
Nini’s Deli located on the corner of Noble and Ohio permanently closed its doors after protests against the establishment ensued after owner Juan “Juanny” Riesco went on a pro-police and racist tirade on Instagram over the weekend using the handle “juannyworldwide.”
Nini’s was a popular restaurant in Noble Square and served the public Cuban-inspired foods for over nine years. Riesco also runs an online clothing store called “Chicago Native.”
In addition to ripping the notion of defunding the police, Riesco also likened African American people and Aborigines to monkeys and said that anyone “believing in evolution” is racist with the intent of disparaging the Black Lives Matter movement.
The comments made by Riesco came after a customer on Instagram asked Riesco “do y’all believe Black Lives Matter?” The response, now hidden from public view, came from a user on the deli’s account who said that they stand against “ALL INJUSTICE everywhere,” which sounded similar to the phrase used to undermine the Black Lives Matter movement, “all lives matter.”
One user replied “Y’all dead to the black community,” while Riesco posted on Instagram Live.