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&pizza gives employees involved in activism paid time off

&pizza takes an active stance on employee activism during a time of national protests around George Floyd's death in Minneapolis.

Photo: File

June 1, 2020

As a brand that has never shied away from even the most contentious and difficult public issues, Washington, D.C.-based &pizza has come forward with some early advocacy for those who are involved in community activism around the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, while being arrested by police there.

In fact, &pizza CEO Michael Lastoria has taken the lead at his company by offering employees their paid time off to "participate in activism this week and moving forward," company spokeswoman Katie Case said in an email to this website. 

Protests have taken place across the U.S. over the weekend after Floyd, a black man, died after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck during an arrest for nearly 9 minutes, even though video of the arrest clearly indicated that Floyd was telling the officer he could not breathe. The officer, Derek Chauvin, and three others officers involved in the action have been terminated from the police department. 

In a related protest in Louisville this weekend — protesting Floyd's death and another of a black woman's in Louisville in March during a police response —  NBC News said the Kentucky National Guard and police fired into a crowd while clearing a protest early this morning, resulting in the death of one man. Elsewhere in the nation the protests have ranged from peaceful, to chaotic and violent. 

&pizza — which often inserts itself and its leadership into key social issues — released this statement about the protests this past weekend, according to an email from &pizza spokeswoman, Katie Case. 

"For those in pain. For those in this fight. We stand with the Black Community against racial hate and injustice. In memory of George Floyd & in UNITY always. From this day forward, &pizza will be giving its employees paid time off for activism. For those unseen by this country to be seen. For those unheard by this government to be heard."

&pizza has distributed over 44,000 free pies to hospital workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, while providing raises and extra benefits to employees at all levels of the company, as well as free food and support to government workers affected by the 2019 government shutdown.