Update: September 23, 2020
According to USA Today, Costco reportedly removed Palmetto Cheese brand products from its store. According to Brian Henry, the founder of Palmetto Cheese in an interview with The Post and Courier, "They will occasionally add and drop products as a matter of normal business," Henry told the paper. "We remain optimistic that Palmetto Cheese will be back on the shelves in the not too distant future."
The original article from September 1, 2020, continues below:
Anything you say on the internet will live forever, so you should always think twice before you post anything online. According to the Georgetown Times and P0st & Courier, a local paper in Georgetown, South Carolina, Brian Henry, mayor of the town of Pawleys Island and owner of Palmetto Cheese, is currently facing backlash due to a Facebook post he wrote after a double murder in Georgetown County. The Owner of Palmetto Cheese wrote the following about BLM on his Facebook page and the original post has since been deleted.
Palmetto Cheese Owner Speaks Out Against BLM
"I am sickened by the senseless killings in Georgetown last night.
2 innocent people murdered. Not 2 thugs or people wanted on multiple warrants. 2 white people defenselessly gunned down by a black man. Tell me, where is the outrage? When and where will we begin rioting and burning down businesses in Georgetown. Answer is simple, it won't happen. Because we live in a civil society, and it won't change what happened. The victims' families and friends will mourn and undoubtedly feel anger and confusion. Can't imagine their pain. So why do we stand by and allow BLM to lawlessly destroy great American cities and threaten their citizens on a daily basis? Should they have a carte blanche license to pillage and destroy? Why? This has gone on too long. Rise up America. This BLM and Antifa movement must be treated like the terror organizations that they are. Law and order, protection of liberty, and the right of peaceful enjoyment. If we don't have that, we no longer have a country. My wife cried last night when she read about these murders. I'm sure their family is devastated. This did not have to happen. Does the senseless murder of these people not matter as much because it doesn't fit the media narrative. You are damn right their lives matter. And we should all be outraged and engaged to demand action and stem the tide of lawless fringe. We can't stay silent anymore. All lives matter. There I said it. So am I racist now? I think not. How about the POS who just gunned down 3 defenseless white people? You be the judge.
We need Law and Order. Now!
The Pawleys Island Mayor was referring to a vehicle crash that escalated into a shooting in Georgetown country that happened on Monday evening, leaving Charles Nicholas Wall and his stepdaughter Laura Ashley Anderson dead.
After backlash from citizens and Georgetown's NAACP Chapter President Marvin Neal, Mayor Brian Henry issued a public statement about his previous post about Black Lives Matter.
"Yesterday, I heard about the senseless killing of 2 Georgetown residents. My wife and I know the family of the victims. I was deeply saddened and angered by the gruesome nature of the killing and felt grieved for the family and this community. I typically refrain from social media because of my position as an elected official. But, in this case, I felt compelled to pour out my heart to this family and release some of the emotion I felt, so I drafted a post on Facebook.
"I regret that my post was misinterpreted, and some perceived it as rationally insensitive. My wife and I care deeply about the black community in Pawleys Island and Georgetown County. Our employees and the many organizations that we support have been at the center of our lives since we moved here 20 years ago. I have removed the post because I believe it may have been offensive and insensitive to the very people we care so much about.
"Just like everyone in America, I am deeply frustrated with the racial division and unrest in this country. This incident stoked raw emotion from this community, including me. We need more conversation and understanding, and it is my plan to pursue that.
"I would also like to emphasize that my opinions and comments were posted on my personal Facebook account and in no way reflects the views of the Town of Pawleys Island."
The Pimento Cheese brand which Brian Henry owns has a post on their homepage sharing that the company views racial injustice as one of the brand's responsibilities. The shredded cheese and mayonnaise spread was created by Sassy Henry in the 1990s and was passed along to Vertrella Brown, who served the spread to guests at the Sea View Inn. Between 2003 and 2006, guests continued to enjoy this recipe during weekly low country boils on Wednesday nights.
Vertrella Brown, who is the woman on the Palmetto Cheese containers, passed away April 2020.
