Two ads offensive, local Latinos say

Two unrelated advertisements that business owners said were meant to woo Syracuse-area Latinos instead have angered some in that community, who say the ads are offensive. One ad, for Zebb's Deluxe Grill & Bar, features a cartoon character wearing a sombrero and riding a donkey, announcing: "The last time something this good came from Mexico, it was illegal." It has been on a billboard alongside Interstate 81 on Syracuse's North Side, advertising the Zebb's in Mattydale, for about two weeks. The other is a television commercial, airing on multiple stations since July, that depicts a Latina dressed in a low-cut top and tight pants with Billy Fuccillo, Central New York's bigger-than-life auto dealer, nuzzling up to her as he recites his catchphrase, "huuuge." "It's offensive, and it's barbaric," Mayra Urritia, president and chief executive officer of the Syracuse Area Latinos United against Disparities, said of the Fuccillo ad. "I'm shocked that with the Latino contributions we've made to this country, that businesses would engage in this type of racial and ethnic discrimination. It's extremely disheartening that we still have to contend with this degree of ignorance." [more ]

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