Jerry Martinez phone has been ringing off the hook since The Durango Heralds article Monday announced that the controversial head of a national gun-rights group will attend a dinner at Martinez restaurant, CJs Diner, on Wednesday.
On Monday night, Martinez said he had received 30 or 40 phone calls, most from people vowing not to support his business anymore.
Larry Pratt, head of Gun Owners of America, will attend a $50 per ticket dinner at the diner before heading to the Durango Community Recreation Center where he will give a free speech open to the public.
The dinner is a fundraiser in support of the recall against state Rep. Mike McLachlan, D-Durango.
The arrangement to host and cater the dinner was nothing more than a business agreement, Martinez said.
I had no idea who Larry Pratt is, he said.
Pratts controversial statements about mass shootings, his political work and his past appearances with white supremacist and militia leaders have kept him in the media spotlight for 20 years.
Martinez said he opens his restaurant 10 to 15 times per month to cater meetings or other events and often doesnt know anything about the group who is meeting at his restaurant.
He said he never intended for Wednesdays event to send a message about his political leanings.
I dont do stuff in the community based on whether someone is a Democrat or Republican, he said.
Though he is a Republican, and admitted he probably does support the effort to recall McLachlan, Martinez said he has a good relationship with McLachlan and serves on the board of the One Hundred Club of Durango with the state representative.
Dave Saleh, an organizer of the recall effort, said he reached out to several restaurants to cater a dinner for Pratt. At $10 per person, CJs offered the best price and was available for the event, Saleh said. The restaurant can accommodate 60 to 70 people, Martinez said.
Pratt is not scheduled to speak at the dinner. Instead, the fundraiser is meant to give people time to get to know him one on one, Saleh said.
Saleh criticized the partisan firestorm the event seems to have caused.
This is absolute unfounded intimidation reprehensible in my view for a local businessman (who) is active in the community, Saleh said. He didnt show us any partiality. Hes not involved in the controversy.
The proceeds from the dinner, which begins at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, will go to the San Juan Freedom Defense Fund, the campaign that is working to recall McLachlan.
Pratt will speak at the rec center at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.
ecowan@durangoherald.com
