Why does that ex-con have a wiener in his mitt?

Normally any story that includes wieners and convicts usually ends badly and involves dropping soap. Well here is a story with a happy ending, heh. A businessman in Chicago has opened a hot dog joint, he only hires people who have been in the joint. The name, Felony Franks, Home of the Misdemeanor Wiener. Owner Jim Andrews plans to employ only ex-offenders, a workforce that he's found success with at his West Loop-based paper firm. Andrews maintains that he's hired 12 ex-cons for the restaurant, five of whom live in the store's West Side 2nd Ward. Andrews had 588 applicants for the 12 positions and he is looking into franchising. Speaking as a currently unemployed ex-con I think Andrews should be commended for hiring people that most employers pass over. Is it exploitative? Sure, in the same way that Hooters exploits skinny chicks with fake fun bags. Nobody is forcing those women to put on cootchie cutter shorts and serve overpriced hot wings to creepy middle aged biz guys, and Andrews isn't holding a gun to folks heads to come work at his joint. So end of story, right? Not so fast Skippy........

There is always going to be someone, somewhere, at any given place and time who will find offense where none is intended. Monica Brown, who lives near the restaurant, has been vocal in her opposition to the theme, condemning it as "hurtful."
"In our public school system we've lost around 40 kids this year," she said. "It's not the kind of positive imagery that we want to promote to the kids in this community."
She added, "It's not respectful to plaster an image of a ball and chains in any African-American community." Monica, it's a fuckin Frankfurter. Last I checked Oscar Meyer wasn't a former slave holder.

Second Ward Ald. Robert Fioretti insists that the name is inappropriate.
"Ruben Ivy was killed across the street from there," he said, referring to the Crane High School senior shot to death in March 2008 in front of the school, which stands about a block east of the new hot dog stand.

Harold Davis, a neighbor who works with nonprofit Amer-I-can program to rehabilitate ex-offenders, contends that he and many of his acquaintances are so angry about the restaurant that they can hardly discuss it without "going ballistic."
"Our prediction is: he's not going to be there for long, because we're going to have informational protests out there to raise people's consciousness about the name and its meaning," Davis said.
"Why not call it 'Second-Chance Burgers,' something positive like that?" he added.

Granted I'm not the most politically correct guy in town, I've been known to say shit that can be seen as insensitive, and maybe this will prove to be true once again, but here it comes.

"Are you fuckin kiddin me"? A hot dog in striped prison clothes with a ball and chain is racially insensitive? A wiener joint across the street from a homicide scene is disrespectful? Giving guys a job when nobody else wants to hire them is counterproductive?

Harold Davis is going ballistic over the name of the joint? Perhaps Mr. Davis would care to explain why his non profit Amer-I-can has 588 ex-cons running around without jobs. Amer-I-can is a group founded by Football legend Jim Brown. They do some good work, but they can't do it all, and they damn sure cant find jobs for these guys otherwise there wouldn't be 588 applicants for 12 positions. So their solution is to run this guy out of business and put 12 virtually unemployable ex offenders out of work. Give me a break already.

Look, I'll admit that there are times when I get it wrong, when I see shit through my middle age white guy eyes, and I miss the mark, but this ain't one of those times. I'm looking at this controversy through the eyes of an unemployed, fairly smart, ex-convict and former criminal. If this man is willing to give men and women a break, when nobody else is, he should be applauded. If he markets that place by playing off of the ex con status, so what. Here's my prediction. These easily offended morons will run this guy out of business at this location. Andrews will move to a less sensitive locale, taking those jobs with him and leaving behind a dozen more unemployed ex offenders. Mission accomplished, noses will be cut off to spite faces, and out of work ex criminals will become a part of the crime stats in that area.

Is it just me or do the people who so readily cry foul and claim exploitation do it because they give a shit, or because they are exploiting the situation to gain attention for their own "humanitarian" efforts? Way to shit in your own nest, idiots.

As a footnote: Anyone looking for a semi talented, poorly edited, foul mouthed ex-con, aspiring gonzo writer? I didn't think so. I rest my case.

update: I also forgot to add that the owner started hiring ex cons for another business he owns. I believe 1/3 of the profits from felony franks goes to an outreach group the guy runs. here is his website http://felonyfranks.com/