Given that I no longer live in Amarillo, Texas, I am at times prone to ask some of my snitches/sources/former colleagues about news events that occur there.
I did so the other day, inquiring with a media friend of mine about the status of the Big Beaners restaurant — opened by flashy and occasionally controversial Amarillo personal injury lawyer Jesse Quackenbush. My friend was pretty blunt: He chooses not to cover the story for his organization. Why? He believes it’s a non-story and that Quackenbush doesn’t deserve the publicity he is getting from all the hubbub surrounding the story.
You know … I kinda/sorta see my friend’s point.
Big Beaners is now closed. I had thought the city of Amarillo might have closed it on some sort of violation. My friend said a lack of business led to its closure.
Big Beaners had come under pretty intense fire because the term “beaners” is considered in many circles to be a slur against Latinos. It was a Mexican food joint, so I guess Quackenbush thought he would, um, push the envelope a bit by attaching that name to it. He stood by the name, which, by the way, I find offensive.
The strategy, if you want to call it that, didn’t work.
Is the story worth covering? I believe it is to some extent. I mean, I have devoted about four blog posts to it. This, though, likely is the last one. I don’t expect Quackenbush to reopen it. He is a smart enough fellow to know how to measure the consequence of a failed effort.
