Sam Amico
Domenic Broccoli is an IHOP kingpin in the Bronx, so he just assumed it’d be OK to build one of the popular pancake chain restaurants in Fishkill, located in upstate New York
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Apparently, he thought wrong.
Broccoli recently arrived at the building site to find protestors, activists and other generally upset individuals.
That’s because the site where Broccoli decided to build on is a Revolutionary War grave site. This was discovered when digging began and the remains of a body emerged. Not surprisingly, some of the protestors were sporting Revolutionary War gear.
Some have accused Broccoli of digging up more Revolutionary War grave sites under land used for his businesses than anyone in history. Supposedly this isn’t a first.
As for the situation in Fishkill, former town supervisor Bob LaColla told Curbed.com that there really didn’t seem to be any winning between Broccoli and those who opposed him. It was all degrees of losing.
“Like everywhere else in the country, once people get into these camps … either you’re with me or you’re against me,” LaColla told the outlet. “They’re all full of s***. It’s just a matter of who’s more full of s*** than the other.”
For now, it remains a standoff between Broccoli and the main opposing group, known as The Friends of the Fishkill Supply Depot. They were described by Curbed as being “a group of history buffs and retiree volunteers.”
Broccoli has reportedly spent more than a million dollars on archaeologists, lawyers, and private investigators to fight them.
But the Friends even have some politicians on their side, with Senator Chuck Schumer telling Broccoli he needs to stop building on that particular Fishkill site.
“The Town of Fishkill is sitting on a gold mine,” Schumer said, via Curbed. “The sacrifices of the first Americans must not be forgotten nor should their graves be desecrated by commercial development.”
As the fight rages on, it seems that more people are upset about the ground being used for an IHOP than they are for the ground being used. For instance, some have suggested if it were to be dug up and built on, perhaps something deemed more beneficial could be built.
