Mystic Bakery Owners Cite Discrimination, Racism in Town; ZBA Issues Rejection of Appeal

In September of this year, the owners of Lighthouse Bakery levied charges against the town for discrimination, citing their Iranian background.

FoxCT reported that owners Mercedeh Pourmoghadam and Massoud Kalkhoran allege that the town police refused to arrest a tenant who had threatened them and have been parking cruisers near their business to intimidate them.

On Tuesday, Oct. 13, the Stonington Zoning Board of Appeals met and rejected the owners’ appeal regarding signage. The owners alleged that the town ordered them to cease-and-desist due to a sandwich board sign — not because it didn’t meet regulations — but because of their Iranian background.

According to The Day, Pourmoghadam and Kalkhoran allege the zoning office doesn’t issue citations for certain businesses but does do so for businesses owned by minorities.

At the ZBA meeting, the board members did not address discrimination but voted on whether the sandwich board sign was in accordance with the town’s regulations governing signs.

The ZBA agreed that the town’s zoning enforcement officer had acted in accordance with the town regulations when the cease-and-desist was issued.

Click here to read the full report from The Day.

Photo by Dougtone, via flickr creative commons