Narragansett Customer, Restaurateur Battle Over Trump - Ends in No Trespass Order
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
The battle over President Donald Trump - and his policies and attitude - spilled over to Arturo Joe’s in Narragansett on Tuesday, and ended in a no-trespass order.
An altercation between the customer, Beth Murphy Ward, and owner, Joe Paglia, resulted in two sides of the story, but national presidential politics were at the crux.
Ward said she simply sat down to have a meal; Paglia said she ultimately "verbally assaulted" a waiter, and contacted police.
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Ward said she was looking at her phone at dinner at Arturo Joe's, on the way to an event at the University of Rhode Island, when Pagila engaged her in conversation about eating her meal before it got cold -- which turned at one point to about "being happy."
“Somehow, something precipitated a comment about being happy. I said I certainly wasn't happy on November 9, [2016], so he chimed in and wanted to have a conversation. He said, 'I don't talk politics' -- I said you are right now,” said Ward.
Paglia told GoLocal, "She then went on. I said I don't talk politics, I said you have your opinions, I have mine. Then she asked if any women in my life, if they've been assaulted, or denied promotion, and I said, no, why? Then I said, look I don't want to have this conversation and I said enjoy your meal."
"He said as a business owner, 'I like what Trump's done.' And I said what has [Trump] done? I asked him about Trump's comments on women...and the #MeToo campaign," said Ward “I asked are you proud of what [Trump] said about women, as a son with a mother, wife children. He told me his mother [was deceased]."
Allegations, Finger-Pointing, and Parking Lot Altercation
The battle and political frustration spilled over.
“[Ward] told my waiter I'm an asshole, she wrote on the money 'Trump sucks', and she left no tip,” claimed Pagila.
Ward refuted the claim -- saying she said to the waiter that he "worked for an idiot."
Ward said she paid the bill. with no tip, and that Paglia came back over, and offered to pick up the tab — which she thought it was demeaning, and she refused.
“I circled 'Arturo Joe's' on the bill and wrote, 'You're an asshole,'" said Ward.
Parking Lot - Round Two
Both Ward and Arturo said the frustration spilled into the parking lot.
“On the way out, she said it again," said Pagila. "Look, I wasn't rude. I went in the parking lot, I said please don't come back to this restaurant. I said to myself, this lady is insane."
"She said, 'I'm going to bash you on Yelp,''" said Paglia. "I could care less -- again, I said she's insane. My chef shows up in the parking lot, she calls him an asshole too. Look, I never raised my voice -- let everyone know I've got a no trespassing order against her. She verbally assaulted my waiter."
Ward is no stranger to heated politics -- she claimed in March that she was assaulted.
"I went to leave, and [Paglia] comes out after me and says to me, "Don't you ever come back to the establishment'...he said if I do, 'I'm trespassing,' said Ward. “I said that [sexual harassment] happens to all women. With that he goes, 'I'll get your license plate.' I don't know how the police got my cell phone, but the Narragansett Police called me and left a message."
“I never talked with [Joe] before. He kept digging himself in...I think it's harassment to use the police department," said Ward. "If calling him an asshole is 'assault' -- well, I'm sure he's been called worse. Oh -- and he told me I need to read Ann Coulter.”
Paglia said he stood by his no-trespass request.
"I had spaghetti & meatballs and a club soda. The bill was $16.20 - I paid cash. I left no tip as I felt everything going on was not fair to me," said Ward. "The owner returned the [money] to me and said this is on the house. Once I was outside and in my vehicle, he came out and was menacing and told me never to return otherwise it would be trespassing. I told him not to worry I would yelp all about it. Then I left and got the call from [a Narragansett Police Officer]."
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