Atlantic City residents rallied Friday in a bid to save a longtime food mainstay.
Fish Heads was told to be out of Gardner's Basin, where Gregory "Dredgie" Wood has served his famous fish sandwiches for the last seven years, after serving from other locations throughout the city.
But the latest move, some allege, is retaliation by the mayor.
Mayor Marty Small has insisted the decision was not his, but was made under a Green Acres agreement that allowed only two of the three Gardner's Basin restaurants to remain. Those spots went to Back Bay Ale House and Gilchrist's.
Wood acknowledged that he has been warned of the Green Acres issue for years. But nothing came of it until recently.
Former Mayor Don Guardian, now a state assemblyman, said he negotiated the Green Acres deal at one point, and pushed for all three restaurants to stay.
Guardian argued that Fish Heads, Back Bay and Gilchrist were the reason people came to Gardner's Basin, and how they learned of the outdoor amenities available there.
Those gathered in support Friday noted that Fish Heads is the only black-owned business in the Basin. They also spoke of Wood's commitment to the community, especially the children.
Hanifah Beyah said her granddaughter was 14 when she got her first job at Fish Heads. Because she was small, Wood had her work standing on a milk crate.
Now living in Atlanta, Beyah's granddaughter was all set to go to Fish Heads when she visits for Mother's Day. When her grandmother told her about the latest issue, the now-24-year-old woman said she wished she could be there in support.
"He's just a real nice person," Beyah said of Wood. "He doesn't deserve this."
She recalled how Wood saw her having trouble with her son one day. He pulled the boy aside and talked to him.
"I never had problems with him after that," she said. "He graduated high school in 2019."
The allegations are that it was Wood's inclination to help the city's youth that caused his problems.
Dr. La'Quetta Small, the mayor's wife, allegedly took issue when she saw one boy always at Fish Heads.
The child, according to local National Action Network activist Steve Young, was the victim of Dr. Small's cousin, Ka'yan Frazier.
Frazier is serving a federal prison sentence for creating child pornography. He met one of the victims while he was a substitute teacher at Pennsylvania Avenue School, where Dr. Small was then principal.
The boy's mother is now suing the school district and the Smalls, alleging they knew of the abuse.
The mayor declined to comment on the rally, but has said that he worked to get Fish Heads an offer to move to The Walk.
Wood said his business would not be able to go there in its current form. He also insisted the mayor has never talked to him about the issue.
"He should be here," Yvette Hunter said of the mayor.
"It's supposed to be about your community," she said.
Young said, if necessary, they will rally every day to fight for Fish Heads.
A petition to save Fish Heads has been posted online. It had garnered more than 400 signatures.
