Wednesday, January 2, 2007; Posted 7:23 pm (CDT)

The awning above Falcone's in Edmond is plain, but owner Danny Falcone wanted it to show off his Italian heritage with red, white and green.
  
Edmond officials said the colors would go against the building design and voted against Falcone’s request. Now Falcone says there are three people he will not be serving. He hung a sign to remind Suzy Thrash and Ingrid Young of the Edmond Planning Commission, as well as Lydia Lee of the Edmond Neighborhood Alliance they are not welcomed.

“Mcdonald's has their arch, nobody tells Mcdonald's you can come on in, but don't put your arch up,” says Falcone. “It is part of our trademark and our other restaurants have it.”

Falcone leases his building and the Edmond Planning Commission has the control over the awnings.  They voted he could not change the color. The night of the vote only three members of the Planning Commission were there, so they only needed two votes to strike down Falcone.  Suzy Thrash and Ingrid Young voted against Falcone.

The night of the vote Lydia Lee with the Edmond Neighborhood Alliance was also there. She said she stood up and voiced her opposition to the colored awnings. Falcone thinks it is her personal taste and says it's discrimination.

“It certainly was not personal, he is the one that made it personal,” says Lee.

Lee says she is an advocate of free speech and she is entitled to her opinion just as Falcone is to his. The City of Edmond just happened to agree with her.

Falcone choose not to appeal the vote. He decided to color the windows red, white and green instead.