Brad Paisley invites two friends to ‘relax and have a beer’

Two Upstate New York friends have issued an invitation to anyone “black or white” to join them for a beer – and reportedly received a virtual visit from country star Brad Paisley.

Long-time friends Benjamin Smith and Marcus Ellis, both white, put up signs last week in front of Smith’s home in Pittsford to unite people following the death of George Floyd. News station WROC reported.

“Black or white, relax and have a beer,” signs said.

The couple said they were affected by Floyd’s death and wanted to do something to bring solidarity during protests around the country.

“I fought for a free America, a fair America,” Smith, who served in the Marine Corps, told the store. “When I heard about the George Floyd incident, it saddened me. I wasn’t fighting for it.”

Ellis added, “People have the right to protest. People have the right to share their voice, but there is a right way of doing things. There is a wrong way about things.”

The pair are parked in lawn chairs in the front yard, and they have a photo of them sticking to the beers Vairalakiyatu On Twitter.

“It’s crazy,” Smith told the store. “We have such a huge impact on the community. It seems to be all over the United States.”

The news reached Paisley, too, according to the store, who took their offer with a zoom call and sent beer to their gathering.

“I’m trying to ask my friends in the black community, that’s what you do; Together, the only thing, “Paisley told the pair.” I’m all ears. “