Posted on 02/08/2007 7:47:54 AM PST by Pyro7480
English-only cheesesteak fight continues
By PATRICK WALTERS
Associated Pres
The battle over an English-only ordering policy at one of Philadelphia's signature cheesesteak joints is apparently far from over.
The city's human relations commission found evidence that the owner of Geno's Steaks may have discriminated against immigrants by posting a sign telling customers, "This is AMERICA: WHEN ORDERING 'PLEASE SPEAK ENGLISH,' " according to a letter sent to owner Joe Vento last week.
Vento's attorneys had hoped the matter would be dropped, but the commission said in the Jan. 31 letter that it found probable cause that discrimination occurred and was moving forward with the case. The commission also suggested that the matter could be resolved through mediation.
Vento's legal team would not rule out some sort of mediation, but they said Vento, the fiery grandson of Italian immigrants, would not take the sign down.
"Any effort to save the resources of taxpayer-funded government is a good idea, but not at the cost of free speech," said Todd Young, policy director for Atlanta-based Southeastern Legal Foundation, a public interest law firm that has joined the case.
After extensive publicity over the sign in June, the commission began investigating whether Vento was violating the city's Fair Practices Ordinance. That law prohibits discrimination in employment, public accommodation and housing on the basis of race, ethnicity or sexual orientation.
Vento and his attorneys maintain that no one has ever been turned away at the South Philadelphia shop. Geno's, along with bitter cross-street rival Pat's King of Steaks, forms the epicenter of an area often described as ground zero for cheesesteaks.
"They could have found out in one day that nobody has ever been refused service," Vento said Wednesday.
Albert Weiss, Vento's Philadelphia attorney, said he was shocked that the city was not dropping the case because he hadn't heard from anyone in weeks.
"I felt they were just letting it die a quiet death," Weiss said.
A message left with the human relations commission was not immediately returned Wednesday.
I know some people where English is their second language prefer to have someone with him with a better understanding of the language when talking to a doctor or dentist to make sure things are understood.
My aforementioned Cuban friends some of them go with their parents to the doctor even though they do speak English they feel better about getting all the information right with my friends there.
I also used to work for a call center dealing with insurance benefits. I was friends with the spanish interpreter in our group. She said it's not uncommon for the people she helps to know English but feel better working with a translator to make sure something this important is done right.
I know if I was in Germany for example even if I spoke German as a second language and I was at a doctors office I wouldn't mind someone fluent in both with me to make sure everything got communicated properly.
It better not get out where I work that one of the reasons I got a promotion over someone with the same other qualifications who started the same day I did was that I spoke clearly and had a better vocabulary since I deal with customers.
Something similar happened here in Canada during the 1990s. A landlord in London told a newspaper reporter that maintaining his building was nearly impossible because his tenants "live like little pigs". A tenant "rights" activist picked up on the quote and recruited an immigrant tenant to file a complaint. After more than five years of Kafkaesque litigation that bankrupted him, the Supreme Court ruled that he did nothing wrong- then ordered him to pay compensation anyway.
Since I cannot get one because I am so far away, please tell Geno for me "RIGHT ON".
I hope he holds his position on this. Wish more business owners would do the same thing.
The last time I went into a Taco Bell, they were all speaking Spanish. Very Rude. I told them I was leaving and I wouldn't be back because they weren't speaking ENGLISH. We are over 500 miles north of the border for God's sakes!!!
Great...wishing I could have done the same.
Thanks to you, I checked out the website, too, and now I'm so incredibly hungry I feel like driving to Philly. I noticed they don't sell the 'English please' t-shirts on the website.
I hope Vento gets to talk to the City Officials. And I hope he talks to them totally in Italian. That will show them. LOL
In MA, a Dentist is required (sit down for this) to PAY for an interpreter for a patient.
In EVERY HOSPITAL IN THE UNITED STATES THE HOSPITAL IS REQUIRED TO PAY FOR AN INTERPERTER FOR WHOEVER WALKS THROUGH THE DOOR.
ENTITLED PEOPLE PRETEND THAT THEY ARE DEAF.
YOUR TAX DOLLAR AT WORK, AND THE WORK OF LEFTIST LAWYERS.
Baktag!
Give me a cheesesteak or I will kill you where you stand!
I agree with your point. I would want the same. Would you expect the law to require the doctor to pay for the interpreter? I certainly wouldn't.
A very bad avenue to go down in this case. Knowing how city governments think, it could wind up creating an undue burden on businesses.
See post #37 for an example.
LOL Kinda what I had in mind when I posted.
Very common situation. I don't know why wives remain content with their native language but I do believe that the majority (those with any ambitions) do want their children to learn and communicate in English.
You would probably be more comfortable over at a website called Democratic Underground.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.