Posted on 08/09/2007 3:18:50 AM PDT by Man50D
STUART, Fla. – A South Florida man who claims he's being evicted from his place of business because he speaks no Spanish – just English – has suddenly become the focus of national debates over illegal immigration and property rights.
Tom McKenna, owner of Seacoast Water Care is getting requests from media outlets across America to tell the story of how his landlord at the Ellendale Center wants him out of his office space by the end of the month, in order to "complete [his] vision of converting the center to quality tenants serving the Spanish need in the area."
"I guess I don't serve the 'Spanish need,' whatever that means," McKenna told the Stuart News in a story published Sunday. Since then, the saga has been prominently featured on websites including WND and the DrudgeReport, and now McKenna is making the rounds on the television-news circuit, both on Florida stations as well as national networks.
"That's just a kick in the face to me. Like, what am I? Just really been a bad tenant for like the last seven years?" McKenna told WPBF-TV, the ABC affiliate in West Palm Beach. "Because somebody comes in here and says, 'Hey, you know I like that corner store where that Seacoast Water is there, and now we have a full-service plaza serving the Spanish needs in here, we need to get him out of there."
McKenna's water-conditioning business shares the same building as a check-cashing store and a Mexican restaurant, both of which feature signs in Spanish.
(Excerpt) Read more at worldnetdaily.com ...
You said: “Half of America’s pharmacies are unable to communicate with non-English-speaking clients, putting patients at risk of potentially harmful medication errors,...”
I guess they better learn to speak English then.
What scares the heck out me because I was reminded by watching a program on Discovery last night about Ruby Ridge; then I remembered Waco and Elian.
Please don’t elect Hillary or we will see a lot more of this.
There was a *vegan* lady from Houston who bought a center in Austin. Everyone who sold animal products was told to vacate. Even a gas station who happen to sell icecream and jerky.
2. We The People have the responsibility to expel the illegal members of his customer base.
Sounds to me like failure to learn English could be a form of child abuse. Where is Child Protective Services?
1. The landlord has the right to decide who his tenants are.
2. We The People have the responsibility to expel the illegal members of his customer base.
I agree with you except in this case 1.) is racial discrimination which at this point in time is illegal. If the landlord were white and the AC business was the only hispanic one with a sign in spanish, he would be violating state and federal antidiscrimination laws if he kicked the tenant out on the basis of wanting to maintain the property as an exclusively white, anglo saxon protestant business center to serve only the needs of the white community.
Declare English as the national language now!
BTTT
I knew America was going to hell back in the early 90’s when I got a call at work from a Florida Medicaid recipient (we provided services to docs who accepted medicaid, but somehow this person got our number). Her problem was that she was assigned a case worker who didn’t speak any English, and was told that she didn’t have the right to request a change to someone who did speak English. True story
Much as I disagree with him on many things he has been saying for years "Boarders, Cluture, Language".
No, we landlords do not have the right to pick our tenants. If I refuse to rent to a Mexican, I can get into trouble. Then, once I get him in the building, I have to worry about collecting the rent. They have no conception of paying their bills. When that landlord in Florida goes bankrupt, then we’ll have the last laugh!
I grew up in Stuart, FL. 30 years ago it was a quaint little cracker town on the coast with some of the most amazing beaches you’d ever find. This breaks my heart.
When my better half asked for a Spanish-as-a-second-language class, also for free, she was laughed at.
Did world nut daily do the research to find out that Florida has an english first amendment? Did they examine the lease to see that it was in english?
ahhhh but you are not allowed to discriminate based or race, sex, ethnicity, or national origin.
equal opportunity and all that.
that is law.
This tennant was SPECIFICALLY being discriminated based on ethnicity AND national origin.
Which means he gets attorney’s fees, PLUS all the other fun stuff.
The nerve of this landlord! Just because he owns the property he thinks he has the right to do with it as he pleases. The government needs to step in and tell him he doesn’t have the right to decide who his tenants are.
Bingo-we have a winner.
Unless of course the landlord is a smoker, then he has no right to use his property as he sees fit....
L
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.