Gibberish is NOT spoken here... so if you want to eat here SPEAK ENGLISH!!!
Posted on 03/19/2008 8:30:48 PM PDT by kiriath_jearim
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The owner of a famous cheesesteak shop did not discriminate when he posted signs asking customers to speak English, a city panel ruled Wednesday.
In a 2-1 vote, a Commission on Human Relations panel found that two signs at Geno's Steaks telling customers, "This is America: WHEN ORDERING 'PLEASE SPEAK ENGLISH,'" do not violate the city's Fair Practices Ordinance.
Shop owner Joe Vento has said he posted the signs in October 2005 because of concerns over immigration reform and an increasing number of people in the area who could not order in English.
Vento has said he never refused service to anyone because they couldn't speak English. But critics argued that the signs discourage customers of certain backgrounds from eating at the shop.
Commissioners Roxanne E. Covington and Burt Siegel voted to dismiss the complaint, finding that the sign does not communicate that business will be "refused, withheld or denied."
In a dissenting opinion, Commissioner Joseph J. Centeno said he thought the signs did discourage some customers.
"The sign appeared immediately above another sign that had the following words: 'Management Reserves the Right to Refuse Service,'" Centeno wrote.
Geno's and its chief rival across the street, Pat's King of Steaks, are two of the city's best known cheesesteak venues. A growing number of Asian and Latin American immigrants have moved into the traditionally Italian neighborhood in recent years.
Vento had threatened to go to court if he lost. His attorney, Albert G. Weiss, said he was "pleasantly surprised" by Wednesday's decision.
"We expected that this was not going to go our way," Weiss said.
In February 2007, the commission found probable cause against Geno's for discrimination, alleging that the policy discourages customers of certain backgrounds from eating there.
The case went to a public hearing, where an attorney for the commission argued that the sign was about intimidation, not political speech. The matter then went to the three-member panel for a ruling.
W. Nick Taliaferro, the commission's executive director, said he would not appeal.
The first flower of common sense after a long drought.
Finally! Some good news from the invasion of the criminal aliens.
Related: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1988435/posts
This one victory by a “defendant” accused by the Philadelphia Human Rights Commission or whatever they call themselves is one more victory by a defendant than has been seen in the entire history of the Canadian Human Rights Commission.
While this is a good victory, we must be forever vigilant against these fascist Commissions and the supporters of these inquisition panels.
This is awesome news, I would luv to go up the owner and shake his hand...
Thanks! This news made my night.
Gibberish is NOT spoken here... so if you want to eat here SPEAK ENGLISH!!!
I’ve never had a real philly cheesesteak from Philly... I’ll be they test better than what we have here. (I’m in Kansas)
Make sure to get cheez whiz when you go
Have these jackwits heard of the reserved right of every business to refuse service to anyone? Sheesh!
Appointed political hack bureaucrats making legal findings. Sounds like the former USSR or the NWO EU.
Geno’s is the “Right” Deli, Pat’s across the street is the “Left” Deli. BTW the thug that attacked them in Dec has been arrested.
http://blogs.menupages.com/philadelphia/2008/01/genos_steaks_suspect_arrested.html
It’s pathetic we are even debating this kind of thing. Just PATHETIC!
My wife, born in Philly, introduced me to the Philly Cheesestake sandwich over thirty years ago … greatest meal on a roll in the world. ;-)
The little brown shirts on this panel didn't want this particular outrage coming under any more public attention lest some of their other Fascistic, stiff armed saluting ordnances get exposed to the light of day. At least that would be my guess. :-)
Frightening to realize that freedom of speech hinges on a single vote!
I think it’s overrated (Geno’s and Pat’s). They’re good steak sandwiches but not the best I ever had. There’s a few other places in South Philly with better ones imo.
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