Thread: Immigration and cheesesteaks

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/new...l=philly_local

Immigration and cheesesteaks
Gaiutra Bahadur
Inquirer Staff Writer
Cheesesteak impresario Joey Vento is more than ready for his close-up.

The brash owner of Geno's Steaks has sparked new controversy after two weeks of nearly nonstop national attention for signs posted near his take-out window that declare: "This is AMERICA. WHEN ORDERING, 'SPEAK ENGLISH.' "

Vento, 66, grinned his way through a five-minute segment Friday on ABC's Good Morning America. Since The Inquirer first reported on his signs two weeks ago, he has appeared left and right - though, politically, always the latter - on the Web, TV and talk radio as a proud, tattooed advocate of English only for the nation's immigrants.

Not everyone thinks he is a star, however.

A city agency charged with investigating discrimination plans to file a complaint Monday that questions the legality of the signs, which Vento has said are directed at the Mexican immigrants in Geno's South Philadelphia neighborhood.

"We're alleging that the sign itself is enough of an unwelcoming message that it may violate the Fair Practices Act," said Rachel Lawton, acting executive director of the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations.

Mary Catherine Roper, a spokeswoman for the American Civil Liberties Union, said the signs straddle a line between free speech and discrimination.

Geno's "has a right to express its opinion, however offensive," she said. "But there are specific limitations on places of public accommodation, because they are supposed to be available to everyone."

Councilman Jim Kenney called the signs a "divisive and mean-spirited" blow to the city's image and this week asked Vento to remove them. Scores of Inquirer readers have said they would boycott the shop for its "Speak English" directive, while many others said they would buy Vento's steaks in solidarity.

Vento told The Inquirer last month that he could not serve non-English speakers: "If you can't tell me what you want," he said, "I can't serve you."

He has since insisted to other media outlets that he has never refused a customer due to a language barrier. On Good Morning America, he said he coaches non-English-speakers on the nuances of Cheez Whiz and provolone. And he characterized the signs, posted six months ago when illegal immigration became a hot-button issue, as tough love meant to help newcomers assimilate.

"You're giving them a crutch" if you don't demand English, Vento told ABC.

On Friday alone, he granted interviews to five TV programs and seven radio talk shows across the country, said his son, Geno Vento. But he would not talk to The Inquirer.

As several TV crews milled about working the lunchtime crowd, the elder Vento walked past with an entourage and said: "I don't want to talk to you. Fuggedaboutit."

He did talk, two weeks ago.

In an hourlong interview, Vento expressed hostility toward illegal immigrants, mainly from Mexico, who have moved into his old neighborhood.

"You can't call them 'illegal.' You got to call them 'undocumented,' " said the Shamong resident. "Give me a break."

He described illegal border crossers as sources of crime and drains on hospitals, schools, and other public services. It's "wrong, wrong, wrong that a Mexican girl comes here to pop a baby" who is automatically a U.S. citizen, Vento said.

"A lot of diseases are coming in" with illegal Mexican immigrants, he said at the time. "They weren't here before. [Mexicans] play and drink out of the same water."

Vento, whose grandparents came from Italy, did acknowledge the prejudice that immigrants face. "Every group goes through this: 'We don't want no dagos, no wops here,' " he said.

In Council chambers on Thursday, Kenney expressed confidence that the city's new arrivals "all eventually will learn English, just [like] Italian immigrants and Polish immigrants, and all kinds of immigrants from around the world [who] have come to this city over the years."

The councilman said he sent Vento a letter "politely" asking him to take down the sign because "it's bad for the neighborhood and bad for tourism." He heard the answer was no, but he did not hear it from the cheesesteak purveyor himself.

"He's hard to get," Kenney said.

The city's immigrants, hesitant to give Vento a bigger bullhorn, have been reluctant to organize an official boycott or file their own complaint.

"We decided not to give him the attention he wanted," said Ricardo Diaz, an organizer of recent rallies by illegal immigrants in the city.

Peter Bloom, of the Mexican community group Juntos, toyed with the idea of sending Spanish-speaking decoys to order a cheesesteak but abandoned the idea. Instead, he is calling on Vento to make a donation to a church or other group to teach English to South Philadelphia's immigrants.

Meanwhile, the city's marketers are chagrined that Vento's outspoken statement might send the wrong message to tourists.

The Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau issued a statement on Friday saying "we celebrate the fact that we are a city of neighborhoods and value the culture, vibrancy and history that immigrant communities add to the Philadelphia region."

But the "Speak English" placards are not aimed at tourists, according to the Ventos.

Geno Vento, in an earlier interview with The Inquirer, recalled summoning an Italian-speaking employee from home to take the order of Italian tourists who had just arrived in the city.


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Geno's "has a right to express its opinion, however offensive," she said. "But there are specific limitations on places of public accommodation, because they are supposed to be available to everyone."

It is available to everyone. His sign does not say, No Mexicans Allowed. All it says is you must order in English. How can they be offended if they can't read English? How do they know what it is Geno is serving if they can't read English? So since they are offended, and know what they want to order....they know English. Speak it!!!

Learn to speak English? How many illegals have been in this country years and years and still don't speak English News flash: they don't want to assimilate

How many american owned businesses have a sign that say "we speak spanish"?
Way to many.
How about signs" we speak english only!"