Joe Vento Wins Case, “Speak English” Sign Allowed
By Duane Lester • Mar 20th, 2008 • 365 Views
Joe Vento put up a sign at his restaurant that read “This is America: WHEN ORDERING ‘PLEASE SPEAK ENGLISH.’”
Of course, you can’t to that. It’s politically incorrect, so he was told it was discrimination, that somehow he was trying to intimidate his customers. told to take the sign down. Joe told them what they could do with that, and threatened to go to court. That won’t have to happen now:
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.
That’s called the free market. If Joe wants to put up a sign that hurts his business, that is his prerogative. It is his business, after all.
This makes me want a Philly steak and cheese.
