The war between Geno's Steaks and the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations is finally over. The city agency found that a sign telling customers to order in English was not discriminatory. The case attracted attention from around the country and made Joey Vento, who owns Geno's, something of a celebrity.
It all started when Vento hung a sticker that read: "This is America. WHEN ORDERING 'SPEAK ENGLISH'." Some people were offended and the commission ordered Vento to remove the sign. Vento said that he would rather close his shop than take it down. His tale of woe was seized upon by conservative talk radio and he became a martyr for people angry about illegal immigration.
So—what was the deal with that unfamiliar agency that created such a huge controversy? Meet the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations. This is the place to go if you’re being discriminated against at work, in a restaurant, or by city government. What does that actually mean? Let's imagine a woman who works at a large company finds out that she is being paid less than her male co-workers who do the same job. She can file a complaint with the commission and request that they conduct an investigation. If they find evidence of bias, the commission can fine the offending company until it makes things right.
The commission was created in 1951 by an amendment to the City Charter. It's charged with enforcing a law called Philadelphia Fair Practices Ordinance that outlaws discrimination based on 12 separate areas: race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, gender, sex, sexual orientation, disability, marital status, or gender identity.
The commission charged that the intent of Vento’s sign was to discriminate based on national origin. Vento responded by saying he had never refused service to anyone and the sign was only a political statement. Some saw his as a champion for free speech and other believed he was merely a bigot. For a while, Vento seemed to everywhere. He appeared on countless radio programs and was interviewed by all the major television networks. Everyone had an opinion about the sign. Rick Santorum declared that he supported Vento. Rudy Giuliani even came to Philadelphia to campaign with him. An obscure little city commission had started a lot of trouble.
When you think about it, it’s kind of amazing that such a little agency attracted so much attention. It's annual operating cost is $2.1 million-- just .05% of the city budget. The fire department spent more money ($2.6 million) just on uniforms last year. Remember all those television trucks parked in front of Geno's when Giuliani came to visit? You could only buy four of them with the money it takes to operate the entire commission.
After almost two years of investigating, the commission found that the sign was not discriminatory. Many wondered it had been a waste of time and effort. So, what do you think? Should the commission have gotten involved in the Geno’s case? Would those resources have been better spent somewhere else? After all, it's our money that was spent on this investigation-- was it worth the cost?
Comments (1)
Hey Joey,
Can you retire to South Florida and open about 20 restaurants, we have been over run by third worlders who come to this country and refuse to speak English. Uncle Sam needs to give our visitors a good kick in the butt, learn it, speak it, Love it or get out !!
Posted by Billy Da Marlin | March 22, 2008 9:03 AM