Culture Clash on Main Street
What to make out of the taco cart battle? Is it culture warfare? class warfare? Or are taco carts just bad for business?
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(story transcript)
Last summer UtahStories.com began reporting on a story with a theme is common to nearly every state in the U.S. The story in particular is about taco stands and the complaints that many area merchants have against them. The bigger story is what people were making out of this battle.
Some call it a class warfare: rich against poor. Some call the carts around Sears as a Mexican culture invasion using practices that run contrary to brick and morter American business.
However, others believe recent city changes in law are a blatent attack on the poor folks who own and operate taco stands in downtown Salt Lake City.
Thats exactly what Jim Jetty believes.
The idea that these guys need to have a criminal background check. I can wash dishes in any restaurant in Utah, I don't need a criminal background check. Why are we picking on these people?
Main street on 900 South is truly a study in contrast. Here on the west side of the street Shawn Haris sells Ferraries ranging up to $1 million dollars, and across the street you can get awesome carne asada tacos for a buck. Both shops have fans but the taco carts have a real following.
"I think these taco stands are the best think to ever happen to downtown salt lake city.
The tacos here are great, authentic, every thing is fresh.
Its a service, its a good service a couple of dollars to get a lunch from a group of people who are working hard to earn a living. So why the complaints?
Its a three dollar lunch. What would I get over there? I'd get some kind of canned beans, some kind of crummy cheese. It wouldn't be authentic. It wouldn't be a taco.
Shawn Haris only began complaining when the city issued a cart license directly in front of his showroom. He says his complaining has nothing to do with culture, class or blight it only has to do with business.
Shawn" I have no problem with the carts themselves, I think the taco carts are fine. Its just how its become a drive-up. instead of a walk-up that is the problem.
It was last summer we aired our initial piece and immediatly received complaints that our story wasn't being fair the taco cart vendors. But we kept running into the same problem...
"Do you speak English?" No
"Do you speak English?" No
"Do you speak English?" No
Finally however we located the owner of this taco stand who spoke English quite well. This is Jullio Calderone. He has already moved his taco stand three times before locating here.
"The owners make a complaint against my taco stand because they believe its taking away customers."
It was just one week after this interview that the City Council had a public meeting offering anyone the opportunity to come an speak regarding the taco stands. But not a single taco cart owner, or even anyone of Mexican decent showed up. The Main Street Merchants were there and spoke out against the grievances of the taco carts. Their main concerns being the defication they are finding in and around their properties.
By unianimous vote the City Council passed a law requiring every taco stand to have criminal background checks for every employee, bathroom facilities given by permission by a surrounding merchant and removal of over-hanging tarps that many of the cart workers were using to keep warm.
Mr. Jetty had very harsh words for the final part of the law that was passed. Absolutly unfair, would it be fair for me to say that the city workers can't have protective clothing...That curtain is protective clothing it protects them from the cold and they are saying, "no you can't have your protection in the workplace."
[keep if time] What about the argument that these tarps are blighting the area? Are we going to start judging what is blighting the area? Over here we have a porno shop that is closed we have a P.C laptop that is closed, a used car dealership. Blighting?
Not everyone we met at the stands was opposed to the new law. In fact I couldn't find a single Mexican who would speak out against the law. I don't know if this was because they feel disinfranchised or afraid.
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{ But it is clear they are not participating or even making any attempts to protect their rights.]
Or they don't know that in our form of Democracy every one has the right to speak out.
"I trust that the city did what they had to do.
So what is Mr. Caldarone going to do?
"I don't know, I guess I will have to find another job somewhere
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