A married couple who fled Haiti for Virginia achieved their American dream when they opened a variety market on the Eastern Shore, selling hard-to-find spices, sodas and rice to the region’s growing Haitian community.
When they added a Haitian food truck, people drove from an hour away for freshly cooked oxtail, fried plantains and marinated pork.
But Clemene Bastien and Theslet Benoir are now suing the town of Parksley, alleging that it forced their food truck to close. The couple also say a town council member cut the mobile kitchen’s water line and screamed, “Go back to your own country!”
“When we first opened, there were a lot of people” ordering food, Bastien said, speaking through an interpreter. “And the day after, there were a lot of people. And then … they started harassing us.”
People are often racist dick heads, but sometimes they’re actually just shutting down businesses that aren’t being run in a way that is safe for workers and customers.
They generally don’t scream to “go back to your own country” when that happens.
You don’t make bigoted comments while doing the right thing? I thought everyone did that. Just the other day when I was donating blood I called 9 people various ethic and religious slurs.
Ah yes, the most effective way to address businesses (allegedly) not being run safely is to find (only black owned) businesses, sabotage their property, and yell “go back to your own country!” How totally fair and equitable. This is totally acceptable. /s
Give me a break.
In this case it was racism plus the councilman thinking they were hurting his business leading to vandalism, and racist remarks.
Allegedly. That’s really the key, isn’t it. No need to get the rage train fired up based on what is claimed in a lawsuit that hasn’t been resolved yet.
You know what? The legislative branch is not charged with enforcing the law. Some random fucking town council member shouldn’t be messing with town sewage lines and everyone with a basic elementary level knowledge of civics should know this. So fuck this guy, being able to vote on a budget doesn’t mean you get to be a town vigilante. And I am really really not inclined to give someone with obvious rage issues the benefit of the doubt that they didn’t say something stupid and mean while doing something stupid and mean.
Clearly you’re inclined to get really mad over something that might not have even happened. Chill out.
Was this business being run unsafely?
I could see how that situation would make someone tell them to take that behavior back to where it’s the norm.
Funny how you keep flipping your argument in order to come down on the side of the councilman from this podunk little town.
I’m not trying to defend anyone, just pointing out that this story is entirely based on accusations in a lawsuit. Don’t get your blood pressure up over something that might not be true or accurate.
Except they passed a state health inspection. Unsurprisingly, the guy who is taking issue with it sells appliances to brick and mortar restaurants.