They opened a Haitian food truck. Then they were told, 'Go back to your own country,' lawsuit says
They opened a Haitian food truck. Then they were told, 'Go back to your own country,' lawsuit says

They opened a Haitian food truck. Then they were told, 'Go back to your own country,' lawsuit says

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.”
I clicked on this story by accident, but I'm glad I read it. There's some real gold in here...
"I'm mad at you for getting grease in the sewer...so I will cut this line which I supposedly believe contains grease so it can go all over the street, smelling great and eventually getting washed into this very same sewer anyway!"
"T'is but a coincidence!"
Sounds like this guy isn't aware who funds this town... They must make up a large portion of the residents to have this much stuff there in this tiny little town.
I wish my town was full of people as patient and civil as this couple!
How dare they?!?
Thanks for posting, OP, this was crazy!
And, contrary to suburbanite propaganda, communities like this Haitian one often are the ones funding the wealthy suburbs where all the city councilors live, not the other way around.
Interesting link, thank you for sharing!
The very poor and very rich pay very little tax relative to their income. By lifting people up to a decent income, making them taxpayers, it would seem help everyone. I don't get the incentive to keep anyone poor.
Plus I'd rather have a cool Haitian neighbor than some snooty person. Haiti seems to get especially screwed over by both people and nature, so those guys deserve a break.
I was curious about how this approach differed from gentrification and thought I'd leave what I had learnt for other curious people.
It seems the main difference is in displacing the existing residents. The improvements suggested by the article are small things that help the community. Gentrification would be the other way around where shiny new homes are built to attract wealthier residents and then the area is improved afterwards to accommodate them, pricing out the existing population.
It's a small change in the approach to improving an area but it makes a big difference.
I lived in Lafayette. Had to nope out of that article, too many bad memories. Thanks for sharing though.
How do I subscribe to your commentary?
Lol I'm live all day, every day at !superbowl@lemmy.world
Stop by this weekend for the Superbowl Superbowl...it's like the Puppy Bowl, but for owls, and you get to participate!
What's the deal with $1 in nominal damages?
You have to make a demand for damages. Asking for $1 makes it symbolic more than anything. A jury can still go "Screw that, pay them a million bucks" though.
Looks like they’re not being unnecessarily vengeful, just making the point stick?