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Anti-immigrant sentiments have reared their ugly head here in Philadelphia.The owner of Geno's Steaks, one of the city's most popular purveyors of the Philly cheesesteak, has put up a sign that reads: "This is America. When Ordering, Speak English."
I guess his business is doing so well that he doesn't need the business of Philadelphia's many non-English-speaking tourists.
But now the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations has filed a complaint, indicating that Geno's message is so unwelcoming, it may actually violate a Philadelphia civil rights / fair practices ordinance. [Read story.]
On one hand, I feel that it might be his First Amendment right to hang that disturbing sign in his store. And I hope that it costs him millions of dollars in lost business.
On the other hand, given that his shop has become a major tourist attraction over the past several decades, I find it a huge embarrassment.
Yo, Geno's: Philadelphia is supposed to be the City of Brotherly Love, not the City of Xenophobic Bigotry.
