A hearing was expected to continue into the evening on whether Geno's Steaks owner Joey Vento discriminated against non-English speaking patrons by posting an "Speak English" sign at his South Philadelphia shop. The Rev. James Allen, the chairperson of Commision on Human Relations, was the first witness to testify late this afternoon, followed by University of Pennsylvania professor Camille Charles. Charles, a professor of sociology, said the number of foreign-born residents living in the South Philadelphia neighborhood near Geno's grew more than 200 percent between 1980 and 2000. When shown historical signs from the Jim Crow era in the South...
A city official has asked Geno's, one of Philadelphia's best-known cheesesteak joints, to take down a sign......"This is America: When ordering, speak English." Councilman Jim Kenney noted some residents of linguistically diverse South Philadelphia find the sign offensive. .....Geno's owner, Joseph Vento, a grandson of Sicilian immigrants....(said) "I don't see much of a big deal about learning to say, 'Cheez Whiz.' "
Mexicanos JUNTOS ( South Philadelphia) "JUNTOS is a community center for recent Mexican and Latin American immigrants in the South Philadelphia area. At this center, they offer basic English classes for adults, cultural events, host a Mexican dance troupe, and generally seek to meet the needs of the community. They are particularly interested in students who would be willing to teach or assist ESL classes or work as homework aids with kids after school. In an effort to be sensitive to the community’s needs, JUNTOS usually asks for at least a semester-long commitment from volunteers so that students and community...
For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use. I was hugging the curb with my bicycle, but it didn't matter - the car's sideview mirror smacked my handlebars, spinning my wheel and tumbling me onto the pavement. I had bloody elbows and knees, but nothing serious. A policeman saw the whole thing and pulled the driver over. I was expecting the driver to apologize, but he just whined that he barely touched me. Still in shock, I let him go. Philadelphia is not a bike town - largely because cars won't let it be. And the city has done...