"Speak English" signs ruled OK at Philly shop

[Little-Acorn]

Every now and then, a ray of sunshine comes through the murk.

If I were to move to Italy, I wouldn't expect the people there to speak English to accommodate me. I'd bust my ass and learn enough Italian to communicate, however imperfectly. And before I got that much learned, I'd learn how to say, "Please excuse me for not speaking Italian, I'm new here. Can you help me say this?" And hopefully they would start to notice after a few weeks or months (languages are not my strong suit) I didn't need to say it any more. I'd have a funny accent, but I'd be understandable.

And I wouldn't object if someone had a sign in his store saying, "This is Italy, please order in Italian". I might avoid that store for the first few weeks until I got enough language to do so, but I wouldn't hold it against him. *I* and a guest in *his* country. When in Rome.....

-----------------------

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php...show_article=1

'Speak English' Signs OK at Philly Shop

By PATRICK WALTERS
Associated Press Writer Write a Comment
Mar 19 07:38 PM US/Eastern

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The owner of a famous cheesesteak shop did not discriminate when he posted signs asking customers to speak English, a city panel ruled Wednesday.

In a 2-1 vote, a Commission on Human Relations panel found that two signs at Geno's Steaks telling customers, "This is America: WHEN ORDERING 'PLEASE SPEAK ENGLISH,'" do not violate the city's Fair Practices Ordinance.

Shop owner Joe Vento has said he posted the signs in October 2005 because of concerns over immigration reform and an increasing number of people in the area who could not order in English.

Vento has said he never refused service to anyone because they couldn't speak English. But critics argued that the signs discourage customers of certain backgrounds from eating at the shop.

Commissioners Roxanne E. Covington and Burt Siegel voted to dismiss the complaint, finding that the sign does not communicate that business will be "refused, withheld or denied."

[5stringJeff]

Wow... common sense prevails!!!

[MtnBiker]

But critics argued that the signs discourage customers of certain backgrounds from eating at the shop.

Then it would only hurt the business owner that put up the sign.

I glad to see the signs could stay.

[stephanie]

Boy...who ever thought a small sign that says speak English at my business, would have to be reviewed as discriminatory..

Good For Gino's...

[krisy]

On top of the fact that people should learn to speak English for obvious reasons,I wonder if occured to any objectors of the sign that maybe this guys employees don't know Spanish and shouldn't have to learn it?

Just a thought.

[OCA]

If I were to move to Italy, I wouldn't expect the people there to speak English to accommodate me.

99.9% of Americans don't do that though. For some strange reason they think people speak English everywhere and whats worse is they get pissed when they don't. Trust me, i've seen this first hand.