Tammy Johnson

Viva la Taco Truck!

You know, some things are just wrong. This is one of them. The Los Angeles Country Board has passed an ordinance fining and potentially jailing taco truck owners if they park in one spot for over an hour. When I heard this on the radio this morning, I screeched in disbelief. I mean this is L.A.! And who’s behind this ordinance? The backers are owners of Mexican restaurants who claim that they lose business to their more affordable competitors on the corner. It’s enough to make you shake your head in disgust.

I heard the same thing from Black business owners when I was an organizer in Milwaukee attempting to pass Living Wage ordinances. Hey, you can’t have it both ways. You can’t say to your community, “Come support one of your own!” then turn around and pay your employees crumbs. And you can’t work your way into being a good capitalist like the white boys, and then use your political influence to push your Latino brothers and sisters off your block. Well in L.A., maybe you can. But neither mentality helps communities of color. This is typical I’ve-got-mine-to-hell-with-the-community mentality, and it must be called out for what it is: wrong!

The ordinance goes into affect on Wednesday, May 15th. So, on that day, find your way to the nearest corner kitchen and get yourself a double order of lengua (tongue) tacos in protest!

Posted at 12:00 PM, May 05, 2008 in Food | Permalink | View Comments