Saturday, December 1, 2007
Facts instead of innuendo
The Spanish-language newspaper El Mundo had more of an even-handed take on the Tequila's situation, thanks to information provided to them by Joe Mason. Click on the title of this blog entry or below on "Comments" to read a translation of their story, sent to me by Mr. Mason.
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2 comments:
J.M.
Says to Jimbo
A HUGE THANK YOU !
To me it was important to defend this community from the False accusations that the owner of Tequilas Mr. Luis Vasco took out in 2 Spanish Papers,and Spanish radio.
It was one week before the Roll Back hearing,and they were dispicable attempts to attack the very core of this great community.
Mr. Vasco's ads were as racist as it gets ,and called for hundreds of people to show up holding signs .
The most insulting was "WE ARE THE REAL COMMUNITY".
To me that was the last straw. So I contacted the owners of El Mundo,and asked for them to sit ,and listen,as well as read the 54 pages of Police reports .
"What you see in this article is only 1/3 rd of the actual number of License Premise violations this year ,including 2 on 9-07-07 in less than 1/2 hour.
Mr. Vasco used the papers to bash this community,and should be ashamed of himself.
On the other hand my Hat goes off to the owners of El Mundo,because after they spoke to me,and others ,along with the Police reports knew it was clearly Mr. Vasco who was the problem.
The Vice President called me on Friday ,and told me he has gotten more response from this article (ALL NEGATIVE AGAINST VASCO)than any story he has ever done.
He also told me more than one Hispanic responder asked "why is this place still open","Why has the city not shut him down?".
TWO GREAT QUESTIONS !!!
In my opinion he is being protected,because NO place in East Boston has ever gotten awawy with this for so long ,and NEVER been given a single day of Suspension.
Case In Point:
Here is the official results of the Roll Back hearing.
1-Tequilas must now close at 12:30,and not 2 a.m.
2-The downstairs function hall must now close at 11 p.m.,and not 12 midnight.
3-They must have staff outside to clear people out from hanging around when they close.
4- NO SUSPENSION ?????????????WHY ?
Hes plugged in big time folks,its simply unheard of.
Anyone who knows me as a person,knows my passion for this community stuff is simply because I LOVE EASTIE.
Thats why I decided to fight back in the Spanish paper.
One final note ,the East Boston Times had all of the exact information,but chose not to do the story correctly,or to defend this great Community.
They also refused to print a letter to the editor that I sent in,even offering to pay for it to be printed.
In my wildest dreams ,I would of never giuessed that a Spanish Paper would help me defend Eastie ,and not our only English paper.
I now have tremendous respect for them,and look forward to working with them,not only doing more stories about Eastie in English ,but to help open an office for them in Eastie.
I am sure they realize the vast potential of advertising revenue they could tap into in Eastie.
Thank You El Mundo,and God Bless your staff for being fair.
Joe Mason
From El Mundo, via Joe Mason:
Decision on 'Tequilas"
An important and controversial public trial was conducted last Thursday where they heard various opinions on a formal request to reduce the hours of operation Tequilas Restaurant located at 964 Saratoga Street in East Boston. Luis Vasco, owner of the restaurant, mobilized some 160 people, including merchants and neighbors to support it.
The event generated heated public reaction in the community, especially when statements by Luis Basque who left in our previous edition accused "a small group of residents Italians racist Orient Heights" as those involved in a campaign to close the business of the well-known Colombian businessman, who also owns Taco Mex in East Boston.
Following these declarations, Joseph J. Mason, president of a community organization, asked this medium to clarify certain "lies" that came out fast week,
"First, at no time was our intention to try to close the business Luis Vasco. It is very clear. It is a lie and a total disrespect wrong information to the public was sought to conclude a deal in East Boston.
The public trial says it in black and white. Just venting was a proposal to limit the hours of operation Tequilas' 2 a.m. at 12 midnight. This request is based on several violations of its liquor license and a high number of violent incidents that are dearly documented in the reports police officers. He also called for a temporary suspension of 30 days and requires that alcohol be served only with food, as it is not a restaurant bar," he explained to El Mundo.
Mason, who heads the East Boston Land Use Council, a community organization formed by a group of local activists who engages in, depending on their organizational laws, ensuring the long-term interests of planning, traffic, noise, space and other factors that affects the quality of life of the neighborhood.
Mason cited and provided an extensive collection of police reports, which according to him, confirms the concern of his group. Among the incidents highlighted:
*February 24, 2007 - Officers found a victim who had been stabbed in the restaurant.
*April 14, 2007 - Because of a scuffle in the street, officials came to the conclusion that the person arrested at 951 Bennington Street was because of a fight that originated in Tequilas, which was during an event for minors.
*June 16, 2007 - Agents of the Alcohol and Beverage Commission (ABC) conducted an inspection of the restaurant, and found a number of minors drinking alcoholic beverages and confiscated fake identifications as evidence.
*July 14, 2007 - Officers found a victim of a violent assault with a baseball bat bleeding from the left ear. An investigation found that both the assailant and the victim were customers at Tequilas' that night.
*September 15, 2007 - Officers arrested three people involved in a fight in which several people were injured. One of those involved was a minor and the police determined that he was consuming alcoholic beverages at Tequilas that night.
Mason also wanted to clarify that was deeply offended by the fact that Vasco, “has tried to make it look like something racist among Italians and Hispanics. My organization and myself have an untouchable record of help and support for Hispanic businesses in East Boston. I love this community and I have many friends who are exemplary businessmen. The same Vasco has an excellent record as owner of Taco Mex, and we have supported when it opened its doors there, too. The problem is only with this business and these incidents cited. Creating a false atmosphere of hostility between the two communities is extremely irresponsible, and I do not think you are doing any favors to his community,” concluded Mason.
The final decision of the commission has not been taken, as it always takes a few days or weeks after a public hearing as last Thursday.
The chairman of the Licensing Board for the City of Boston, Daniel Pokaski, spoke with El Mundo and confirmed the following: “We listened to both sides and we will have a decision on Thursday of next week. Only we are considering what we were asked to do. There is no order to close the business. That was not what was discussed.”
With regard to Vasco, Pokaski explained: “I would say that everybody spoke well of him as a person, but in reality there are some things that are not working well and we have an obligation to try to improve them to protect the public safety of ail. Obviously there are a high number of incidents involving the police that cannot be ignored.”
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