Neighbors will voice their opposition to a proposed taco truck ban on West National Avenue with a rally Friday evening at Velobahn Coffee & Cycle, 3618 W. Pierce St.
Ald. Bob Donovan sponsored the proposal to ban food trucks on a mile stretch of National Avenue between South 27th and 39th streets, and the Common Council passed it unanimously. Mayor Tom Barrett vetoed it this month, however. The council will need a two-thirds majority to override that veto, and at least some alders who originally voted in favor of the ban have indicated that they now oppose it.
Silver City resident Julio Guerrero, who is organizing Friday’s rally, contends that the ban singles out one taco truck: Taqueria Arandas, which is owned by Francisco Santos and is often parked near South 37th Street.
"There’s no other taco truck that parks in that vicinity; I live two blocks away and I drive that road every time I go to work in the morning," Guerrero tells the Shepherd. "For me, my biggest issue is I don't like seeing people get bullied. I don't like seeing a Mexican taco truck owner being pushed around, even just from an optics perspective. And I think those optics are why this issue has resonated with so many people. There's this feeling that an entrenched alderman is picking on this little taco truck owner, so it's very David and Goliath."
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The rally will begin at 6 p.m. and will feature speakers and, fittingly enough, tacos. Taqueria Arandas and El Tapatio will serve from the parking lot of Velobahn Coffee, and the venue will also host a pop-up taco shop from Algo Dulce owner Dominique Alvarado, who will be offering vegan tacos including cauliflower al pastor and mushroom adobo. More information is available on the rally's Facebook event page, where nearly 400 have RSVPed as of Wednesday morning and nearly 2,000 others have expressed interest.
Geurrero believes that neighbors can convince enough alders to vote against the ban.
"I think opinion is shifting," he says. "We’re going to have a call to action and tell people to call their alderman. And if Donovan doesn’t come out between now and then to say that he’s going to rescind his ban, which I believe he can do, we’re going to shut down his phone on Monday and make a lot of calls to his office. We’re going to put his staff to work. We’ve got less than a week until the Tuesday morning vote at 9 a.m., and we’ll pack that room, too. I think that’s the biggest thing we can do: focus on the visual, and show by photo that Bob Donovan has his agenda, but it’s not aligned with the values of the community."
