WashPost Devotes 22-Paragraph Story to D.C. Occupier's Petition Against Food Truck Owners

By Ken Shepherd
May 19, 2012 - 21:49

NewsBusters.org:

We all know that the radical left has no sense of humor, but does the Washington Post have to encourage them by devoting stories that legitimize their absurd petitions? The Saturday Post's Style front-page devoted 22 paragraphs to two Occupy D.C. protesters who ginned up a petition effort against, of all things, Fojol Brothers, a popular D.C. street food truck whose employees don turbans and wear fake mustaches as they serve up ethnic cuisine.

At time of the article's publication, the petition -- which objected to an "Orientalist and racist appropriation of South Asian and East African cultures" -- had a paltry 950-some signatures on Change.org, a left-wing petition site. What's more, Post staffer Tim Carman waited until paragraph 14 to disclose that petition author Arturo J. Viscarra's comrade-in-arms/roommate Drew Franklin "is the son of the Post’s Travel editor Zofia Smardz."

For his part, the owner of the Fojol Brothers food truck expressed surprise at all the hullabaloo:

The charges of racism and cultural mockery have blindsided Fojol co-founder Justin Vitarello, who essentially pioneered the city’s modern food-truck movement when he rolled out his first Fojol Bros. vehicle during Barack Obama’s inauguration on Jan. 20, 2009. The charges have impacted his young, ethnically diverse staff, says Vitarello, and they have proven a huge distraction as his ever-growing business gears up for the busy summer months on Washington’s streets.

“This is all just happening,” Vitarello says. “This is a proactive move to de-legitimize us. . . . We’re still trying to understand what the situation is.”

Vitarello may well be chagrined because as a business owner, he's doing his part to run a liberal city-friendly operation. As his company's website proudly notes, a cut of Fojol Bros. profits goes to support "at-risk youth programs" in the District and the company makes sure they use 100% recycled fiber napkins and "biodegradable & compostable" utensils and carry-out containers.

But Vitarello is actually creating something of value that is enjoyed by his many customers. He's a capitalist who dares to make his money by taking ethnic dishes and selling them with flair out of a street truck for profit. Vitarello is a producer, a job creator, being hassled by a liberal paper amplifying an irrelevant petition from two disaffected Occupy D.C. veterans on a left-wing website.

It's a wonder why any entrepreneur worth his salt puts up with the hassle of opening a business in the District.