Reputation at steak: Vento off the hook

Joey Vento won't have to go out of business now.

Vento vowed he would shut down Geno's Steaks rather than take down the signs he put up reading, "This is America. When ordering please speak English."

But yesterday, after nearly two years and a grilling at a hearing on the issue of whether the signs were "offensive," the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations ruled that there was "insufficient evidence" to pursue the case.

It had filed a discrimination complaint against the South Philadelphia steak shop in 2006.

"Finally, they ran across a guy who put his money where his mouth was," Vento said after yesterday's ruling.

"I never thought I did anything wrong. If they [immigrants] can't speak English, they can't read the sign," said Vento, declaring his free-speech rights were being denied.

"The matter is behind us and I look forward to directing this agency to more progressive ends," said W. Nick Taliaferro, executive director of the Commission on Human Relations.

"This is an excellent example of the balanced and conscientious attempt made by the Commission, on a daily basis, to fulfill its mandate," he added.

Vento said that no one had ever been denied service at Geno's, located at 9th and Passyunk, because they didn't speak English.

He was represented by the Atlanta-based Southeastern Legal Foundation, a conservative public-interest law center.

"On behalf of Joey Vento and the hundreds of thousands of free-speech supporters who spoke out during this attack on Mr. Vento's free-speech rights, we are pleased by the conclusions of the commission," Shannon L. Goessling, executive director of the organization, said.

Critics charged that Vento had put up the signs because an increasing number of Mexicans had moved into the neighborhood around the steak shop.

Vento said that he was disturbed only by "illegals," who were taking jobs from Americans.

Vento acknowledged that his grandparents were Italian immigrants, but said that the family was forced to learn English when they came here.

He said he'd gotten a lot of support via letters and e-mail, but others had harassed him. "They come by, call me a racist," he said.

In addition to yesterday's vindication, Vento said that he'd like just one more thing: an "apology" from Mayor Nutter.

Vento said that Nutter had declared during his election campaign that the signs should be taken down.

Nutter spokesman Doug Oliver had no comment. *