多伦多：华人开餐厅 西人邻居歧视 酒牌或永久吊湮

[mamaomao]

加国：华人开餐厅

倍可亲网站京港台时间01/11向您播报来自倍可亲网讯的消息 http://backchina.com/news/2007-01-11/112910.html

餐厅不卖酒，是否就能够解决社区内的毒品问题？加拿大华裔店主在椰菜镇开餐厅3年多以来，不断有人走入店内高叫「滚回中国」的种族歧视言论。

据星岛日报报道，位于国会街夹云杉街的椰菜镇餐厅正面临被安省酒精及博彩委员会吊销酒牌的可能。1990年移民后担任酒保工作12年的郑先生非常无奈的说，基本上只是毗邻的一户人家，但由于对方在电视台工作，招来大批传媒制造舆论压力，和向市政府施压。多名支持他的顾客也有出席聆讯，但主流传媒几乎一面倒的只访问反对者。他只有说，可能主流社会不喜欢华裔。

多伦多星报专栏作家方伟图 (Joe Fiorito) 说，这是社区转变所引发的典型冲突。椰菜镇开始向上，新迁入的中等阶级自然希望赶走原有的低下层。

由于价格非常大众化，餐厅的顾客大部分是退休人士和残障者。他们往往在店内消磨半天。附近的行乞者都知道，东主不计较他们是否够钱结账，依然会让他们饱餐一顿。一名长期在餐厅内「打趸」的弱智青年，除了吃免费餐之外，郑先生经常聘请他做一些简单的杂务。

餐厅大门上都贴有洗手间只供顾客使用的告示。熟客们都证实，不时有途人因此高叫「滚回中国」，又或威胁要向卫生局或其他执法部门投诉。

郑先生说，邻居偷拍的吸毒片段，全部发生在一街之隔的超级市场后面，却全部入他餐厅的账。至于有人附近随地小便的问题，反而绝对不会是餐厅的顾客。流浪汉也经常在餐厅的外墙小便。

他反驳警方在聆讯上的作供说，多年来从没有警员到店内拉人。唯一的一次是一名活跃在对面街的毒贩在餐厅喝咖啡时，被警员拍膊头叫出店外拘捕。

至于探员声称监视餐厅外的露天座位，发现有毒品交易，然后在店外拉人的说法，郑先生说，警方从未向他反映。而且店铺内外安装了4架闭路电视。

郑先生说，露天座位属餐厅范围，经营者要负上部分责任。但全无警告就吊销酒牌，是赶绝生意。

在附近的罗先生与店东相识多年，也对该区非常了解。这纯粹是有人对低下阶层看不顺眼才小事化大。他质疑说，即使餐厅完全禁酒，甚至改为咖啡店，都完全不会对附近街头的贩毒和吸毒问题有任何改善。流浪汉白天缺乏一个可以暂避风雪和小解之所，反而令产生更多街头问题。

毗邻餐厅的一间住宅，积极向政府游说吊销酒牌。


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遭白人?居投灾毒?出入 攘裔酒吧酒牌或永久吊湮 2007年1月7日
http://kahoo.wordpress.com/2007/01/07/《為2007把脈》電視版-英文版-文字版/



【明???】一殓位於多市市?椰菜??Cabbagetown?、由攘裔?主?_I的酒吧餐?，由於被?居投灾店??常有毒?和醉酒?出?，其酒牌?有可能於下月起被永久吊湮。

呃殓位於??街?Parliament St.??芝添街?Gerrard St.?以北的Cabbagetown Restaurant & Bar，已?咿安省酒精及?博委??吊湮酒牌的聆?，目前正等候委??於下月作出最後裁?。

店主费遭不公平指控

?於指?店「?蛇混集」的投灾，替其父尤打理呃殓酒吧餐?的江先生，昨表示感到?之?奈，呃些指控?他?很不公平，?方根本?有拿出任何?冱的酌?。

他费，?店??有警察?咿，或有人於店?被警察逮捕，也??有收到警方要求作咄「清理」的警告。今次糅上安省酒精及?博委??，全是隔璧一名西人居民??他?，千方百?要把他?隗走所致。

然而，於上周的聆?上，除有晷注的居民和商?外，?有多名警?及市阻?彭?歌娜?Pam McConnel?出庭作供。有判底警?作供表示，他每次到蕴?店，都?逮捕某人，呃奄基本是上一??铨地?。

江先生表示，附近是?晶??Regeant Park?，是多市最多毒?出?的地?之一，而毒?是有流?性的，他?如到其店?私下交易，他真的是束手?策的。

他真，3年前接手?_I以?，只接咿??告票，算是不咿不失。而他??加?店?的「保安」印象，已於去年9月特?安砚4部檩路??，以??客能?倍感安心。

?店?非通宵哌旦的_I?，周一至周六其_I??殓至晚上8?，周日至晚上6?。而就?者昨晚所?，客人有男有女，不少是偕支啤酒，三五知己聊天，????。

江先生费，如今次被列停牌，他??可擂理脔餐，但利?就??少。不咿，如被吊湮酒牌，他???把生意弈售，改到?的地方檫?或索性弈行了。

 

[mamaomao]

Cabbagetown stewed over restaurant

http://www.thestar.com/article/169543

January 10, 2007
Joe Fiorito

A brief recap:

The people who live near the Cabbagetown Restaurant are demanding that the Alcohol and Gaming Commission revoke that restaurant's liquor licence.

The people appeared at the commission in pursuit of that end late last week, citing ongoing drunkenness, loud and rude behaviour, drug dealing, and a variety of illegal and annoying activity in and around the location of the restaurant at Spruce and Parliament Sts.

The people do not want their names in the paper because they fear retaliation by dealers, drug users and drinkers.

The Cabbagetown Restaurant is managed by Victor Jiang and is owned by his father; the elder man bought the place a couple of years ago with his savings, in order to provide himself with a pension in his retirement.

Mr. Jiang's father is in his early 80s, has a bad knee and a bad heart, and had to be summoned to attend the first day of the hearing. He was unaware that he had to appear.

He speaks Mandarin. His son speaks Cantonese.

Do not ask me how it is that the father speaks one language while the son speaks another; this threw the commission for a procedural loop until a friend who came along with Victor agreed to provide a kind of running commentary, even though his Mandarin was less than perfect. "Forty per cent," said the man.

Oh, suitable unto the day.

The alpha neighbour opened the proceedings with a vigorous statement, alleging many instances of the sale and the use of crack cocaine and other drugs in and around the premises, and the frequent arrests of drug dealers and users, and he described the general drunkenness and bad behaviour of the restaurant patrons.

He also entered into evidence a series of photos purporting to show dealers doing business on the patio, and patrons smoking crack, and several other pictures of miserable souls engaging in colourful behaviour; the photos, taken surreptitiously.

Under cross-examination, the alpha neighbour admitted that he had never actually gone into the restaurant, nor did he extend greetings when Victor took over the Cabbagetown Restaurant a couple of years ago.

The alpha neighbour then called his first witness, City Councillor Pam McConnell, who said many people had called her to complain about the restaurant.

She also said she had been given a petition with more than 100 signatures, which she forwarded to the chief of police.

She cited the many community meetings at which the restaurant was the focus of discussion. She listed the various arrests that had taken place, and said she supported the revocation of the restaurant's liquor licence.

The next witness was a man who manages a nearby grocery store.

He said a woman was once arrested in his store for stealing meat; she later told the police that she was broke, and was planning to trade the meat for beer and cigarettes back at the restaurant.

The manager of the store said that, on another occasion, he followed a thief whose jacket was full of roasts; the roast-laden thief left the grocery store and aimed for the restaurant patio; when the manager caught up to the thief and tried to restrain him, or at least rescue his meat, one of the patrons on the patio threatened the manager with a chain; the manager said he prudently backed off, and the thief went into the restaurant and returned, roast-less, to drink beer on the patio.

And then there was a break in the proceedings.

Victor shook his head sadly. He said, in a low voice, "It's not fun for me. They are very personal in what they say. I put in four security cameras. I don't know why they don't come talk to me. Maybe they don't like Chinese."

Sir, I don't think that's it at all.

After the break, another neighbour testified that restaurant patrons had been abusive to his wife; she no longer walks past the patio, even though it is not convenient for her to take a detour.

He added that Victor's security cameras do not seem to have had a deterrent impact. He also said he once saw Victor talking to a man about a bicycle, and in his opinion there was haggling, and he inferred that he had seen a sale of stolen goods taking place. There was no proof of this; there was just a shaky photo and an assumption.

The final resident testified that he lives nearby and one night he put on some work gloves and was picking litter off the street when patio patrons began to mock him. He mocked back.

He said, "There were expletives; eff you, eff me, eff everyone. People on the patio stood up and yelled at me." He said they demanded to know where he lived.

"I was surrounded and outnumbered. That's not good." He wisely effed off and took a circuitous route home.

And then he surprised me.

Of the drunks in the restaurant he said, quietly, to the commission, "We watch the drunks every day. No one here is speaking for people with addictions. Something should be said about these people. It's not Canadian ..." He let the thought tail off.

On Friday, we'll hear from the police.


Joe Fiorito usually appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Email: jfiorito@thestar.ca

 

[mamaomao]

Showdown in Cabbagetown's floating world
http://www.thestar.com/article/168789
January 08, 2007
Joe Fiorito


Will an old man from China lose his pension, and will the old man's son lose his shirt? Will the neighbours who live near their controversial restaurant in Cabbagetown find peace when the crack dealers drift away? And will those men and women who live on the edge of the floating world in Cabbagetown be forced to find another place to get a pitcher of beer?

Because these questions are large, and because livelihoods are at stake, there is no need for haste in search of answers. But there is a certain urgency.

For many months, there have been complaints about the comings and goings in and around the Cabbagetown Restaurant, on the corner of Parliament and Spruce Sts. The cops have busted dealers there. The drinkers, regular and otherwise, have apparently been a nuisance when the weather is warm.

There have been reports of criminal activity on the patio and at the bar. There have been charges laid for liquor licence violations. And, as you might easily imagine, there have been not a few complaints from neighbours who live nearby.

And so the matter of the restaurant came under scrutiny last week, at the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario. The hearing was held in a modern bland meeting room in a clean bright building at Yonge St. and Sheppard Ave.

A bit about the players in this drama:

The manager of the Cabbagetown Restaurant is Victor Jiang. His father is the owner of the restaurant, and he has been in Toronto a mere four years. The elder man does not speak English.

Apparently, he purchased the bar with his savings in order to provide himself with an income in his old age because he has no pension from China, and none here. Victor Jiang, who has owned other bars in Toronto, manages the restaurant for his father and draws a salary.

The neighbours?

They do not wish to be identified. They have complained about the restaurant with considerable vigour for months and now, perhaps with reason, they fear retaliation from drug dealers, and also from drinkers, should the restaurant lose its liquor licence.

Prior to the hearing, both sides gathered at opposite ends of a waiting room. Mr. Jiang seemed perplexed. He shook his head and said, "My business is good. There's no trouble. I don't know why they don't like me. They campaign a long time. I open at 7 a.m. I close at 8 p.m. and stop at 9 o'clock. What happens before, what happens outside, that's not my problem. I work as a bartender for 12 years. I control the bar very good. The police know I control my bar very good. You talk to my customers.

"Outside, there is one beer store, one liquor store. The bad people drink outside. They go to my back door and pee. They pee on his house." He nodded in the direction of one of the angry neighbours.

I'd be upset if drunks peed on my house, too.

And if I were Mr. Jiang, I'd be worried: no liquor licence, no customers, no livelihood for him or his father.

And then I spoke to some of the people who live near Victor's restaurant. A woman told me that her daughter is 9 years old, and is beginning to exert some independence. "When she goes to the store by herself to get milk, she walks past the patio of the restaurant. She says people who drink there make comments to her. The comments make her uncomfortable. I used to ride my bike past the patio on my way home. The people make comments to me. There's a lot of innuendo. The language tends to be limited and vulgar. I had to change my route."

Prior to the hearing, there were feelers put out by the legalists on both sides: might there be some sort of compromise between the neighbours and Mr. Jiang?

The alpha neighbour consulted his fellows, as follows:

"They play hardball in our neighbourhood. It's time we take our streets back. Does anyone think a deal will solve the problem?" No one thought a deal would solve the problem.

The hearing was chaired by Alex McCauley of the AGCO. Mr. McCauley is the former chief of police of Sudbury. He is crusty, but he is capable of wit and twinkle.

The matter before him concerned two violations of the restaurant's liquor licence, and the related question of public interest, by which I mean the neighbours are angry and so they had been given standing at the hearing.

To take on both matters at the same time at a hearing is apparently not the usual practice, but in this case the licence violations, and the interest of the public, are closely intertwined.

Joyce Taylor, counsel for the registrar of the Commission, was prosecuting the violations. She said she would take no position on the question of public interest. Mr. McCauley raised an eyebrow, looked askance at her and said she could not suck and whistle at the same time.

Those Sudbury guys, they speak their mind.

The alpha neighbour called his first witness, City Councillor Pam McConnell. I will tell you what she, and the other witnesses, had to say on Wednesday.

 

[jamesnzhou]

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