Providence Women-Owned Business Hometown Poké Criticizes Elorza for Blocking Access to Small Biz
Sunday, May 03, 2020
The founders of Hometown Poké took to social media on Saturday to criticize Mayor Jorge Elorza’s Slow Streets program.
The women -- Becca Brady and Tiffany Ting started -- started with a food truck and then opened the restaurant in October of 2018.
In January, GoLocal reported that the restaurant was selected as the #40 "Top Places to Eat" in America, according to Yelp users.
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They posted to Facebook on Saturday:
"We are still open for business, against all odds. We’ve gotten a lot of calls, dms, and walk-ins today expressing confusion and asking about how they can access the store. You can drive right around those barriers and pull on up to our storebaby. @mayorofpvd hasn’t changed his mind about this program. The impact within the first hour and a half of us being open is clear - this is confusing to customers and delivery drivers. This creates additional burden on already hard-hit small businesses and non-profits.
This program serves wealthy residents who have the luxury of staying home, collecting a salary, and being able to walk the streets and parks during the day. There was no thought at all about essential workers who have to get around the city or small businesses or non-profits who are suffering right now. Poorer communities are being inconvenienced to benefit wealthier ones.
Please contact the mayor’s office and urge them to open our streets back up. We love you. The fight continues. Thanks for fighting for small businesses alongside us."
Taxpayer Dollars Questioned
On Saturday, GoLocal reported that a top-ranking City Councilman criticized Elorza's program for its cost.
This week, the city announced that in a "new effort to make it safer for residents to walk, run and ride bicycles" while maintaining social distancing, the city will limit through traffic on select city roadways.
"I’m confused, if we are opening [the parks], then why are we closing streets and wasting $15,000 of taxpayer money. Each neighborhood will have a park, path or trail for use," said City Council President Pro Tempore Michael Correia in Ward 6.
"Both the reduction of traffic and increase of space will provide a safe environment for residents to maintain physical and mental health in their neighborhoods. Additionally, select greenspaces and parks will be reopened for active use only," said the city in their release.
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