Spitting & Urinating at Ricker's Store

[HoosierHelen]

I watched this story in amazement on our local TV news this past week. The Burmese refugees who have settled into FW are having a difficult time learning understanding our health and sanitary standards in the US. The topic drew TV news coverage when an employee posted a sign prohibiting any Burmese customers from entering the store.

An interesting aspect to the story is the store employee posted the sign on the front door in English, and many of the Burmese are not yet able to read English. I would say the communication failure in this case was going both directions. It does appear constructive steps are being made to communicate what is unacceptable in their new US neighborhood.

http://www.indianasnewscenter.com/ne.../87512467.html

I attended an event at Indiana Tech Campus on March 4th where Ms. Homa Sabet Tavangar spoke about the status of the Burmese/Myanmar refugees and how they continue to consider their condition to be refugees after 7 - 8 generations of moving from one country to another and living in very temporary shelters.

After Ms. Tavangar's speech, I visited with a new found friend, a wife of an International Officer in the Lions Club. She shared with me her experiences of traveling in these areas to distribute eye glasses on behalf of the Lions project. She has traveled to many 3rd world countries with her husband on this mission....she said in this part of the world she experienced the greatest sadness of all other locations. Her stories moved my heart and saddened me. Even in locations such as Haiti and Chili where they are suffering from horrible earthquake damages....they do have a homeland to claim as their own. Can anyone imagine not having a nation to claim as a homeland?
I sincerely hope that NATO or someone will continue to address the desperate plight of this large population of people.

http://www.journalgazette.com/articl...19832/0/NEWS04

[Felary]

They should have enough bilingual people to teach them about the health and sanitary standards.Also are other stores in the area having similar problems?

[HoosierHelen]

They should have enough bilingual people to teach them about the health and sanitary standards.Also are other stores in the area having similar problems?

According to the article that I read in the JG, the Catholic Church has now held meetings with representatives from the Burmese community and are extending instructions regarding these manners to those bilingual representatives of the Burmese. Rickers has also removed their sign from their store front. Apparently it was simply an issue that hadn't come to the attention of those who are trying to coordinate their settlement into our community (until now). I haven't read of other businesses having this problem, however, it may be due to the fact that the Burmese remain close to their neighborhoods where they have settled? I really don't know the answer to that.

A good number of years ago I was in Hong Kong. I did take notice that some people used the alleys as restrooms at that time. Early each morning there was a street cleaner/sweeper that ran down the streets and alleys, it included some sort of a steam cleaning device. There were other sanitary concerns that also drew my attention.

There were vendors who pushed wheelbarrows of oyster stew and other foods down the street. If you should decide to taste, they would scoop your food out of the wheelbarrow into a wooden bowl and wait for you to finish. Then generally there was a female behind the male vendor who would swish the wooden bowl in a gray looking dishwater, and return it to the vendor to offer to the next customer. I remained in an observer status on this practice.

In the spirit of fairness, I can well imagine that there are those who go the restroom (literally) in our alleys in the US also. I've never seen a steam cleaner taking it's morning route down our alley ways. It just appeared to me to be an open practice in downtown Hong Kong at that time?

[Copycatted]

So Helen do they still have the open air fish markets over there? I was in Hong Kong and that part of the world some time ago. Extreme right and left politics in here can get us riled in here but for me so does the extreme left and right urination factor of this story as in the pits we call sewer systems in this part of the world and where it ends up whether on the ground or in the waters...my point being would'nt it be nice after the vote this week to not hear the word healthcare for awhile even as this Fort Wayne story is about? Healthcare? Environmentalcare? Come on,where's the difference?

[kingster]

Years ago I worked in a foctory that had people from all over the world,It was surprising and somtimes shocking to see some of their habits firsthand.You never knew what you might run into in the bathrooms.The H.R. department earned their money trying to teach these people our ways with very few speaking English.

[Night Owl]

Thoughts on the Burmese Action Group wanting more from the city of Fort Wayne or Rickers? They claim the City has not done enough and too late, and the very public apology from Ricker's was not good enough.

My opinion: It was a low level employee who put up the sign. sue the pants off the employee if they want to. Rickers took action immediately with a very public apology, even posted on youtube. The city had no role in the matter.

If this becomes an ongoing problem, it is a different story, but to my knowledge it is an isolated incident. I would hope that the employee is no longer employed.

[wickedacoustic]

We are not talking about what happens in another country this is the U.S.A.! When I am visiting another country I look for the correct places (for the culture) for a place to call a restroom.
I believe that Ellis Island should be opened back up, to screen people before entering our Country for residency. Make sure that these people are capable of modern living in "OUR COUNTRY" and not bringing their Neanderthal technologies with them. This is BS, if I were to enter another country to call home, I would be required to understand the laws, and customs before being able to live there. WTF America you would not be treated this way if you went to another country and did this you would be locked up, shot, or if in China beaten (flogged).

At least find a large tree, a bush not the local Market.........How hard is this??? Really??

[wickedacoustic]

Apparently it was simply an issue that hadn't come to the attention of those who are trying to coordinate their settlement into our community (until now).

If they would have been taught a few key pieces of information before entering the country we would not have an issue of this type. But instead a select few say "quick move them into this community" so we can gain the money for having these people live here and we will worry about bringing them up to speed later down the road. I think this might be vital to live in this high paced diverse society that we live in here in the U.S!!................Now question being does this schooling ever happen for these people, or do we move them in and let our legal system teach them????

[Mrs.Slotz]

We are not talking about what happens in another country this is the U.S.A.! When I am visiting another country I look for the correct places (for the culture) for a place to call a restroom.
I believe that Ellis Island should be opened back up, to screen people before entering our Country for residency. Make sure that these people are capable of modern living in \"OUR COUNTRY\" and not bringing their Neanderthal technologies with them. This is BS, if I were to enter another country to call home, I would be required to understand the laws, and customs before being able to live there. WTF America you would not be treated this way if you went to another country and did this you would be locked up, shot, or if in China beaten (flogged).

At least find a large tree, a bush not the local Market.........How hard is this??? Really??

I agree with you 100%. I won't mention any names...but, someone I know married a man from Iraq. He is constantly talking about how America doesn't do things correctly, or, in my country we do this and we do that. You know what? I really don't care what your customs are in your country. This is America and if you don't like it, go back where you came from.

[jennyk]

If they would have been taught a few key pieces of information before entering the country we would not have an issue of this type. But instead a select few say \"quick move them into this community\" so we can gain the money for having these people live here and we will worry about bringing them up to speed later down the road. I think this might be vital to live in this high paced diverse society that we live in here in the U.S!!................Now question being does this schooling ever happen for these people, or do we move them in and let our legal system teach them????

I think we're letting them move in fast because they're gettinng out of bad living situations in refugee camps in Thailand, after fleeing a brutal military regime in Burma/Myanmar.

[HoosierHelen]

I think we're letting them move in fast because they're gettinng out of bad living situations in refugee camps in Thailand, after fleeing a brutal military regime in Burma/Myanmar.

You are so right about that Jenny. I don't begrudge their presence here at all, I'm glad the Catholic church stepped up to assist them with this training.

[wickedacoustic]

I think we're letting them move in fast because they're gettinng out of bad living situations in refugee camps in Thailand, after fleeing a brutal military regime in Burma/Myanmar.

This is the case with many people that look to the U.S. to escape the issues that surround them in whatever country they would like to run from..........
Jenny i understand the humanitarian side to this, As the case in most situations here in th U.S. we put people from these other countries into situations that they are not able to function in, at least to a U.S. standard of living. Turn the tables and try to exsist in another country with your U.S. beleifs.....it would be a very short time before you were locked up due to your actions and beleifs being different from theirs. "So when in Rome"

[Mrs.Slotz]

This is the case with many people that look to the U.S. to escape the issues that surround them in whatever country they would like to run from..........
Jenny i understand the humanitarian side to this, As the case in most situations here in th U.S. we put people from these other countries into situations that they are not able to function in, at least to a U.S. standard of living. Turn the tables and try to exsist in another country with your U.S. beleifs.....it would be a very short time before you were locked up due to your actions and beleifs being different from theirs. \"So when in Rome\" and \"Hope you never find yourself shaking the \"left hand\" of a Malasyian in Malaysia\" Somethings you should just know before leaving your home land and entering another.

I agree. I do feel bad for these people but they should know better. My goodness, do they see anyone else peeing outside? Do they have the attitude, they have the "right" to do it and **** on America? I don't know.

[wickedacoustic]

You are so right about that Jenny. I don't begrudge their presence here at all, I'm glad the Catholic church stepped up to assist them with this training.

Begrudging I am not. I feel that with some prior schooling "before" arrival would make the whole transition an incredible thing for both parties involved, instead of being Crash Coursed by some cashier!

[HoosierHelen]

I agree. I do feel bad for these people but they should know better. My goodness, do they see anyone else peeing outside? Do they have the attitude, they have the \"right\" to do it and **** on America? I don't know.

Here is an interesting tidbit I learned yesterday while getting my hair cut As we were chatting, this topic of the Burmese problem came up. He told me that there is still a bar in Frankenmuth, MI where there is a urinal trough that runs the length of the bar. He said back in the days when women were not allowed into bars, the men would set on the bar stools and not need to get up to go to the restroom. GROSS!! Of course it is not used anymore, however the bar has elected to retain the trough for historical purposes. I wish I could remember the name of the bar...he told me and I have forgotten already. Next time I visit with him, I will retain the name and post it on this thread. Apparently our own ancestors had habits that make us cringe also.

[wickedacoustic]

Here is an interesting tidbit I learned yesterday while getting my hair cut As we were chatting, this topic of the Burmese problem came up. He told me that there is still a bar in Frankenmuth, MI where there is a urinal trough that runs the length of the bar. He said back in the days when women were not allowed into bars, the men would set on the bar stools and not need to get up to go to the restroom. GROSS!! Of course it is not used anymore, however the bar has elected to retain the trough for historical purposes. I wish I could remember the name of the bar...he told me and I have forgotten already. Next time I visit with him, I will retain the name and post it on this thread. Apparently our own ancestors had habits that make us cringe also.

Several fair grounds, older race tracks, and some ball diamonds that I have been to also have these urnal troughs. rough enough trying not getting stage fright while using these, but the thought of NOT leaving your company to visit the restroom is just odd. I am just gald that my Parents taught me proper restroom etiquet......Oh! and Frankenmuth don't forget to wash your hands before returning to your drink!

[Mrs.Slotz]

Here is an interesting tidbit I learned yesterday while getting my hair cut As we were chatting, this topic of the Burmese problem came up. He told me that there is still a bar in Frankenmuth, MI where there is a urinal trough that runs the length of the bar. He said back in the days when women were not allowed into bars, the men would set on the bar stools and not need to get up to go to the restroom. GROSS!! Of course it is not used anymore, however the bar has elected to retain the trough for historical purposes. I wish I could remember the name of the bar...he told me and I have forgotten already. Next time I visit with him, I will retain the name and post it on this thread. Apparently our own ancestors had habits that make us cringe also.

Very Interesting Helen. I tried googling this bar and was unsuccessful.

[HoosierHelen]

Very Interesting Helen. I tried googling this bar and was unsuccessful.

I found the link Mrs. Slotz! http://www.tiffanysfoodandspirits.co...us/history.php

I believe the keyword here is cuspidor.

[hairypumper]

I found the link Mrs. Slotz! http://www.tiffanysfoodandspirits.com/aboutus/history.php

I believe the keyword here is cuspidor.

Or, in other words, a spittune.

[HoosierHelen]

Or, in other words, a spittune.

No, I know what a spittune is, and that doesn't fit the description. The way he described it was that it ran the full length of the bar, located near the floor. In the link they describe the bar 'as quite unique with the beautiful woodwork and famous running water floor cuspidor'.