MILWAUKEE — Food truck owners on Water Street are speaking out against a newly approved curfew, saying they were left out of the process before the Common Council voted to restrict their hours.
Abdallah Ismail, owner of Fatt Patty, said he was out of the loop when they made the decision.
"Never been involved, no letter, nothing, no calls," Ismail said.
The Common Council voted unanimously last week to enforce a curfew for food trucks on Water Street. The restriction goes into effect May 9.
"Closing 10 p.m. means closing the business," Ismail said.
A group of food truck owners gathered outside City Hall Thursday morning ahead of the Public Safety and Health Committee meeting to voice their concerns.
"We deserve respect, we deserve a fair opportunity to speak," Ismail said.
Ismail said he hopes to change some minds before the curfew takes effect and wants to find a compromise with the city.
Watch: 'We deserve respect': Food truck owners protest new curfew on water street
"I wanna work with the city, me and the other food trucks. We wanna work with the city to find a better solution than closing us," Ismail said.
Ismail has operated on Water Street for nearly a decade, serving the bar crowd and downtown residents looking for a late-night meal. He acknowledged safety concerns and large crowds in the area, but said the food trucks are not the primary source of those problems.
"There is problems, there are issues down there, but it's not mainly coming from the trucks," Ismail said.
Vanessa Gonzalez, owner of Mr. Taco, agreed, arguing that a curfew will not address the underlying issue.
"Whether there's food trucks in downtown or not, the crowd is still going to be there," Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez said the Common Council overlooked the role food trucks play in the downtown community.
"Don't treat us like we're outcasts, because they said they're so worried about downtown. And they're treating us like we're not part of downtown. And we are part of downtown, we have been here for a while," Gonzalez said.
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