Why Buona Forchetta? Who is next?
On Monday, the Italian restaurant, which was raided Friday evening by more than 20 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and agents, remained closed. Other businesses were in their usual groove — yoga classes, breakfast burritos, coffees to go — but some neighborhood workers and store patrons said the show of force in the raid left them feeling uncomfortable and seeking answers.
At the yoga studio across the street, students traded reactions to the raid, and staff discussed how they could show .
“I just think it felt more real now,” said Brian MacLaggan, who had just concluded a class, as the studio emptied out Monday. “We’ve been reading about it and hearing about it in other places — the raids themselves, or just ICE and how aggressive they are. I think a lot of us didn’t realize just how aggressive it really is. I mean, it was smoke bombs and everything. It was a big deal. It was very disruptive, scary, for a lot of people.”
Josie Kramer said she and other instructors were mulling offering a free class to people directly impacted by the raid, who might be working through trauma.
MacLaggan said he wants clarity about Friday’s events. “Which businesses are they targeting and why? And how does that process work"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=8b64ff35-2d21-481e-88ae-8562dded85bd&cid=1ffe15d6-eb53-11e9-b4d2-06948452ae1a'; cnx.cmd.push( function() { cnx( { playerId: "8b64ff35-2d21-481e-88ae-8562dded85bd" } ).render( "11982501ceb44352bd1e95848c612274" ); } );
He added that people he has spoken with were upset that immigration enforcement is affecting people who are living and working in the U.S. peacefully.
“I think the initial association was criminals are going to be deported, not people that have been in our community for 30 years. Some of these people have been living here, working at Buona Forchetta since it opened. So I think that’s a big surprise,” he said. “They get to decide who they go after and what they’re going after. But for some reason — that goes back to the question: What businesses are they targeting and why? Was there some type of criminal element they felt that was at that business? “
Search warrant affidavits unsealed later Monday say immigration authorities received two tips about the restaurants hiring undocumented workers. An investigation revealed that 19 employees had suspected fraudulent green cards, providing probable cause for the search, according to the affidavit. Four employees who were in the U.S. illegally were arrested, according to Homeland Security Investigations, although officials did not say if they were facing criminal charges or civil immigration violations.
Half a block from the restaurant, Cyrus Gooding, the manager of the recently opened Pop Pie Co. sweet and savory pastry and ice cream shop, said Monday he was off work Friday evening when he got panicked messages from his employees. Since then, he has talked with his staff and supervisors about how they might handle a similar situation.
“We want to have those conversations with our employees, you know? Who are we going to call? What are we going to do? And then for me, as the manager, … responsible for everyone else here, that is very scary,” he said.
Gooding described South Park as a tight-knit community where businesses one another and where the customers are always friendly. That made Friday’s raid, where law enforcement officers and agents clad in tactical gear entered a restaurant until then best known for handmade pasta and woodfired pizza, even more shocking, he said.
“You just wouldn’t expect something like that to happen in this neighborhood, for sure,” he said.
“It is definitely very upsetting,” he added. “I think that, in the broader scale of everything, this is a sanctuary city, right? I think that these are people that are just trying to work, make a living and live.” He called the raid and the way it was carried out “unacceptable.” Bystander footage showed law enforcement personnel wearing masks that covered their faces and carrying assault weapons.
Gooding said fear is reverberating through other San Diego small businesses, where it’s already “hard to retain employees.” Through an acquaintance in the food service industry, Gooding has learned that workers at a different San Diego restaurant have not shown up to work since Friday because they are nervous.
Buona Forchetta restaurants announced that all its San Diego and Orange County locations would be closed through Tuesday. Owner Matteo Cattaneo did not respond to requests seeking comment, and an attorney representing the company declined to comment when reached by phone Monday. The restaurant said in a statement later that it had just obtained a copy of the warrant and was “in the process of reviewing it carefully with our legal counsel.”
Staff writers Alexandra Mendoza and Alex Riggins contributed to this report.
