After Drexel attributed their actions regarding campus food trucks to the longstanding laws of Philadelphia and urged students to reach out to the Philadelphia City Council, District 3 councilmember Jamie Gauthier responded that Drexel was not being told to enforce these laws. She instead urged the university to listen to its students and community.
Gauthier explained that while the city does have a law preventing food trucks from parking overnight, it is intentionally enforced selectively. This statement contradicts claims made by the Drexel administration at Monday’s forum that the lack of enforcement was purely due to a lack of resources in the PPA and city police.
In an interview with Fox News, she expressed disappointment and frustration with Drexel for not listening to their students and targeting these food trucks.
“I was somewhat dismayed that they were telling the student community this was because of something that I did,” Gauthier stated. “I would never be a part of any movement to push food trucks off of the campus and in fact I would hope that Drexel would reverse course on this but if they don’t, I’m going to be exploring legislative options to make sure we continue to welcome food trucks to West Philadelphia.”
The City’s Department of Licenses and Inspections, another group cited by Drexel to be a key player in this situation, told Fox News that “Drexel University is performing the enforcement, so they would be the appropriate contact.”
Gauthier followed this interview with a post on Instagram further pressing Drexel to stop targeting these beloved campus food establishments. Drexel University’s Undergraduate Student Government Association also posted an update on their Instagram featuring a video from Gauthier speaking out about City Council’s role in the situation.
Several food trucks around campus already received fines, some as early as 12:39 a.m. this morning.
Pete’s Little Lunch Box, Kami, Happy Sunshine, and other food trucks around campus have reported receiving fines of $150 this morning. According to several students, plans for a formal protest are in development.
