Hoboken Council Settles With Vape Van Owner After Immigration Rant Goes Viral

HOBOKEN, NJ — Here’s what 9th Cloud Vape Van owner Joe Ruggiero’s now-infamous “immigrant” rant in Hoboken will cost him: 10 anger management classes and a suspension of his business activities until the end of the month.

On Wednesday, the Hoboken City Council approved a settlement with Ruggiero after several city officials threatened to pull his municipal vendor’s license following an anti-immigrant rant near Washington and 5th Streets on May 6.

As part of the settlement, Ruggiero will attend 10 anger management classes and has agreed to suspend operation of his “vape van” company in Hoboken until May 31.

Only two members of the council dissented from the 7-2 vote to approve the settlement: Jen Giattino and David Mello.

The video of Ruggiero yelling at a Latino family - which he says captured only a part of the incident and doesn’t accurately depict the encounter – quickly went viral on the internet.

A criminal harassment complaint has since been filed against Ruggiero with the Hoboken Police Department, NJ.com reported.

• See related article: Hoboken ‘Vape Van’ Rant About Immigration, Trump Sparks Outrage

“Go back to your own country, you f****** [immigrant],” Ruggiero can be seen yelling. He later reenters a van, proclaiming “Trump!” followed by a racial slur.

Watch a video of the encounter below. WARNING: Video contains offensive language and racial slurs. Viewer discretion advised.

In the wake of the incident, many Hoboken residents and community leaders expressed outrage about the incident.

Council members Ravinder Bhalla and Ruben Ramos Jr. sponsored a resolution that would have yanked 9th Cloud Vape’s vendor’s license – which is due to expire on Dec. 31 - under section 146-12 of the Hoboken City Code.

The resolution cites city officials’ right to revoke a vendor’s license if the business violates “any municipal ordinance, state or federal statute.”

It doesn’t identify which specific statute Ruggiero allegedly violated, but charges that “9th Cloud Vape has failed to adhere to the city’s ordinances and state law.”

However, following a meeting between city and Ruggiero’s attorneys, the council eventually agreed to Wednesday’s settlement.

The resolution reads:

“The parties agree that in lieu of the City Council considering revocation of 9th Cloud Vape’s vendor license… that it is in their best interest to enter into [this settlement], which outlines an appropriate course of action that helps ensure this type of behavior will not reoccur and to ensure other vendors and the public understand that [this] type of behavior is unacceptable.”

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1ST AMENDMENT RIGHTS

During Wednesday’s council meeting, several members of the public – as well as supporters and friends of Ruggiero – spoke about the incident and its implications for 1st Amendment rights in the city.

Watch a video of the meeting below. Discussion of the Vape Van resolution begins around the 49 minute mark.

RUGGIERO, LATINO FAMILY SPEAK

Following the incident, Ruggiero and 9th Cloud Vape issued the following statement:

“It is truly unfortunate to find ourselves this situation we sincerely regret. As many of you may know, footage has been posted on the internet and social media platforms of a verbal altercation between our team and a party/family on the date of May 6. The verbal exchange soon escalated against our favor. We regret to admit insulting racial slurs were made by a member of our team. The exchange from start to finish went on for about 10 minutes, the recording shows the last few minutes. We sincerely apologize to all and anyone who is a part of the family, and to all who may have found our actions offensive. This public statement is in no way a justification for any of our actions. We are taking full responsibility for this situation and will act in any way possible to assure anything like this does not happen again.”

Leidy Gutierrez, who said she was the daughter of the Latino man targeted in the video, issued the following statement to Patch:

“We denounce the hateful, hurtful, nativist, and offensive acts from the 9th Cloud Vape Van Owner on May 6. We hear countless stories of harassment, intimidation, and bullying of immigrants around our nation. It was our obligation to speak out. No hard-working American, whether or not they are an immigrant, should have to work in fear... We must all stand up against this type of behavior. No one should be targeted on the basis of race, religion, or immigration status. I encourage people to use this as an example to speak up and report these incidents without fear of any recrimination. Hate speech and hate crimes hurt the entire community, not just the victims.”

• See related article: Latino Family Speaks About Hoboken Vape Van ‘Hate Rant’

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Photo: Hoboken City Council meeting, May 17, 2017