by Michelle Boudin

Greg Asciutto talks fast, not because he has so much to say but so much to do. The executive director of CharlotteEAST, a nonprofit that works to boost social and economic capital in the East Charlotte corridor, Asciutto says he’s devastated by what’s been happening in his community since Customs and Border Patrol agents began making arrests in an operation they’ve dubbed “Charlotte’s Web” across the area Saturday morning.  

“It’s horrific for a lot of different reasons: the social aspect, the emotional aspect, the economic,” he says. “They’re different lanes and they’re all suffering immensely. It’s indiscriminate chaos, that’s really the only way to describe it.”

Asciutto says he and a team of community volunteers have been organizing with immigrant and refugee nonprofits as well as faith-based organizations for days, but on Monday shifted their focus to helping the impacted businesses.

“We’ve been pivoting to focus on small businesses and how we can make whole some of the entities that have closed,” he says. “We have a survey out across the city asking small businesses how they’ve been impacted, forced to close, how long they anticipate being closed and the average revenue lost per day. The responses coming in are not pretty and range from $400 per day and they don’t know when they can open up again to another partner that is losing $5,000 a day in what is already a terrible economic climate.”

Asciutto prefers not to name specific businesses but says many of those affected are restaurants. Manolo Betancur, the owner of beloved Manolo’s Bakery, posted a video on social media saying he was closing for the first time in 28 years because he doesn’t want his customers to be in danger. His story made national news. Food Geeks Eatery posted similarly, citing staff safety concerns and letting customers know the restaurant’s Charlotte location was temporarily closed. Longtime banh mi shop Le’s Sandwiches announced it was shifting hours, posting “our local supply chain has been disrupted and we want to protect our family and customers.” 

“We have 650 businesses in the Eastland area and a lot are Latino-owned, Latino-facing and whether it’s themselves, even if they’re documented and are citizens, many are closing because of the fear of indiscriminate targeting,” Asciutto says. “Others are closing for their customer base security concerns and some are having to close because of labor concerns. It runs the gamut but this has been the most intense disruption to the economy since covid without question.”

Raphael Patrizi is the Italian-born chef owner of Mano Bella, the popular Italian pasta spot and market with Uptown and SouthPark locations, and says as someone who is in this country with a green card, he is horrified watching what’s happened in the city he has come to embrace as his own.

“It’s been tough,” he says. “I am an immigrant. I moved to the States 11 years ago so it’s been hard to see people that you love and people you see in the streets, you see the fear in people’s eyes.”

He is reluctant to say the word aloud but is clear with what he means when he says, “It feels like we’re back in the European times in the 1940s. I don’t want to say it, but this is how it feels, there is a lot of fear, but also prayers and hopes.”

Patrizi met his American wife in 2013 and moved from Rome to be with her the following year. Now they have a seven-month-old baby.

“I have a green card, but it feels a little scary seeing how they [Border Patrol agents] are acting,” he says. “I worry somebody will see me and they hear my accent, before they ask me for ID, they could have put me down and things can escalate. It’s very scary for myself but I am more scared for other people that may be misunderstood.”

He’s also seen the impact firsthand at his restaurants. 

“My business, people are afraid, some of them have not come in to work,” he says. “We are an Italian bakery so we haven’t been impacted that much, because they don’t see you as much as an immigrant when you’re Italian, but a couple of workers didn’t show up. These are people that are legal American citizens but they’re afraid so they’re not coming to work and I hear that happening at other restaurants.”

The new father is hopeful because he sees the community stepping up and banding together, but admits it’s a very sad time.

“I came to the States because I love my wife and I came with a dream and it’s the most beautiful country in the world, but right now that dream is a nightmare.” 

If you’d to help, check out charlotteeast.com where they have a master list of resources where you can learn about volunteer opportunities, donation needs and more.

You can also find out more at carolinamigrantnetwork.org.

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