What's Next for Postville?
By Josh Hinkle, Anchor/Reporter
Signs are posted in Spanish as well as English for movie rentals at The Sweet Spot on Tuesday, May 13, 2008, in Postville. Manager Kati Scott of Clayton says that her business is already down a day after federal law enforcement raided the Agriprocessors meat packing plant. Scott says the real indication on how the raid has affected business will be Friday and Saturday when she says the ice cream shop and movie rental business, which is connected to a laundromat, is normally packed with children and teenagers. (Photo by Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
By
Becky Ogann
Story Created:
May 13, 2008 at 4:05 PM CST
Story Updated:
May 14, 2008 at 10:12 AM CST
POSTVILLE - Postville was already a small town of 2,300 before the raid. Now city officials say many people are fleeing in fear, not to mention the near 400 plant workers detained.
More than a third of the workers at the city's largest business are gone. Without those workers many fear Agriprocessors will shut down. If that happens, the mayor says 95% of the shops here will dry up. Petrona Garcia's convenience store is the only Hispanic business in town with customers the day after the raid.
"All the shops are closed. Not one is open. No one even comes to them," said Petrona Garcia, business owner.
Her husband agrees it's the worst it could be.
"The shops are closed because there are no people in Postville at all," said Cesar Jochola, Garcia's husband.
City officials tell me most fled or hid after the raid at Postville's largest employer. Agriprocessors lost nearly 400 workers. Downtown businesses lost even more customers.
"She thinks she's got to close it down and get a job somewhere else," said Karla Campos, daughter.
Garcia's daughter manages their family's other store - a diner that usually serves food from their native Guatemala. But now it also bears a closed sign.
"They usually come in and eat, but right now, why do we have it open if people won't come in anyway," said Campos.
Garcia moved here with a dream of opening that diner. Without the plant, though, she says Postville's entire economy could close down.
"There are no businesses. We stay open for the people, but they're just not here. We don't know what will happen. We just don't know," said
The mayor tells me he has a plan. He wants to figure out a way to keep those workers here in Postville instead of deporting them.
He is now working with state and federal lawmakers in the hopes of doing just that.
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