SOL AZTECA LEGAL DEFENSE FUND

Dear Neighbors, Friends, Customers, Family, Business Owners, and All Individuals out there in Madison and the whole world...

My name is Maria Fernanda Velasquez Schettini and I am preparing to launch a legal defense to keep operating SOL AZTECA FUSION GRILL. As such, I come to you to ask for your help to pay for the legal fees to present my case and ensure that the truth and that a just resolution prevail.

In the link below you can find out more about the unfair treatment Sol Azteca is getting and I want to be able to fight for what is just and fair. I have full confidence that God willing and with your help the truth and a just solution shall prevail and Sol Azteca will be here for the community to enjoy for many years to come.

Furthermore, I make a commitment that once this is past us, I will donate twice as much of what I receive in donations to local charities in appreciation for your support in these challenging times.

http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-po...

I want to make it very clear that I am not requesting to be open every day till bar time. All I was and I am requesting is to continue to be open on Fridays till bar time, expand our hours on Saturdays from our current closing of 11:00pm to bar time and for the other days, Sunday thru Thursday to only expand our hours 1 more hour.. That is, instead of closing at 11:00pm to close at 12:00 midnight.

I went door to door visiting my most immediate neighbors, the greatest majority of them support and do not have any issues with Sol Azteca, it is just 2 neighbors that have always been opposed to our operations, and two other neighbors that do not really have concerns or issues with Sol Azteca but because of friendship they tend to go with the other 2 neighbors that have always been opposed. Since it appears that their complaint is about the music (which I assure you it does not come out of our building at all), hence multiple times we have offered them to get rid of the Karaoke yet they still oppose Sol Azteca’s operations.

In the past the police department has encouraged us to be proactive and call them if we see anything in the vicinity of Sol Azteca, on the parking lot that we share with a Laundromat or even when issues may originate at the restaurant, yet it appears that now they are taking those calls we have made against us. Looks like being in an area that has issues with homelessness, unemployment and other substance abuse issues, being a good and proactive neighbor by making the police aware of issues in the area is working against us.

We are confident that on the hearing we will be able to show that most of the noise and disturbance calls come from the same 2 or 3 houses and that every time police have responded to such calls they have not found any noise or any disturbance taking place. I have personally asked Captain Patterson and his officers to please let us know when people call with noise and or disturbance calls so that we may be aware of such and to please issue us a verbal or written warning, or even a citation if we are indeed violating any noise or any of the city ordinances, yet we have none been issued.

Contrary to what the 2 to 3 neighbors say as far as Sol Azteca being a nuisance in the neighborhood, we, our customers and the vast majority of our neighbors know that such is not the case.. To the contrary, Sol Azteca is a positive contribution to the neighborhood, the community and the city of Madison by being a very diverse and cultural place where people that originate from all over the world come to enjoy a delicious meal, a drink, sing a song or two and see others singing as well. Very often we are very fortunate and encouraged to be thanked by our customers for having such a welcoming place where they can come to socialize with their friends and families. Such encouragement, such great comments, when we see our customers enjoying the food, singing along and having such a great time that is what keeps us going, that is why we decided not to accept the reduction of hours of operation for Sol Azteca… Even in the spirit of cooperation with this 2 to 3 neighbors we did not even ask for a drastic change to our current hours of operation, we just asked for 1 additional hour on weekdays (Sunday thru Thursday) and for 3 and a half more hours on Saturdays.

We have challenging times ahead of us, but we are confident that God willing the truth and a just result will prevail.

I truly hope I can count with your help, any amount that you donate will make a huge difference.

Very Truly Yours,

Maria Fernanda Velasquez Schettini

(608) 285-2012

[email protected]

1821 S. Park St., Madison, WI 53713

#SolAztecaLegalDefenseFund