Nurseries fence out day laborers

The owner of Star Nursery grew tired of the litter, the trampled landscaping and the complaints from customers who felt harassed.

So to keep day laborers in search of jobs off his properties, he erected temporary fences around most of the nursery's Las Vegas Valley locations in recent weeks.

"It was like a mob scene" before the fences, said Pat Chapin, attorney for nursery owner Craig Keough. "If a car slows down, they (the laborers) converge on the vehicle. It's intimidating."

"They also crawl over landscaping and step on the plants."

Chapin said the business has been spending about $200,000 a year on security to monitor the day laborers who gather at the nurseries. The fencing encourages them to stay out of the businesses' private parking lots and on the surrounding public sidewalks.

Since the fences went up at six of the nursery's eight Southern Nevada locations, the businesses have received overwhelmingly positive feedback from customers who say they feel more comfortable, Chapin said Tuesday.

Keough has not yet decided whether to erect permanent fences, Chapin said.

The nurseries have been cited by the city and county for putting up the temporary fences. The owner has until Jan. 6 to remove them or to apply for a permit for permanent fences, he said.

About a dozen laborers were gathered along the sidewalks surrounding the Star Nursery location on Eastern Avenue near the Las Vegas Beltway on Tuesday afternoon.

Four of the men agreed to be interviewed in Spanish but declined to give their last names.

They vehemently denied harassing customers, saying they simply ask if people need help with landscaping work.

A man named Miguel waved at a passing truck, calling out "Labor!" The truck didn't stop.

"Does that look like harassment to you?" Miguel asked.

The men don't mind the fence much, they said, claiming they never strayed past the sidewalk into the parking lot while looking for work anyway.

What bothered them were the signs hung on the nursery fence, which read: "Star Nursery values community, we say 'NO' to day laborers."

"It's discrimination against people who are just trying to feed their children," said a laborer named Armando. "We aren't robbing anyone or doing anything wrong."

One of the men said he'd been coming to the nursery since he lost his job in the local construction industry a few months ago. The others had been showing up almost daily for years. Since the economy tanked, they've had a harder time finding work.

"We used to make $60 or $70 a day," Darey said. "Now it's often nothing."

Both Chapin and Mike Salomon, chief executive officer of Moon Valley Nursery -- which also has a location on Eastern near the beltway -- said customers have complained for years about the aggressive behavior of day laborers.

"We hear about them running onto the property, trying to open doors and get in cars," Salomon said.

Moon Valley also is considering erecting fences to keep laborers at a distance, he said.

Chapin said Star Nursery has called police on occasion to kick laborers off the property.

Several Star Nursery customers on Tuesday said they hadn't been bothered by the day laborers before or after the fences went up.

One woman, who declined to give her name and said she visits the store about once every six months, seemed surprised when asked how she feels about the day laborers. "I forget they're there."

Ed Wannebo, 53, who was picking up a Japanese blueberry tree for his yard, said the laborers have never harassed him. "Nobody's ever gotten in my face."

Wannebo, who admits to being heavy into gardening, said he visits the store up to three times a week with his 4-year-old chocolate Labrador, Sophie. He notices the men standing outside looking for work but has never seen them venture into the parking lot or force themselves into anyone's vehicle.

"They're out there trying to make a living," he said. "They're trying to find a gig with the resources they have. I can't blame a guy for going out and trying to earn a buck."

Contact reporter Lynnette Curtis at lcurtis@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0285.