Mexican food truck vandalized
<p>A customer is served at Nina Mary’s Mexican-American food truck on Tuesday in the parking lot of Runge Furniture in Coeur d’Alene.</p>
<p>Mary Hayes, owner and sole operator of Nina Mary's Mexican-American food truck, takes a customer's phone-in order on Tuesday. Hayes' food truck, located in the parking lot of Runge Furniture on Spokane Street in Coeur d'Alene, has been the target of vandalism and theft in the six years it's been operating.</p>
<p>Mary Hayes holds an electrical cord that was powering her food truck when it was cut last weekend. In the six years Hayes has had her food truck open in the parking lot of Runge Furniture in Coeur d'Alene, this is the third electrical cord of Hayes' to be cut, while another was stolen.</p>
COEUR d'ALENE — Mary Hayes removed a 60-pound piece of beef from her mobile Mexican eatery's freezer Friday, placing it in the refrigerator to thaw over the weekend.
When she returned to Nina Mary’s, her midtown-based food truck Monday morning, however, she didn't expect to find an all-out defrost.
Hayes discovered the cord that powers her business was sliced, an act of vandalism that nearly spoiled all the stand's food.
Located in a parking lot near Runge Furniture, just off Fourth Street, Nina Mary’s had been closed since Labor Day, but was in operation again last week. When Hayes returned, she said customers told her another Mexican truck in the area had its power cut, but she didn't know which one. She was later surprised to be the target of a similar act.
"It could be any little hooligans out there," said Hayes, a North Idaho resident since 1979. She makes an 84-mile round-trip trek to and from Black Lake to operate her business during the week.
Two other nearby mobile Mexican food stands, Taco Works on Best Avenue and Tacos Los Panchos on Fourth Street, said they haven't experienced any recent vandalism.
Coeur d’Alene Police Det. Jared Reneau said there does not appear to be an increase in these types of incidents.
Still, it concerns Hayes because it reminds her of a time not too long ago when Mexican food trucks were targeted.
White supremacists marched on a sidewalk near her stand a few years ago.
"You can come and march here all you want. That's your right. I'm more afraid of the vandalism," said Hayes, a self-described "mutt" of German, American and Hispanic descent born and raised in the U.S.
The same happened to Tacos Los Panchos, up the street from Nina Mary’s, in 2011. That year, $1,600 worth of electronics were stolen from the vendor and the lifelines of the business were cut, leaving it with no power, water or heat.
Hayes said she is proud to prepare and sell her mother’s and grandmother’s recipes. Hayes’ grandmother was brought to the U.S. legally when she was 4 years old.
Hayes fears some of Donald Trump's presidential campaign rhetoric is "bringing back the hate."
“Me, I'm going to toss a coin," she said, about how she'll decide who to vote for in November's election.
She said she knows many good people in Coeur d'Alene who won't tolerate vandalism or targeting someone because of their race or ethnicity.
"I just want people to take care of each other, to keep a look out for what's going on," Hayes said.