Institute for Justice Wins First Ever Reason Video Prize

Arlington, Va.—On November 6, the Reason Foundation announced the Institute for Justice (IJ) as one of three winners of the first annual Reason Video Prize. Game of Thrones Food Trucks, produced by IJ Assistant Director of Production & Design Isaac Reese, received third place.

The Reason Video Prize honors “short-form video, film, and moving pictures that explore, investigate, and enrich our appreciation of libertarian beliefs in individual rights, limited government, and especially human possibilities.” Drew Tidwell’s I, Pencil won first place and Justin Monticello’s Obama That I Used to Know won second.

In Game of ThronesFood Trucks, the Institute for Justice—which has received 30 national communications awards—creatively uses the popular HBO show Game of Thrones to explain how Chicago is in the business of protecting restaurants from food trucks. With over 170,000 views on YouTube, the video has gone viral, earning praise from media outlets across the political spectrum.

The video, released in November 2012, announces that three Chicago-area food truck owners have teamed up with the Institute for Justice and filed suit against the city. Under Chicago law, food trucks are banned from vending within 200 feet of any brick-and-mortar that sells food. This includes restaurants, supermarkets, convenience stores, and even gas stations.

To enforce the restriction, Chicago is forcing these entrepreneurs to install GPS tracking devices onto their trucks. Any food truck that violates this 200-foot proximity ban could face fines of up to $2,000—ten times more than the fine for parking in front of a fire hydrant.

The lawsuit is the latest in IJ’s National Street Vending Initiative. Founded in 1991, the Institute for Justice is the national law firm for liberty.