Arlington, Va.—Institute for Justice Attorney Greg Reed released the following statement about the city of Baltimore’s creation of 10 new food truck zones. The mayor stated today that the zones were created in direct response to IJ’s lawsuit challenging the city’s ban on food trucks operating within 300 feet of any brick-and-mortar business that sells the same type of food, merchandise or service:

This announcement is nothing more than an unsuccessful attempt by the city to make it appear as if it is promoting food truck freedom. The answer to the city’s unconstitutional 300-foot ban is not to create food truck zones. The answer is to get rid of the ban completely, along with the idea that Baltimore can protect brick-and-mortar businesses from mobile vending competition. The city itself has admitted that the ban’s purpose is to protect one group of businesses at the expense of another. That is just plain wrong. IJ, Pizza di Joey, and MindGrub will keep fighting until Baltimoreans are free to decide where to buy their lunch.