Bar co-owners Danny Presti and Keith McAlarney, in a Covid hotspot in New York, are refusing to close their pub’s doors even after the cit...
Bar co-owners Danny Presti and Keith McAlarney, in a Covid hotspot in New York, are refusing to close their pub’s doors even after the city pulled the liquor license, the NY Post reported. The “Staten Island pub” owners declared the bar an “autonomous zone” to circumvent the state’s Covid lockdown measures.
Mac’s Public House in Grant City is sporting a sign on its door that says: “¡ATTENTION! We hereby declare this establishment an ¡¡¡AUTONOMOUS ZONE!!! We refuse to abide by any rules and regulations put forth by the Mayor of NYC and Governor of NY State.”
It worked famously for the left in Seattle; the mayor left them alone and allowed millions of dollars worth of damages to happen to the city’s Capitol Hill section. What are we kidding? Protecting the feelings of a multi-gendered confused leftist is much more important than letting a business survive.
After a rise in Covid cases in the area, New York Gov. Cuomo relegated the South Shore to the state’s orange-zone status that restricts indoor dining in bars and restaurants, like Mac’s Public House.
The owners of Mac’s Public House chose to keep the business open and gather fines rather than risk closing the doors forever. The pub was “slapped with thousands of dollars in fines, a shut-down order from the state Health Department and the Friday revocation of its liquor license by the State Liquor Authority.”
In a YouTube video Danny Presti says that after the Sheriff’s Department voided the initial $15,000 fine, they “keep coming back” to issue “$1,000 fines.” He says, “at this point, we’re OK with it because we’re not paying it. We’re still here. We’re not letting them in.”
Keith McAlarney, the pub’s other owner, says that they “are not backing down.” When speaking directly to state officials, he says, ” You think you scared me by saying I don’t have a license now to serve liquor now?”
He defiantly continues saying, “Well, guess what? That liquor license is on the wall.”
McAlarney says that the license will stay on the wall, and it only is coming down if it is “gonna be done by [Gov.] Cuomo.” Just a hunch, but it is improbable that Governor Cuomo has the intestinal fortitude to travel to Mac’s Public House to rip that liquor license off the wall.
The owner’s warning for Mayor DeBlasio was heavier handed, promising that if the NYC Mayor wants “to come down here and pull the license off the wall,” that the men would “end up having a conversation before [he] even thinks about stepping foot on [their] property.” He has promised that he “will not back down.”
The owner has circumvented the loss of their liquor license by refusing to charge its customers. McAlarney said, “Sure, you can have a drink; we’re not charging.”
The NY Post spoke to a few supporters that have been trickling in to support their local pub.
One man, Keith Atherholt, gave the pub a $100 tip on a glass of water. He said that he “totally support(s) what [the owners of Mac’s Public House] are doing.” Keith Atherholt continues saying, “I don’t support the tyrannical nonsense they have in place. I gave them $100 for this water. They didn’t charge me. I gave it to support them.”
One of the bar’s Facebook fans stated it best: “There’s more of us than them! Every single small business needs to stand together and do this! So much respect to you guys!! Good luck with everything!”
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