A Staten Island pub has declared itself an “autonomous zone” that won’t abide by Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s coronavirus restrictions.
“!ATTENTION! We hereby declare this establishment an !!!AUTONOMOUS ZONE!!!” a sign outside of Mac’s Public House in Grant City says, which hearkens back to the autonomous zone in Seattle this summer. “We refuse to abide by any rules and regulations put forth by the Mayor of NYC and Governor of NY State.”
Earlier this month, owners Danny Presti and Keith McAlarney said they would not close their pub as restrictions on indoor dining were announced. They subsequently have been fined thousands of dollars, were issued a shutdown order, and had their liquor license revoked.
“At this point, we’re OK with it, because we’re not paying it,” Presti said. “[The Sheriff’s Department] is issuing us $1,000 fines, so they keep coming back. We’re still here. We’re not letting them in.”
“We’re not backing down. You think you scared me by … saying I don’t have a license now to serve liquor now? Well, guess what? That liquor license is on the wall. If that liquor license is gonna come off the wall, it’s gonna be done by Cuomo. You wanna come down here and pull that license off the wall?” McAlarney says in a YouTube video posted Friday, the same day the bar’s liquor license was yanked.
“De Bozo,” he continued, presumably referring to Mayor Bill de Blasio, “you want to come down here and pull the license off the wall? Feel free to end up comin’ down, and we’ll end up having a conversation before you even think about stepping foot on my property. I will not back down.”
