The signs outside and around Mac’s Public House in Grant City say: “!ATTENTION! We hereby declare this establishment an !!!AUTONOMOUS ZONE!!!” as well as “We refuse to abide by any rules and regulations put forth by the Mayor of NYC and Governor of NY State.”
NYC bar in COVID-19 hotspot refuses to shut down after state yanks liquor license. https://t.co/WwjPVUGG9B pic.twitter.com/HoawxhkzqY
— Eugene Mecke Jr (@emeckejr) November 29, 2020
The restrictions came into effect in NY on Wednesday, including a ban on indoor dining in bars and restaurants, but the owners were apparently unafraid of being slapped with thousands of dollars in fines, a shut-down order from the state Health Department or even getting its liquor license revoked on Friday by the State Liquor Authority.
Co-owner Keith McAlarney backed up his partner’s "free of restrictions" declaration: “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 said in a YouTube video uploaded on Friday after the revocation of the bar’s liquor license was announced.
