[ April 19, 2024 ]
Defy the fascist seizure of power in New York and you, too, will be destroyed.
Stand up for your rights and the Democrats will punish you — harshly.
Joyce’s Tavern is the most popular restaurant on Staten Island.
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Beloved Staten Island tavern loses liquor license days after suing over restaurant ban
Something smells rotten on Staten Island — and it’s not the old dump.
Residents believe the stench is coming from Albany.
By Dean Balsamini, The New York Post, September 19, 2020 |
The borough’s beloved Joyce’s Tavern — which has a heavy FDNY constituency — lost its liquor license following a “surprise, random” visit during a 9/11 fundraiser on Sept. 11 by State Liquor Authority (SLA) inspectors.
The Irish pub’s supporters say the raid was a political hit job, and that a new videotape will soon prove the bar and grill did nothing wrong — and could exonerate it as soon as this coming week.
Tavern backers believe the ill-timed raid was retaliation by Gov. Cuomo for a lawsuit filed just days earlier against him, as well as the city and Mayor de Blasio, by Joyce’s and other crippled Island restaurants demanding they be allowed to reopen.
About 900 Islanders outraged by the SLA takedown formed a GoFundMe defense fund that collected $66,000 in less than a week.
“Resistance to thugs like Cuomo and Communists like de Blasio is vital if we are to live in freedom,” said Frederick Martin, who chipped in $100.
The borough’s pols have also jumped into the fray.
State Sen. Andrew Lanza (R-SI) has been working behind the scenes to get the Cuomo administration to “correct the mistake made by the SLA,” sources said.
Lanza told The Post Friday, “This restaurant, for all intents and purposes, is closed down. It breaks my heart that government can’t fix a clear mistake.”
City Councilman Joe Borelli blasted Cuomo and de Blasio on Twitter for siccing the SLA on the 54-year-old gin mill. The GOP lawmaker, known for his sharp tweets attacking both Dems, noted the raid also came a day after he held a well-publicized book-signing on Joyce’s patio. “What a coincidence,” he said, that on the “very next night, the SLA goons come in for a surprise random inspection.”
The state denied the action was Cuomo’s revenge. An SLA spokesman told Joyce’s attorneys Lou Gelormino and Mark Fonte that the tavern was one of over 1,300 visited by inspectors Sept. 11.
The SLA contends the gin mill “violated the executive orders that have been in place for six months, by allowing at least 10 patrons to eat indoors.”
But the tavern contends the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation fundraiser that drew a large crowd was situated outdoors on a back patio. The only people inside, it says, were a party of eight, including two pregnant women, who were waiting for 45 minutes to be seated. They were invited inside to rest. No food was served and two glasses of water were given to the expecting moms. Co-owner Clare O’Toole was drinking a glass of wine.
The tavern’s lawyers said the SLA found the patio scene “fully compliant,” but wrote the bar up for the inside guests violating the ban on indoor drinking and dining.
The lawyers said they “have presented the SLA with evidence fully exonerating Joyce’s of any wrongdoing. Unfortunately, while we wait for the board of the SLA to meet next week, Joyce’s will still unjustly have their liquor license suspended.
“Sadly, the SLA choose 9/11 a day of unity, a day remembrance, a day when Joyce’s was hosting a charity event, to unjustifiably suspend their license.”
Gelormino and Fonte represent Joyce’s and other restaurants in their Sept. 8 lawsuit to jumpstart indoor dining in the Big Apple. Cuomo has since announced the prohibition will be lifted on Sept. 30.
While Joyce’s braces for its SLA hearing, restaurant owner Clare O’Toole said her family “is confident that when the SLA digests all the evidence they will quickly lift the suspension. We truly appreciate the outpouring of support we received and just want to get back to doing what we love, serving the Staten Island community.”
On Saturday morning, the restaurant and other Island eateries presented a check totaling over $25,000 to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, the proceeds from the 9/11 fundraiser.
The story was first reported by the Staten Island Advance and NY1.
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23 Comments
3 years ago
move to a red state but keep ur politics behind
3 years ago
Reply to
joe shmoe
Agreed. After leaving the shooting range yesterday I went to the grocery store and encountered a young woman with three pre-school aged boys and an open carry sidearm. Not a single person breathed a word to her about it.
I was so proud of her. There is hope yet for the younger crowd.
3 years ago
Past time to invite deblasio, cuomo and all their donors to a big necktie party.
3 years ago
Intimidation much?
3 years ago
Breaking: Something’s Up in Israel:
3 years ago
Reply to
DemocracyRules
Janey: That was yesterday, and we have no word since from Bibi. But Gantz was en route to D.C. to talk about ‘over-match’ issues with regard to the UAE getting the F-35. Israel must ensure that the UAE can never use the F-35 against Israel. SO maybe that’s why Bibi interrupted an important meeting to take a phone call: maybe Gantz called.
3 years ago
3 years ago
Weaponizing government agencies against political opponents.
3 years ago
Reply to
ed
Hey darling, I can make a shadow map of Florida without using my hands. Wanna see?
3 years ago
Reply to
AlgorithmicAnalyst
HMMM! CLOSING BARS AND LIQUOR STORES COULD BE THE BEST THING THIS INTENTIONALLY VIRUS BUG HAS DONE! LESS KIDS KILLED BY DRUNK DRIVERS! DRUNKS MAY GO BACK TO MEXICO TO BUY THEIR BOOZEEE!
3 years ago
Governor Whitmer in Michigan, here, did far worse to a physical therapist who filed a back to work lawsuit. She had about six different State agencies in his and his families personal and business including Treasury auditors. They even did a Social Service safety check threatening to take his small children away based on anonymous sources of abuse. This guy is lucky it was JUST his liquor license.
3 years ago
Reply to
MichiganCPA
“Adolf Whitler Allows Gay Swinger’s Club to Operate While Barber Loses License”. Fornication, Abortion, Booze, and Marijuana are essential. Church isn’t, if that doesn’t show us who we are dealing with nothing will…
3 years ago
Sounds like something out of Obama’s playbook.
It was just a “coincidence”. Sometimes coincidence is well timed.
3 years ago
SUE NYC for MILLIONS!
3 years ago
I hope & pray that the owners sue the City & DeBlasio and WIN!!!
3 years ago
So the courts told Trump that he couldn’t ban a moron that disrupted his press briefings at every chance and the libturds can take your business license because they don’t like you? The smart business owners will pack up and leave the libturd areas for good!!!!
3 years ago
Clear abuse of power. New Yorkers either need to leave the state or flat ignore the state and city govt and defend their rights like Americans.
3 years ago
Now they’ll have ANOTHER reason to sue! And they should!!
