On Tuesday, Danny Presti, the co-owner of Mac's Public House on Staten Island was arrested by deputies. His crime? Trying to enter his own bar.
Presti's pub is in an area marked as an "orange zone" by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and as such, they aren't supposed to be serving customers indoors under coronavirus restrictions.
Because Gov. Andy knows best.
This is the same pub that declared itself an "autonomous zone" last month and has already been fined thousands of dollars by the city for staying open amid draconian lockdown orders that have unfairly targeted bars and restaurants over other businesses.
Well according to Sheriff Joseph Fucito, deputies executed a sting operation against Mac's in which deputies in plainclothes went into the bar on Tuesday and ordered food and gave a recommended donation that the bar had in place to skirt the letter of the law.
That's when they started handing out tickets. Well, Presti didn't like that and was charged with obstruction of governmental administration and other charges related to unauthorized food and beverage service (at his own bar). Presti's lawyers say he was essentially arrested for trespassing when he tried to enter his own bar as the deputies were blocking the entrance.
A crowd of supporters booed and jeered at law enforcement officers as they took Presti away in handcuffs.
Yeah, folks were not happy:
Imagine being dragged off in handcuffs from YOUR OWN BUSINESS simply for being open. Shameful.
