Evidence Is Mounting That Governor Cuomo Is Targeting Bars That Criticize Him for Suspension

A week after starting a petition calling for Governor Andrew Cuomo to reverse New York’s mandate requiring that a substantial amount of food must be served with any alcohol purchase, Abby Ehmann, the owner of East Village dive bar Lucky, found out her liquor license was suspended.

“Ehmann says that two State Liquor Authority representatives visited the bar on Monday night at 8 p.m. to observe if the bar’s eight customers had ordered food with their drinks,” according to Eater New York. “After the visit, Ehmann received her first warning from the SLA on a piece of paper that did not list out the specific violations, she says. Shortly afterward, and with no further warnings, Lucky’s liquor license was suspended.”

“No other safety measures were inspected or questioned,” Ehmann told Eater New York. “Also, no other bars or restaurants in close proximity to mine received this inspection, causing me to believe that I was intentionally targeted for selective enforcement by the Governor and State Liquor Authority.”

“I exercised my First Amendment right by petitioning my government for a redress of grievances,” Ehmann said. “I believe that this same government has selectively enforced the law I’m working to change as retaliation.”

This is now the second bar that is accusing Governor Cuomo of retaliating against it for opposing his mandate.

Keep reading

22 States Now on Tri-State Quarantine List as Cuomo Ups Ante With New NY Emergency Order

Four more states were added to the tri-state’s quarantine-restricted list Tuesday — New Mexico, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Ohio. Delaware came off, no longer meeting the criteria to be considered a viral hotspot under New York standards.

That brings the total number on the list to 22. In addition to the newcomers, the restricted states include: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah.

Citing noncompliance with the existing quarantine advisory, Gov. Andrew Cuomo upped the ante with a new emergency health order in New York starting Tuesday. Travelers from those 22 hotspots landing at New York airports now must fill out a form that state officials will use to ensure they isolate for 14 days.

Failure to fill out the form, which asks for contact information, before leaving the airport could result in a $2,000 fine and mandatory quarantine. Airlines will provide the forms to passengers prior to or upon disembarking flights to New York. Enforcement teams will be stationed at airports statewide to meet arriving aircraft at gates and request proof of the form’s completion, Cuomo said.

Out-of-state travelers coming to New York by train, bus or car are required to fill the form out online, though it wasn’t immediately clear how compliance would be enforced.

Keep reading