The co-owner of a bar in New York City that declared itself an “autonomous zone” and free from Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s coronavirus restrictions was arrested following a sting operation.
Danny Presti was seen walking out of Staten Island’s Mac’s Public House in handcuffs and flanked by police officers on Tuesday evening. City sheriffs also shut the bar down.
Recommended Stories
The arrest unfolded after plainclothes officers in a sting operation first entered the establishment on Tuesday and ordered food in exchange for a $40 donation. They were soon followed by uniformed law enforcement, who issued tickets for state and city violations. Presti was reportedly uncooperative.
He was arrested for operating the bar without a license and faces charges including disorderly conduct and civil fines. He was released on Wednesday.
The bar gained notoriety in recent days for defying coronavirus restrictions and posting a sign reading, “!ATTENTION! We hereby declare this establishment an !!!AUTONOMOUS ZONE!!!”
In November, Presti and co-owner Keith McAlarney said they would not close their pub as restrictions on indoor dining were announced. They subsequently were fined thousands of dollars, 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 in November. “[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 said in November.
McAlarney said on Wednesday that after months of restrictions, Mac’s couldn’t “just keep shutting down.”
“We are just trying to make a living and feed our families,” he said. “We jumped through every hoop, did whatever they did. But at some point, you can’t just keep shutting down.”
“It’s time for all small businesses and citizens to stand up,” he said.
An attorney who represents the bar, Lou Gelormino, was also present during the arrest and was ticketed. He told the reporters that Presti was arrested because he wouldn’t leave the bar, “and at that point … they considered it trespassing.”
“These sheriff’s officers are ‘wannabe’ cops. This is what happens when little people get a little power,” another attorney for the bar, Mark Fonte, added.
