On Wednesday, a judge in Manhattan ruled that bars could legally kick out supporters of President Donald Trump because the law doesn’t protect individuals from political discrimination.
In January 2017, plaintiff Greg Piatek was kicked out of the bar, The Happiest Hour in New York City for wearing a “Make American Great Again” cap.
“Anyone who supports Trump — or believes in what you believe — is not welcome here! And you need to leave right now because we won’t serve you!” said the bar manager, according to Piatek’s suit.
Piatek, an accountant from Philadelphia, bought the suit to the Manhattan Supreme Court claiming that the “Make America Great Again” movement is part of a religious belief and that the incident “offended his sense of being American.”
“The purpose of the hat is that he wore it because he was visiting the 9/11 Memorial,” said Piatek’s attorney Paul Liggieri in court on Wednesday. “He was paying spiritual tribute to the victims of 9/11. The Make American Great Again hat was part of his spiritual belief.”
While the bar’s attorney, Preston Ricardo argued is that political beliefs aren’t protected by discrimination laws.
“The plaintiff’s arguments are entirely fanciful,” said Ricardo to the Daily News. “There is zero case law to support them. This latest filing shows once again that this action is a publicity stunt in the guise of lawsuit.”
But the judge ultimately did not buy Piatek’s argument.
“Plaintiff does not state any faith-based principle to which the hat relates,” said Judge David Cohen. “Here the claim that plaintiff was not served and eventually escorted out of the bar because of his perceived support for President Trump is not outrageous conduct.”
Liggieri said his client is currently considering applying for a repeal.
Author’s note: Remember when the Colorado Court ruled that a cake artist could no longer withhold his services from same-sex couples, even though it went against his religious beliefs? This case is similar, except it’s about political beliefs.
Now in New York, anyone can kick someone out for supporting the president. When you think about it, that’s ridiculous. More than half of the U.S. population supports the president. Even if you don’t, you should respect those who do. As a bar owner, I would still serve someone wearing a Hillary Clinton shirt, although I don’t agree with their stance. In America, you have the freedom to have your own opinions. But this court ruling only has made Trump supporters (again, a large part of the population) feel victimize and unwelcome.