James Dolan will take booze away from MSG if facial recognition know-how will get blocked

James Dolan is again at it once more. The man who as soon as had New York Knicks’ legend Charles Oakley arrested in the midst of a New York Knicks recreation now has a brand new vendetta. And this time, it’s with an much more highly effective adversary: the state of New York.

To present some background, Madison Square Garden (MSG) has facial recognition know-how positioned on the entrances of the sector to make sure that no legal professionals who’ve sued Dolan or his firm can get inside.

The New York State Attorney General and State Legislative Officials have been making an attempt to cross a invoice that may forbid Dolan from taking part in these discriminatory techniques. But nothing substantial has materialized on that entrance but.

The drawback right here lies with New York’s State Liquor Authority (SLA), who, in November, reminded MSG officers that they’ll’t ban individuals from coming into the sector.

While MSG is theoretically a privately-owned entity, because it receives its liquor license from the state, it, in flip, is performing like a state actor. Therefore it should provide the identical constitutional protections as a state group. One of these constitutional protections consists of not discriminating towards people.

So, naturally, as an alternative of quietly abiding by this authorized customary, Dolan introduced his intent for vengeance yesterday throughout a 17-minute interview on New York’s Fox affiliate.

“The SLA is way, way beyond their skis … they’re being extremely aggressive and they’re saying, ‘We’re going to take away your liquor license.’ So I have a little surprise for them,” Dolan stated. “What we’re going to do, proper, is we’re going to choose an evening, perhaps a Rangers recreation, and we’re going to close down all of the liquor and alcohol within the constructing.

“It’s like something out of ‘The Godfather.’ It’s like, ‘It’s only business.’ It’s not only business, and if you sue us, we’re going to tell you not to come,” Dolan continued. “If you’re grandstanding with the press, et cetera, I’m going to tell you: Go ahead, take away my liquor license. People are still going to come to the games.”

That’s proper! To get revenge on the SLA for threatening to take his liquor license away, Dolan goes to close down the sale of all alcohol within the enviornment. You actually can’t make these items up.

Fortunately, the SLA is frightened by Dolan’s remarks, issuing a press release of their very own on Thursday.

“All establishments licensed to traffic in alcoholic beverages by the State Liquor Authority are subject to and are expected to comply with the same laws and obligations, whether they are a small business or a multi-billion dollar corporation,” SLA spokesman Joshua D. Heller stated.

The assertion paints the identical image we outlined earlier: in case you are receiving a license from a state actor, you might be required to function like a state actor.

Brad Hoylman-Sigal, a New York State senator who represents a part of Manhattan, was far much less cordial together with his phrases, calling Dolan “the poster child of privilege, as someone who inherited his wealth and receives an annual $43 million dollar tax break from New Yorkers.”

He went on to say that, “New York shouldn’t allow petty tyrants to impose their warped fantasies on the public while reaping millions each year from taxpayer subsidies.”

“I’m grateful to both the New York State Attorney General and the Manhattan District Attorney for launching inquiries into Dolan’s vindictive business practices intended to silence his critics.”