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Trump Supporter Sues West Village Bar For Allegedly Throwing Him Out For Wearing MAGA Hat
By
Scott Heins
Published Mar 20, 2017
Modified Mar 20, 2017
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By
Scott Heins
Published Mar 20, 2017
Modified Mar 20, 2017
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A Philadelphia accountant feels "humiliated, degraded, victimized, embarrassed and emotionally distressed" after he was refused service by a West Village bar on account of his pro-Trump hat. Greg Piatek, 30, claims he was denied drinks by multiple bartenders and servers at The Happiest Hour on January 28th because he was wearing a red "Make America Great Again" cap.
Now, as he suffers from "anxiety and severe emotional distress," Piatek is suing the bar and owner John Neidich for "egregious, unlawful, and discriminatory conduct."
According to Piatek's lawsuit, he visited The Happiest Hour with two friends after a day devoted to visiting the 9/11 Memorial Museum, where, according to the lawsuit, they ruminated on "the memory of victims and fallen heroes of the September 11th, 2001 attacks." Piatek's group were initially served drinks, but he claims he was ignored when he attempted to order a second round, allegedly receiving only "a lengthy death stare" from one bartender.
Piatek claims the customers to his immediate left and right were served numerous times while he waited; when he finally spoke up and asked to be served, a bartender allegedly replied "Is that hat a joke?"
In his retelling of the incident, Piatek claims numerous other members of the staff reproached him for his MAGA hat while refusing to serve him and his friends. "I can't believe you would support someone so terrible and you must be as terrible a person!" one bartender allegedly said.
After a manager allegedly told Piatek he was no longer welcome and needed to leave immediately, bouncers escorted his group out of the bar. In his lawsuit against The Happiest Hour, Piatek recalls being shocked by the ordeal because of his "sincerely held set of beliefs in which he felt it was necessary to wear a particular hat in remembrance of the souls who lost their lives and as a symbol of freedom/free speech."
"Ignoring me because I'm wearing the hat is ridiculous," Piatek told the New York Post, which deems the incident discrimination "with a liberal twist." Attorney Paul Liggieri, who is representing Piatek in New York Supreme Court, told the tabloid that being kicked out of the bar for his MAGA hat was Piatek's "saddest hour."
After being escorted from the bar, Piatek then called the NYPD, remained on the scene, and later explained the ordeal to two officers described in the lawsuit as "sympathetic, accepting, and understanding...as one would expect from any New Yorker who respects others even if they are different," according to court papers. Officers allegedly told Piatek the incident wasn't a criminal matter, and recommended contacting the Better Business Bureau.
Before the officers left, Piatek claims he shook their hands and "thanked them for their service."
In the days since news of Piatek's lawsuit broke, The Happiest Hour's online pages have been overwhelmed with comments from livid Trump supporters. "I hope he takes you for everything you got- I hope your stupidity, ignorance and shear [sic] disrespect shuts you down," a Yelp user from Pennsylvania wrote. Another Facebook user wrote, "I heard you only served democrats & muslims ?? Is that true ??" on the bar's page.
"In my opinion, the motto of The Happiest Hour seems to be: we will accept you, so long as you think exactly like us," Liggieri told The Heavy. "The values displayed by the employees of The Happiest Hour are not the values of our nation. Our nation values acceptance and democracy. It seems to me that The Happiest Hour, however, values hypocrisy."
Piatek is suing under New York's laws barring Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress, and is seeking unspecified punitive damages.
In other news, many snowflakes are melting today, because with this warm weather NYC is no longer a safe space for them.
Tagged
donald trump
lawsuit
MAGA hats
make america great again
original
Scott Heins
Scott Heins is a freelance photo and video journalist based in New York City, and a frequent contributor to Gothamist + WNYC. His work often centers around labor rights, housing, and policing. In 2018-2019 he traveled to four states while covering a wave of public school teachers strikes, with work featured in The New York Times, The Intercept, Getty Images, Splinter, and Bloomberg Photos. Scott is a dues-paying member of the National Writers Union's Freelance Solidarity Project.
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