NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — During a disjointed interview on Thursday, the CEO of Madison Square Garden threatened to shut down alcohol sales at a Rangers game in retaliation for the New York State Liquor Authority’s investigation into the arena’s use of facial recognition technology to boot enemy lawyers.
James Dolan held up a printed picture of the CEO of the State Liquor Authority along with his name and contact information — ostensibly encouraging Rangers fans to contact him with complaints.
“The SLA is way, way beyond their skis… They’re being extremely aggressive and they’re saying, ‘We’re gonna take away your liquor license,’” said Dolan. “So I have a little surprise for them. They’re basically doing this for publicity, so we’re gonna give them some publicity. What we’re gonna do, is we’re gonna pick a night, maybe a Rangers game, and we’re gonna shut down all the liquor and alcohol in the building.”
This SLA is one of a few state authorities raising alarms over the Garden’s practice of using facial recognition technology to identify lawyers from firms suing the stadium and prevent them from attending events.
Retail liquor license holders are required to allow the general public on their premises. If they don’t the SLA can file charges for violating the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law. The SLA warned the stadium it could be breaking the law in late November.
“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,” an SLA spokesperson told the New York Post. “After receiving a complaint, the State Liquor Authority followed standard procedure and issued a Letter of Advice explaining this business’ obligation to keep their premises open to the public, as required by the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James warned Madison Square Garden that it may be violating anti-bias laws with its attorney bans.
New York legislators introduced a bill that would prohibit sports venues from refusing entry to perceived enemies of their owners.
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