Brooklyn’s popular brewery CEO and co-founder has been accused this week of describing the coronavirus vaccine obligation as a “crime against humanity” and comparing it to Jim Crow South and Nazi Germany.
With a series of tweets Interview with the patchJosh Stylman, co-founder of Threes Brewing, defended opposition to the obligation, including New York City’s requirement that all bars and restaurants require customers to be fully vaccinated.
“If you haven’t spoken against them, you’re a collusion,” Steiman said. Said in a tweet About the mission. “Everyone has the right to express his opinion. You happen to be unscientific, immoral and evil.”
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and science and health experts point out that unvaccinated people are more likely to be infected with the coronavirus and more likely to spread it. Vaccinated people can also spread the virus, but vaccination is the key to reducing the severity of the disease once it has developed.
Stylman’s comment has created a wave of backlash on social media, saying that some customers no longer have access to Threes or buy beer.
In an interview with the Times, Steiman said he felt compelled to publicize his feelings because he believed he was adhering to his mission as a enabler of “biomedical separation.” rice field. He explained that patrons who did not provide evidence of vaccination needed to be kept away, calling the experience “discrimination.”
“I would like to take action and publicly share opinions to maintain the integrity and humanity of individuals at all levels,” he said.
Thursday night, Threes Brewing employees Joint statement on social media He blamed Steiman’s comments and said he would continue to comply with all government obligations. Employees emphasized the rigorous masking and social distance measures they took and added that they refused to resume until all workers had the opportunity to be vaccinated.
“We do not support CEO Joshua Styman comparing his mission to historic atrocities based on religion or race,” the employee said in a statement. .. “I think the comparison is inappropriate and inaccurate.”
“We care about the community, our partners, our staff and the environment. It hasn’t changed and it won’t change,” they added.
Threes Brewing is based in Brooklyn’s Gowanus and Greenpoint districts, Governors Island, and Huntington, NY.
Steiman told the Times that he was vaccinated and, in principle, did not oppose the vaccine.
“My position is, frankly, how to tell others to put something in their body or not to make a living for their family,” he said. rice field.
“I think it’s a shame that people who work here and don’t even share my views have to bring results to actions that didn’t belong to them,” he added.
This week’s tweet was not Steiman’s first official statement on this issue.Early this month He drew a line Between the indoor space and requesting the customer to prove vaccinated to obtain entry into Nazi Germany and the quarantine at Jim Crow South.
Lincoln Restler, a Brooklyn city council member, said: He was planning to host an event In Threes, but it’s after Stylman’s comment, he’ll choose another place. He has celebrated many special occasions at the brewery, but he said he felt that Mr. Restler needed to summon explicit misinformation.
“We are very disappointed that our co-owners and management partners are disseminating lies and highly inaccurate information that are detrimental to the health of our community,” Restler said. “Vaccines save lives.”
Andrew Gerber, 44, of Carroll Gardens, said he liked the beer and brewery atmosphere of Threes, but had no plans to return.
“Vaccine obligations are in place to prevent killing each other more than we already have,” he said. “It’s obscene to compare them to Nazi Germany and Jim Crow South.”
Gowanus’s Seth Pollack, 32, said he had been a fixture in his neighborhood for years with its industrial look and large backyard. He went there on his birthday parties, dates, and even election nights.
“It was a big surprise to me,” he said in a comment by Mr. Steiman. “I don’t think anyone expected this beloved place in Gowanus to be run by someone with a view that isn’t very consistent with much of the community here.”
