James Dolan has remained silent for weeks, save for a cautious statement from his spokeswoman, amid controversy over his use of facial recognition technology to bar legitimate opponents from his family’s world-famous gym.
That silence ended Thursday morning when he appeared on a morning talk show and lived up to his reputation as the fickle master of Madison Square Garden.
He cited the Bill of Rights and said that as a property owner, he had every reason to keep opposing attorneys out. He called on elected officials to “jump on the bandwagon” against his ban instead of addressing more pressing issues like crime and bail reform. He even threatened to ban beer at Rangers games.
Mr. Dolan then reined in a little-known administration official — Sherif Kabir, chief executive of the New York State Liquor Authority, who was investigating the Gardens — by holding up a leaflet emblazoned with Mr. Trump. Kabir’s photo and contact information so thirsty fans might “tell him to stick to his weaves.”
All in all, sir. Dolan, who owns the New York Knicks and Rangers, seems undeterred by the storm his ban has sparked.
“Not at all,” said Mr. Dolan is the CEO of MSG Entertainment.
A billionaire who runs his empire with dictatorial flair, Mr. Dolan publicly feuded with fans and former Knicks players in the garden and repeatedly threatened patrons with a lifetime ban from the garden. But it was not made public until last month, when the venue installed cameras at the entrance to help lawyers working for companies handling civil lawsuits against Mr. Dolan’s attributes.
Gardens has been using facial recognition since 2018, but Mr. Dolan’s unusual use of it against his enemies has drawn him into growing controversy and put him on a collision course with thousands of lawyers. Some went to court to apply for an injunction and forced their way back to the event held at the garden to start further court battles with Mr. Dolan. Others filed complaints with government agencies.
Local grudge matches have become part of a national debate over the specter of widespread privatized surveillance. While facial recognition technology is legal in New York, Gardens’ use of it has drawn an outcry from civil liberties watchdogs.
Elected officials held press conferences and proposed laws banning exclusionary policies.
But it was the Liquor Authority investigation that sparked one of Mr. Trump’s most combative responses. Dolan’s rambling 17-minute interview on FOX-5’s “Day in New York” morning show. gentlemen. Dolan challenged the agency to “take away my liquor license,” adding, “People will still come to the games.”
“They were very aggressive and they said, ‘We’re going to revoke your liquor license.’ So I gave them a little surprise,” he said.
“We’re going to pick a night, maybe a Rangers game, and we’re going to shut down all the alcohol in the building,” he added, before holding up Mr Bush’s flyer. Kabir.
State Liquor Authority spokesman Joshua Heller said yesterday that, as a public business with a liquor license, the gardens must remain open to the public. He said the Liquor Authority notified garden officials in November of a complaint alleging that they restricted access to certain members of the public in violation of the terms of the license under the state beverage law.
A group of state lawmakers representing Manhattan has introduced a bill that would close a legal loophole to ban Mr. Dolan continues to ban select patrons.
Tony Simone, a Democrat who represents the West Side of Manhattan and sponsored the bill, said he himself had run afoul of Trump. Dolan’s exclusive practice of the month.
gentlemen. Simeone is the first openly gay official to hold a parliamentary seat. Dolan’s policy.
In an interview on Thursday, Mr. Simeone said he was told by an official at the garden that it “would be awkward at this time” to have him take part in the competition, a pride night event hosted by the inclusion advocacy group Hockey is for Everyone.
“I think hockey is for everybody, unless you say something that Jim Dolan disagrees with you,” he said.
Another bill sponsor, State Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal, called Dolan’s appearance on Thursday sparked a “public meltdown.” He called Mr. Dolan is “the poster child for privilege,” noting that he receives $43 million in annual tax breaks.
“New York should not allow petty tyrants to impose their twisted fantasies on the public while receiving millions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies every year,” he said.
gentlemen. Dolan criticizes Mr. Hoylman-Sigal, who said he is using the issue for publicity and fundraising. Garden officials said they followed all laws and anti-discrimination regulations and only turned away a small percentage of attorneys who were actively litigating.
New York Attorney General Letitia James and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg said they were both investigating whether the admissions policy violated the law.
MSG Entertainment officials said monitoring was still primarily used to identify people who might pose a safety threat, and the watch list included patrons who violated the rules — were violent, threw objects or engaged in other inappropriate behavior.
The Dolan family’s companies have also been the frequent target of lawsuits ranging from personal injury to lost season tickets to shareholder complaints about business dealings, and company officials insist the injunction is designed to stop opposing lawyers from gathering evidence.
In an interview Thursday morning, Mr. Dolan cited his constitutional right as a property owner to protect the garden and likened his situation to that of a bakery or restaurant.
“For whatever reason. If you don’t want to serve someone, you can say, ‘I don’t want to serve you,'” he said.
For Mr. Dolan, it was a rare interview that ended with a question about his blues band.
Finally, he smiled. He says he’s involved in an exciting music project — “but it takes up all my time.”