Clarice Feldman’s weekly (Sunday) column at American Thinker
is always worth reading. This past weekend,
she highlighted a true American success story 2021-style – all the more inspiring because
it took place in California. Who would
have thought? Here’s the beginning of
her post titled “The Battle of Burbank” at Tinhorn Flats:
It’s believed the Battle of
Lexington and Concord was the fight that set off the American Revolution. While
a battle
at Burbank, California has received less notice, to me it is inspiring
-- a community’s refusal to bow to petty, irrational, and illegal
bullying.
The story is fully recounted by
Robert Morton, and I urge you to read it in its entirety, but here’s my
synopsis.
Tinhorn Flats is a family-operated
bar and restaurant in Burbank. Burbank has had a death rate from the Wuhan
virus of 2.8 percent of which 80 percent were of those over 65 who
had, on average three co-morbidities.
Despite this, and disregarding
the substantial sums restaurant and bar owners had shelled out to keep outdoor
patrons safe, on December 6 the city council ordered all restaurants closed.
Tinhorn refused and continued to serve patrons outdoors. Six days later their
health permit was revoked. Tinhorn continued its outdoor service, ignoring the
city’s revocation of its permit. In response, the L.A. County Department of
Health cited the restaurant 13 times for operating without a permit. Tinhorn
stayed open. The L.A. County Attorney filed a cease and desist
order. Tinhorn stayed open.
After a few more legal forays the
Burbank City Council filed suit against the restaurant and obtained a temporary
restraining order. Tinhorn stayed open.
The city cut power to the
restaurant and patrons and fans donated generators and equipment so the
restaurant could continue operations.
The city council padlocked the
front doors. Tinhorn removed the doors and stayed open.
When the padlocked doors were
somehow reinstalled, the restaurant posted on Facebook a picture showing a side
door open. Tinhorn stayed open.
Another L.A. County judge required
the county to prove that the ban on outdoor dining was necessary. The county
failed to do so, but inexplicably the judge refused to lift the ban.
Morton notes:
These petty tyrants don't seem to
realize that they have awakened a sleeping tiger. People from all over the city
are patronizing the restaurant. Support is pouring in from all over the
country.
Nor do they realize that nothing
will stop me or anyone else from patronizing this business. We are the
ocean of freedom and we will flow around any obstacles in our way. The
Burbank City Council will look like the idiots they are in trying to shut down
this place.[snip]
Like a desperado who is riddled with
bullets but just won't stop, Tinhorn Flats remains open. The latest chapter in
this saga finds the Burbank Fire Department showing up at Tinhorn Flats on
Wednesday night to remove a padlock... one that city officials had placed there
earlier that morning.
Why? Because as soon as officials
left, Lucas Lepejian cut off a lock on a side entrance and reopened the Old
West-themed restaurant and bar, reports FOX 11.
After cutting off the padlock,
Lepejian let customers in and continued serving them food and drink although
the front door remains padlocked, creating what Burbank officials call a
"life-safety hazard."
Standing up to bullies is the only
way to defeat them.
The rest of Ms. Feldman’s column
(on other subjects) is here.
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