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Sunday, May 24, 2020

Pickles In Ocean City Charged With Social Distancing Violation


UPDATE from Justin: It was a warning and it wasn't for people on the porch it was for people on the sidewalk.

108 comments:

Anonymous said...

Never wished to go to Pickles but I will now.

This is a guy that deserves support.

Anonymous said...

Last time I checked you can have your day in court and argue your points there. Using profanities in an internet rant just shows rationality is not one of your strong points.

Anonymous said...

Rickie/Lloyd - this is on YOUR watch.

You, Worcester, state legislature reps and LARRY on the corner!

This weekend gents...REALLY???

C'mon MEN.

Anonymous said...

Businesses cannot control what people on the sidewalks do, those people are responsible for social distancing not the establishment. It's the police departments job to cite individuals. They know that they cannot control the individual people so they target a business instead so they can get that cash! Shameful!

Anonymous said...

People are pissing in the sand because the Town does’nt want to pay people to staff the bathrooms. Had a private event been taken place, the Health Department would be all over the sponsors for not providing necessary facilities.

Anonymous said...

Proving that take out drinks was a stupid idea in the first place.
Let's see, people drinking on the street and boardwalk, pissing on the street, throwing the trash on the street then driving home.
Finally blaming the bars and restaurants for the actions of people on the street.

Anonymous said...

Play stupid games, get stupid prizes..

Anonymous said...

President Trump says the virus will be down to 15 cases soon...no reason to disbelieve him...

Anonymous said...

The local and state governments have tasted the power of tyranny. Now they are drunk on it.

Anonymous said...

Local level restaurant caught up in the bigger picture agenda of slowing down the demand for credit. The Fed is slowing things down but the repercussions are felt on a local level.

Anonymous said...

It’s all bullshit. Magically everyone is safer in many areas right in time for the holiday weekend as restrictions are eased. Why were we safer at 5:01p last Friday than we were on Wednesday when Hogan made the announcement? Why are kids under 9 in 1 State not required to wear a mask, but kids under 12 in a neighboring state don’t have to? Are the 10-11 year olds safer in one state? It’s all arbitrary. Every single bar and restaurant should open this weekend in full. Let the town write fines to everyone and watch their precious summer evaporate Guess what. No one is forcing patrons to go in. It’s a choice.

Anonymous said...

All you bar owners and restaurant owners need to go to court

Anonymous said...

Take it all the way to the supreme court - who will overturn it - then sue OC!

Anonymous said...

Sounds like JAHCITA sampled a few tooo many before posting this lol! First you claim you weren't even open at all, then you contradict yourself by saying people were waiting on the sidewalk for your to go drinks! So that obviously means you were open, maybe not fully but you were attempting to sell items and make money!

Anonymous said...

Goes to show you who is the Adolph Hogan and General Meehan's Third Reich ELITE. They are pushing SOCIALISM to it's fullest. Lawsuit time.

Anonymous said...

I respect your comment and situation. Would have been better received without the curse words.

Anonymous said...

Northwest Woodsman: Agree wholeheartedly! Too much government intrusion in our lives and incrementally, they impose more and more control and authority. What they have taken during this fraud of a flu epidemic, they will be reluctant to relinquish.

Anonymous said...

What about the photographic proof of Thrashers last weekend? Did they get a citation?

Anonymous said...

The notice says the Health Department received the complaint on 5/18 ( Monday ); not that the violation occurred on that date. It also says it is a warning; not a citation subject to penalty. See last paragraph.

Anonymous said...

ALL BUSINESS OWNERS NEED TO ALL OPEN AT ONCE AND OVERWHELM THEM THEN GO TO THE COUNTY MEETING AND DEMAND ALL FINES DROPPED OR VOTE THEM OUT.

Anonymous said...

It’s time to organize a protest at the homes of Ed Potetz and the people that issued this violation. We cannot tolerate them terrorizing citizens. Time to rise up Worcester county residents.

Ghee said...

I hope this guy/gal sues the state and wins a shit ton of money! Government sucks!

Anonymous said...

"Social distancing" is not a law and it is completely unconstitutional for Fat Hogan to be able to fine for it. I never in a million years thought, in America, you could be fined for standing too close to another human. They don't even have a stupid rule like that in North Korea. He needs to setup a GoFundMe and fight in court. I will gladly contribute. Reject Social Distancing!

Anonymous said...

This is what happens when you give “little” people a little authority. Any x-military person is quite familiar with it.

Anonymous said...

Cuss words are just that...words. And sometimes saying said words, whether you like it nor, help relieve stress. Don't judge on words, judge on actions.

Anonymous said...

wow why don't you post their updated facebook response - they are now the model of compliancy - thanking local officials who are working hard to get the restaurants and bars open - but I guess you like this post and want to cause a little trouble - though you run and hide too when confronted - lets start a revolution only not at my expense - I will just incite the uneducated masses. What a joke!

Anonymous said...

Future President Cuomo just stated we are now over the mountain! Time to open!

(crickets)

Huh?? I thought Cuomo...given his airtime EVERYDAY (on all networks) is our future leader! Live by the Cuomo Doctrine is the motto!

(snicker snicker)

Anonymous said...

Just a warning. I don't agree with it, but not sure why all the uproar over a warning.

Anonymous said...

Then they should pay rent for use of the public sidewalk

Anonymous said...

Regardless of the fact that there is no penalty, Its just wrong to cite him for what happens on the sidewalk. Who is getting cited for the lack of social distancing on the boardwalk???? They wouldn't dare target the boardwalk because the town of OC would make NO MONEY! This is blatantly lopsided and it is not a law! How come Walmart is not getting cited for the people INSIDE their store. They pick on the little businesses because they don't have teams of lawyers and lots of money to fight. It's BS and all of the small businesses need to get together and fight it. Keeping these businesses closed is killing the tax revenue, don't shoot yourself in the foot OC!

Anonymous said...

You sir are an idiot if that’s what you took out of his post

Anonymous said...

Read it closer. It says it’s a warning, they were not charged. It says they could be subject to a $5000 fine or a year in jail.

Anonymous said...

Just sell produce, flowers, garden plants ect and you can pack people in like sardines.

Anonymous said...

This clown edward potenz is the director!!! He's a joke The dunce doesn't even know social distancing was not ever mandated it's always been recommended. The order quoted has nothing to do with social distancing I've come across some real clueless wonders working for the local governments but this imbecile takes the cake.

Anonymous said...

This Edward Whatever the Hell his last name is a real Einstein. So the bar owner gets a cited for people outside not social distancing. How does that work? First off it's not against any order to NOT social distance. It's always been recommended to not gather in groups of more then 10, whether indoors or outdoors.

Anonymous said...

12:18 no one is getting cited for not social distancing because there is no law, order saying you have to. It's been a recommendation. Also groups of 10 or less have always been permitted.
This was only a warning but the real warning is to whoever was dumb enough to write this up. The warning is be careful of writing bogus citations as it may come back to bite you in the arse. And at the very least it proves a complete lack of understanding of the governor's orders which aren't complicated. I would expect at the minimum the director would understand. This is why a lack of confidence in the government. So many are clueless.

Anonymous said...

Whoever issued this warning is totally confused. Social distancing is not a part of any of the governor's orders. It's guidance that was issued which means it's recommended. The only warning that makes any sense to have written would have been to the people outside for gathering in a group of more then 10 if they were in fact exceeding that number. I feel sorry for those who have to work under this "director" He's a real bozo.

Anonymous said...

Guess he’s not kissing the right a**, you know it’s said, “It’s not who you know but who you b**w”, this is totally ridiculous ��, guess they didn’t checkout the “social distancing” (not) that was on the boardwalk this past weekend.

Anonymous said...

Lies! Even Pickles posted they received a warning but no fines! Fix the article! Do your homework first before sharing LIES! This is getting as bad as the rest of the media! Please post the truth on this article

Anonymous said...

You all need to realize a few facts in front of pickles pub there is a 15' area of sidewalk half of which is own by the state highway administration the other half is owned by the strip mall i.e. Pickles pub

This has nothing to do with ocean city the fine was issued by the county health department in an area that is policed by the state highway administration Philadelphia Avenue again is own by the state of Maryland the people that are in violation of social distancing were actually on private property in front of pickles on their section of sidewalk behind their half wall..

Anonymous said...

GUIDENCE ISNT LAWWWWWWWWW

Anonymous said...

Potetz is still there? That is definitely a position that should get rotated out every now and again. Too many grudges, conflicts of interest, and bad blood can happen.

Anonymous said...

Lmao, that's for sure haha

Anonymous said...

Is this "paper" even valid? it isn't signed?

Anonymous said...

Thank you 137 for the insightful and thorough explanation.

Now get me a beer toots!

Anonymous said...

There is no fine this time. This is a warning.

Anonymous said...

2:21 Makes no difference-charged warned. What is important is that this potetz doesn't know his ass from a hole in the ground. It doesn't take a genius to know the difference between the Governor's orders and guidance that was issued.

Anonymous said...

I'm guessing a lot of people missed the part where this was a warning. There is a part of the business that is adjacent to the sidewalk where people were likely congregating in close proximity. But I wasn't there and so who knows if it was a reasonable complaint

WhiskeyDick said...

They weren't open to the public...togo is pick up and leave not sitdown and stay. Their requirement for social distancing begins in the building not outside on a public sidewalk

Anonymous said...

But buses can run as they wish.

Anonymous said...

12:19 easy to pick libs out on here LOL

Anonymous said...

This is martial law.... people wake up the coronavirus was a hoax this whole thing is a fraud.... and you have no one to thank but doctor falchi and his partner what gave them the power to do what they did.... they just went right along with it.....along with the deep state.... and they figured let's put a scare in the people and what better way to do it is by fear and you people and the reat of society took it Hook Line & Sinker...... this is just the beginning in just whats yet to come..... and truthfully I couldn't give a rat's ass who bullies me and who doesn't just sit back and watch it all unfold

Anonymous said...

What??? After 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Anonymous said...

It is just a thousand dollar ticket. How else is OC going to recover the lost revenue from this closure?

Anonymous said...

Reopening a business or selling carry out because it was shut down due to a bogus pandemic is not a stupid game 10:22. You should stay home if you're scared and mind your own business.

Anonymous said...

100% correct 10:39. A go fund me page should be started for their defense. It will be expensive

Cracker said...

They are used to stress a point also. I do it all the time.

Anonymous said...

Really 12:15?

Anonymous said...

Yep!!

Anonymous said...

A suggestion from one who knows:

Don't poke the bear.
Everybody is under pressure. Someday the pressure will be nothing more than a dim memory.
Harsh words against people that are carrying out their duties (right or wrong) will last much longer.
Trust me: Don't poke the bear.

Pickle Oc said...

They were NOT on our property what so ever. They were on the side walk and weren’t all our customers.
Many people walking down the street with drinks from other places. Nobody but staff have been on the property. Where do you make this shit up?

Anonymous said...

True!! Some people have nothing better to do than complain about ridiculous ideas they have. OMG socialism OMG communists OMG the tyranny!!! Get over it! People continue to die and u losers do not care about anything but money. What kind of people are you? It is so shameful you can’t just follow the rules to save lives, something TEMPORARY. What happened to caring about someone other than yourself? Selfish narcissistic idiots.

Anonymous said...

what’s the point of it then? it’s a warning, no money to be made so what’s the REASON

Anonymous said...

Finally somebody literate!

Anonymous said...

so tell us why and i will try to pretend that those who died were “a fraud” Time to crawl out now

Michelle said...

BINGO!

I went to ocean city elementary school. I raised my kids in ocean city, and I’m so bleeping glad to be gone. I’ve never seen a more corrupt department or town. This doesn’t surprise me in the least.

Anonymous said...

Love the Acita’s and pickles! Praying you guys get open soon and don’t have to deal with this crap anymore!

Anonymous said...

Oh shut up he had every right to curse u fool

Anonymous said...

What a classy guy...

Unknown said...

I got soured on OC a long time ago. Once, after waiting an hour in a backup to cross the Rt. bridge 50 into town, a policeman on foot was handing out seat belt tickets to incoming motorists that were at a standstill. Welcome to Ocean City my ass.

Anonymous said...

2 Blocks away from the boardwalk where no social distancing is happening. Seems like the Worcester County power struggle to me!

Kelly Miller said...

I've never been to this place but you can bet your ass I'll be a regular there now.

Anonymous said...

Trump hater

Greg said...

I'm curious what the fine is?

Anonymous said...

It's called the 1st Amendment asshole. Don't like it? You can move. Preventing a person from providing for his family is unconstitutional.

You're either a gov't worker (ie, getting paid), or a bot. No other human could be that stupid.

Anonymous said...

One-sided argument. How temporary is it when millions will lose their businesses? Please consider both sides of the argument before popping off. Talk about a "useful idiot."

Anonymous said...

5/18 was their warning. They were not open on the day that they were "warned". So their first real issue resulted in an actual citation vs the real warning they should have been entitled to.

Anonymous said...

What a moron! If you were losing your hard earned business for a bullshit virus you would be singing a different tune! Its idiots like you that are the problem!

Anonymous said...

You're an idiot! Theose bars and restaraunts stream millions a year into ocean city! If it wasnt for them it would be a ghost town!

Anonymous said...

In other news weve shut down a country for less than half a percent of the population! What's it like to be a sheep?

Unknown said...

Figures you're anonymous.... can't wait to go to Pickles when we're there in July!!!

Anonymous said...

Take it to court Pickles, you will win!!!!

Brittney said...

Just to set the record straight hi I am Brittney Acita and my husband and I own and operate Pickles Pub. We want to set the record straight on the article that’s out there. We did not have anyone on our porch drinking, we did not receive a fine. We received a warning for people standing in line not social distancing on the public sidewalk. We are very aware that our local government is fighting hard for its businesses and our police force is working with everyone. For this we are so thankful and this is why we love our town. We do however find warnings and tickets for issues like this over the top. Our staff is doing their best to keep people distanced from each other but with limited income and limited staff and the public having their own opinion on everything it’s very difficult to enforce. We are all about restaurants banding together peacefully to get the ball rolling on reopening. The people and government need to hear our voices to see the struggle we are going through. It’s devastating to so many small businesses. While we are not undermining the deaths covid has caused we are stressing that restaurants need to reopen. Thank you hope to see you at the pub one day soon!

Anonymous said...

Not saying I agree or not but the governor's order allowing the carryout sale of alcohol does mandate that the restaurant follow the current social distancing recommendations.

Anonymous said...

The order allowing carryout sale of alcohol does state the restaurant has to enforce the social distancing recommendations.

Anonymous said...

Actually it is in the order allowing the carryout sale of alcohol.

Unknown said...

Exactly

Becca S said...

The rationales of big brother should be in question, not an angry citizen. Take your virgin ears off the internet snowflake

Becca S said...

Carry out drinks is a good idea to help these starving local businesses. I could easily go to liquor store but I am trying to help where I can

Anonymous said...

I know the owners, great people. They care about community deeply, even ran a donation drive for local families In Need that couldn’t get resources they needed during lock down.

This warning was overreach by the health dept For a few reasons:
-No health dept official witnessed the offense . It was reported by a “concerned citizen”. How can you send an official warning from the health dept (which for restaurants is their policing agency...they have all the power & can shut their business down) without ANY confirmation of the offense by a public official!? That would be like receiving aN official warning in the mail that you were speeding bc someone called the police & told them you were speeding. Then you wouldn’t have a warning to burn thru so next time you have any issue it’s on your record & you get a ticket. It’s just crazy! Warnings matter!

-they WERE closed when this “concerned citizen” called up. They had not been doing carry out at that time Or day. These were random people that decided to stop there & drink of their own volition.

In the owners post he was referring to his frustration Trying to play policeman on the sidewalk now that they Are open for carry out. Not about selling drinks at time of warning.

It’s worth mentioning that OC was the LAST county to allow cocktails to go in the state of MD, it took liquor board over a month after all the others to approve it. So many other counties allowed it bc they realized these businesses needed that revenue BADLY to stay afloat. Sad thing is OC needed it more than any of them, being seasonal...you try making all your income for the year in a few months! Difficult in good times!

At the end of the day, I think what we need is more sympathy from our government agencies & officials during this crazy, challenging time for business owners that are doing their best to handle a VERY tough, emotionally wrought time. More than anything....they don’t need a slap in the face. They need SUPPORT from local government.

Anonymous said...

It specifically states it's a warning at the bottom of the notice. Theres an acceptable way to get your point across and go to court if need be, but by using a slur of profanities the owner is losing his professionalism and integrity

Anonymous said...

Mr Anonymous must be the official that issued the citation

Unknown said...

I thought Ocean City government was more rational than this. Maybe an immature gung ho seasonal cop, who knows?

Anonymous said...

Totally agree. So much ranting and raving over a warning. Put your tin foil hat on and carry on.

Anonymous said...

...and comprehension isn't one of yours.

Unknown said...

...and everyone should have a detailed directive, issued by the town and the health department so that the community, the tourist and the business owners are all operating safely and effectively. Otherwise we will have much bigger problem...more deaths will result in an economic disaster for our little town...

The mayor and council need a comprehensive plan NOW

Anonymous said...

You are an idiot he has every right to curse and be as upset as he is. We are loosing our businesses out here. Just keep your mouth shot and stay home

Melody Cirigliano said...

You guys are awesome!!! Perhaps OCPD should pay attention to some of the bars near the boards... not wasting your time with incidents like this... We locals are behind you guys!!!!

Anonymous said...

They do pay rent for use of the public sidewalk it's called taxes idiot

Anonymous said...

I do it all the #@$& time too!!

Unknown said...

I like how you think

Anonymous said...

I don't agree with this, if you want to cite someone site the people who were hanging around. Also I don't know if people really read it or not but I don't think you can go to the Supreme Court for a warning.... lol

Anonymous said...

I certainly understand the frustration but Pickles is a well-known establishment frequented by locals. I think everyone should stop speculating and wait until they have their day in court that’s when they can present their case.

Anonymous said...

I saw on another post bars/restaurants closed until May 29. Is that a given or is it at least until May 29th and could be extended?

Anonymous said...

Doing it all the time doesn't increase your iq.

Anonymous said...

Take it to court. I walk around no mask. this is all bullshit.
I'm not playing liberal games any more. lets clog the courts with these violations and vote out these politicians that want to play games with our lives. Make room drug dealers thieves and murders we are coming to stay at the state in for awhile.
Thanks Pickles for standing on the tip of the pin more business needs to be there to call out this farce.

Live free or DIE!

My Rights Trump Your Feelings said...

This is NOT about safety.. It is about compliance and social engineering to slowly erode our constitutional rights. And btw..It is NOT the Federal or your local government's duty to control individual actions in the name of "safety". Their duty is to SERVE the community by protecting our inalienable rights through fair and unbiased REPRESENTATION. At NO TIME does ANY legislation trump our individual human rights. There is a reason why our founding fathers laid the foundation for this country in the manner which they did. They TRULY UNDERSTOOD the threat of a govt that would try to dismantle the Constitution through any premise they could to convince the people to accept the tightening of authority. Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely..

Anonymous said...

So you're saying that 100,000 dead Americans doesn't matter? You sound like an idiot. If that many people died in a terrorist attack or a war, you'd be outraged! You don't know how many lives this will still take, maybe someone that means something to you. But don't tell people they are sheep for doing what their government told them to do, any other time you'd call that PATRIOTIC.