4 DECEMBER 23, 2021 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Six cuff ed at local Cheesecake Factory after refusing
to comply with city’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate
BY JULIA MORO
EDITORIAL@QNS.COM
@QNS
Police made six arrests after a
group of unvaccinated people
refused to leave the Cheesecake
Factory at Queens Center Mall despite
the vaccine mandate requiring
proof of immunization on Tuesday,
Dec. 14.
At approximately 7 p.m., NYPD
officers responded to a complaint
about criminal trespassing inside the
Cheesecake Factory at Queens Center
Mall, located at 90-15 Queens Blvd.
According to NYPD, the group
entered the restaurant refusing to
show proof of vaccination or leave
the premises when asked.
Once officers arrived, they gave
lawful orders to the group to leave
— which they again refused, according
to authorities. After refusing to
comply, six people were placed under
arrest without any further incident.
Two of the individuals were from
Queens and the others were from
Yonkers, Brooklyn and the Bronx,
police said.
The group of about 30 people are
shown in a video posted to Twitter
arguing with police before finally
being arrested. An officer said, “If
you refuse to leave when we tell you
to leave, we will be arresting you for
criminal trespassing.”
One anti-vaxxer said, “It’s not
criminal trespassing. We’re here to
access the building during normal
business hours. We’re not committing
a crime. If you falsely arrest us,
you will be held liable.”
One woman is heard in the background
calling the officers Nazis.
Groups of anti-vaxxers, who go by
the name New York Freedom Rally,
have been going around the city at
establishments like Shake Shack and
Applebee’s to perform sit-in protests,
refusing to comply with city law.
Children also appear in the videos.
The same group of anti-vaxxers
came back to Queens Center Mall to
eat at Applebee’s and gather outside
the Cheesecake Factory the following
day on Wednesday, Dec. 15, to again
protest the vaccine mandate while
brandishing a Trump and American
flag behind them.
According to NYPD, four protestors
were arrested on Dec. 15 for
criminal trespassing at the Applebee’s
at 90-15 Queens Blvd.
New York City imposed the vaccine
mandate for all restaurants and
venues in September, requiring all
patrons to show proof of at least one
dose. If a restaurant does not comply
with this order, they face a $1,000
penalty for the first offense.
Alethea Rowe, a senior director
of public relations for Cheesecake
Factory told QNS that this was “an
unfortunate incident.”
“The company is simply complying
A group of people against the COVID-19 vaccine mandate rallied in and
outside the Cheesecake Factory at the Queens Center Mall on Dec. 15.
Screenshot via newyorkfreedomrally2/Instagram
with the local ordinance concerning
COVID-19 vaccine requirements,”
Rowe said. “We would like to thank
our restaurant managers and staff
for remaining focused on providing
our guests with delicious, memorable
food, and would like to thank local
law enforcement for their support
during this time.”
On Dec. 10, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced
a mask mandate for all indoor
public places unless a business
implements the vaccine requirement.
The state expects a winter surge of
COVID-19 cases, as more cases of the
new omicron variant are also being
reported, and this mandate is meant
to curb the spread.
Onderdonk House asks for donations to keep bringing community together
BY JULIA MORO
EDITORIAL@QNS.COM
@QNS
The Vander Ende-Onderdonk House
in Ridgewood — which is usually
visited by educational tours and
history buff s — has struggled to stay
afl oat during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, they’re looking for donations,
with a goal of collecting about $63,000,
to maintain its footing in the community.
The Onderdonk House is the oldest
Dutch Colonial stone house in New
York City, dating back to the early 1700s.
In 1975, the Greater Ridgewood Historical
Society was established to preserve
and reconstruct the house. The house
has served as a museum and exhibit for
decades, providing house tours, history
lectures, classes and special events.
Arianna Stimpsl-Fernandez, the
Greater Ridgewood Historical Society
president, said that since the pandemic,
the Onderdonk House took a huge fi nancial
hit.
“Like everyone else during COVID, we
lost a ton of revenue,” Stimpsl-Fernandez.
“We get a lot of revenue from space rentals
like weddings, community events
and school programs.”
Since 2008, the Onderdonk House has
helped 13,000 children and adults learn
about the community’s history throughschool
programs. And since the COVID
restrictions, they haven’t been able to
off er the educational tours that sustain
them. The Onderdonk House had to dip
into reserves to support staff salaries.
However, this isn’t a permanent solution.
The Onderdonk House started the
13K for 13K program that references
the 13,000 people they impacted with
their educational programs. That money
would revamp the school program to a
virtual format in order to reach more
people.
“We don’t know what the future will
look like; it seems like it changes every
month,” Stimpsl-Fernandez said. “We
would love for people to still come in
and experience it but we’re also looking
into producing videos to share with a
classroom setting, having lectures be
available online and create a hands-on
element.”
The second donation program asks
for $50,000 for operational costs to keep
the house running. Stimpsl-Fernandez
said that though the situation isn’t dire
and the Onderdonk House isn’t at risk
of closing yet, there is still a great need
for support.
For more information on how to
donate, visit onderdonkhouse.org/
support-us-today.
The Onderdonk House in Ridgewood is the oldest Dutch Colonial stone
house in New York City, dating back to the early 1700s.
Photo via Onderdonk website
/onderdonkhouse.org
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