The invitation to this week's controversial gala
After a week of wondering where in New York the New York Young Republican Club would hold their annual gala without running afoul of the state's restrictions on indoor gatherings in a pandemic, the club ended up throwing their party in Jersey City.
Photos and videos of Thursday night's event show large groups of unmasked people inside at Maritime Parc restaurant in Liberty State Park. Attendees included Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz and Project Veritas head James O'Keefe (Sarah Palin, another featured guest, backed out).
Initially, invitations for the event stated it would occur at the Caldwell Factory in Chelsea, but that venue said later they had never agreed to host it.
Then it was reported that it would happen at the midtown location of the Women's National Republican Club, which the organizers refused to confirm.
Gavin Wax, the 26-year-old president of the club, insisted that the group had been planning the event in New Jersey all along, "due to more lax laws."
"We could have 150 in New Jersey vs. 50 in New York City," Wax wrote in a message, referring to the two states' differing restrictions on indoor gatherings.
"We had exactly 150 guests. The event went off without a hitch. Very fun night. Speeches were great," Wax added.
New Jersey law does require people to wear face coverings indoors.
In a statement, Steve Fulop, the Democratic mayor of Jersey City, said that he had ordered Maritime Parc to be closed, "until such time as they submit to the Jersey City Health and Human Services Department a written operational plan describing how they’re going to comply with capacity mandates and mask wearing, and the plan will be subsequently reviewed by the city and approved.”
Maritime Parc has not responded to requests for comment. Wax said that he spoke to law enforcement at the event and agreed to a 10 p.m. ending time, though Mayor Fulop said he was unaware of any police responding to the event. The Jersey City Police Department did not respond to a request for comment. The Hudson County Sheriff's Office said they did not show up. A message left with the New Jersey State Park Police, who oversee Liberty City Park, has not been returned.
"The reality is the pictures clearly show a superspreader event," Fulop told Gothamist/WNYC. "It's cowardice, because they didn't disclose the location,
they had to sneak across the river, they were hiding throughout the entire process, and then the day after they put pictures up to taunt elected officials as if they accomplished something significant."
Coronavirus cases in Jersey City have been steadily rising since October. This week, New Jersey's positivity rate climbed above 13%; New York State's positivity rate has been hovering between 4 and 5%.
New Jersey also requires that all travelers to the state coming from states with increasing cases quarantine for 14 days. Coronavirus cases in Florida have been increasing since last month, and the state's positivity rate is above 8%. It's unclear how long Congressman Gaetz has been in New Jersey; his office has not responded to a request for comment.
"The reality is the only thing they accomplished is putting other people in harm's way and unfortunately hurting a small business, repercussions that will be felt long after they leave here," Mayor Fulop said. "And I think that speaks to who they are and what their character is about."
