Unfortunately not a lot of people get to experience that. "I had the kind of mom who was like, 'OK, he's wearing my heels.' When I finally went to her with it she said, 'Listen, I've just been waiting for you to say something.' My father is a Jehovah's Witness so it was a little rocky with our relationship, there came the whole 'abomination' thing, and by the time he came around it was really too late, so I don't really have a relationship with my father, it's just me and my mother. Solomon, a New Yorker, had it a little easier with his family. Solomon was the first man he brought home to meet them. Hughes grew up in the South and struggled to hide his sexuality from his family. Even today, when Hughes and Solomon go out to other establishments it is clear the venue is tolerating them for the night - and that's spaces are important for both Hughes and Solomon. "When we work together," Getz added, "everyone succeeds.But this leaves even less opportunities for Black queer folks to party in public. The two men are hopeful that the combination of nicer weather, indoor capacity increasing, and a GoFundme page for donations, they will come up with the funds they need.
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"And I believe that in life everything goes full circle, and if you’re fair and kind to your tenant during a pandemic, I believe you will be made whole," Getz said. Getz adds that it’s been hard to accommodate his tenants over the past year "but I think it was the right thing to do." "A landlord doesn't want to be harsh on his tenants, but he has obligations in terms of the bank, and in terms of utilities and taxes, if those don’t get paid the land’s going to end up in foreclosure," Getz said.Īs the grandson of a holocaust survivor, Getz says he wants to see Alibi succeed because everyone needs a place they can feel safe, especially those who are sometimes treated like outsiders in their own communities. Getz forgave several months of payments and discounted rent by 30%, but he too has had a tough year. Minko will be the first to compliment Getz for his flexibility over the past year. "Everyone loves black and white: good tenant, bad landlord, that’s not how life is," says Mordy Getz, Minko’s landlord. However, this is not a story about the stereotypical evil landlord.
Get breaking news alerts in the FOX5NY News app. Minko now needs to come up with $15,000 in order to renew his five-year lease, which is up at the end of the month. "Literally between the months of about April to June it was impossible- it was a nightmare," Minko said. And the fact that for a minute we couldn’t have anyone ," Minko said.īecause Alibi was not a restaurant, they had to add food to the menu and pivot to carry out and to-go cocktails. "The only way you generate revenues is by having traffic, by having people come into your bar, walk in through the doors, ordering drinks. Minko has kept a remarkably upbeat attitude considering the significant financial blow the pandemic has dealt. "Well, like the kids say, ‘the struggle is real,’ Minko said. Nothing ever made him think twice about showing up the very next day, but COVID-19 has presented a new challenge.
"I have no words," Minko told FOX 5 NY in 2019. The Harlem man accused of burning rainbow flags hanging outside the same gay lounge on two separate occasions is out of jail a day after being arrested.