Italian Restaurant owner Tony Roman has defied Governor Newsom’s edicts for 7 months now. Not only does he NOT require his customers to wear masks to enter his restaurant, he forbids anyone wearing a mask from entering his restaurant!

Governor Newsom responded by sending his “Strike Force” team to the restaurant to try to intimidate their employees by threatening to arrest them, and by threatening to remove their business and liquor license.

There’s just one problem Governor Newsom encountered. Basilico’s will not be intimidated, because they are not breaking any laws that can be prosecuted in a court of law!

So they remain open for business, and the owner took out a huge billboard sign to let everyone in Los Angeles know!

His billboard slogan is: “Leave the Mask, Take the Cannoli!”

I’m sure Tony would like to tell Governor Newsom to shove the cannoli where the sun don’t shine! But then again, being Italian, probably not. He probably has far too much respect for authentic Italian food to waste a good cannoli like that….

Taking a stand for freedom comes at a cost, however, and Tony has received death threats and threats to burn down his restaurant.

But he’s not backing down. He writes:

“The restaurant continues to operate normally in defiance as it has since the lockdown began in March; with dine-in, no-limit seating, no social distancing and a ban on masks (all to provide the public with a sanctuary space that still feels like pre-shutdown and vintage-era America).

A place the world-that-we-know have seemingly lost.

On an important note, not one member of Basilico’s staff, and no customers who have dined at the restaurant, have ever come down with any virus related illness.

Basilico’s has remained fully operational, never making any changes according to mandates, in an open confrontation with the governor  and his orders, as a form of non-violent protest against what ownership perceives as tyranny imposed on American citizens in the name of a media and politically driven over blown health crisis.

Ownership believes the state’s shutdown measures are far out of line with the reality of actual epidemiological data, trampling on our constitutional rights, and the only concern among Americans should be the fast spreading virus of fear.

The result of Basilico’s actions include snitches and supporters of the governor calling in death threats to ownership, management and staff with promises to burn the restaurant down, a flood of hateful one star Google and Yelp reviews, and harassing phone calls, letters, and emails many boasting about how their mission is to help force the shutdown of the business.

However instead of retreating, Basilico’s has taken the fight head-on to mask shamers and lockdown lovers, by flaunting their patriotism and resistance to what they refer to as Anti-Liberty state guidelines.”