Last week, Threes Brewing (113 Franklin St) CEO and co-founder Josh Stylman took to Twitter to call COVID-19 vaccine mandates “a crime against humanity,” as well as relating said mandates to Jim Crow, Nazism, Stalinism, and more in a subsequent quote tweet.
Stylman, who also cited the Nuremberg Code, admitted he is vaccinated, but anti-mandate, stating that the shot “doesn’t stop transmission” of the virus. (According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, unvaccinated adults are more likely to contract coronavirus and become vectors, while vaccines also help lessen the likelihood of more severe symptoms.)
In an interview with Eater, the brewery owner stood by his comments, but clarified that he was not comparing the mandates to the Holocaust, but rather the banning of Jewish people from public spaces in Germany.
Since Stylman’s remarks, both he and Threes Brewing have faced backlash, including local Council Member Lincoln Restler tweeting his decision to seek out a different venue for a prospective event. On February 18, the brewery posted a message to the community condemning Stylman’s comments and reinforcing their policy to continue compliance with government mandates, citing their original stance on masking, distancing, and vaccines in an effort to keep staff and customers safe.
On Twitter, Stylman admitted he didn’t expect the backlash to impact the bar and noted that he feels “terrible.”