Police in Kingston, Ont., paid a visit to JAKK Tuesdays early Saturday morning.
The restaurant has been operating while under a Section 22 order, which instructs them to follow COVID public health measures or to close.
The business was served with a court injunction on Friday, with police enforcing the order one day later.
“So at approximately 5:40 a.m., Kingston police were operating in an assistive capacity to help out the Sheriff’s office to issue the Superior Court order on Kelly Hale, the owner and proprietor of JAKK Tuesdays,” said Kingston police Sgt. Steve Koopman.
“Our role was to ensure that everyone was safe, to keep the peace and to also ensure the vacating of the premises as was listed in the order.”
When police first showed up the doors were locked, but after a few minutes, Hale gave in and let the officers into the restaurant.
“So he had initially, while speaking to him through the door, stated he would not comply,” said Koopman. “He potentially also gave some misleading information about the number and demographics of the people inside.”
There were a number of people coming to JAKK Tuesdays to show their support Friday afternoon and evening.
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Koopman said some videos online had shown there were many people, including children, in the building, which prompted Kingston police to wait until the early morning before visiting the restaurant.
A few protesters had chosen to sleep there, but Koopman said the numbers were far fewer than what they were on the previous evening.
“Luckily, at the end of the day, there were roughly 10 people inside, including Mr. Hale,” said Koopman.
“Everyone, I believe, were adults other than one 15-year-old teenager. So, any of the young children that were viewed in the video from the night prior appear to have left prior to our attendance this morning.”
As for the future of JAKK Tuesdays, that remains up to the legal system.
“The doors of JAKK Tuesdays Sports Pub are closed until the matter is heard by the Court,” says KFL&A Public Health in a statement.
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