Prominent Atlanta business owner Ryan Wilson slammed Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp for reopening the state on Friday, April 24.
The CEO and co-founder of Atlanta’s thriving private membership club, The Gathering Spot, made a public PSA informing Gov. Kemp that the renown club will keep it’s doors closed, despite Kemp’s removal of the shelter-in-place order.
Like many other prominent business owners, mostly Democrats, Ryan expressed his “great concern” with the early opening of the state, saying regardless of what Kemp states, he will not put his staff or members in harm’s way, while Georgia is still working to “flatten the Covid-19 curve.”
Wilson, pictured at right with entrepreneur Killer Mike, states, “This is a complete failure of leadership. I don’t understand the decision. We’re not opening despite the order. We could technically open on April 27, but we’re not going to because it’s not safe to do so. The worst thing that could happen is we open our space up and someone gets sick or dies as a result of coming into contact with someone here. We just simply are not at the point where the data suggests that it’s a responsible move to make.”
Wilson is calling on other local businesses to join him, by remaining closed, as well as urging citizens to stay at home.
He is also asking patrons to continue to support their small local businesses the best way they can throughout this troubling time. In the past 4-weeks of Georgia’s closure, The Gathering Spot has donated over $16,000 in grants for small local businesses. They will continue to raise funding with their “We All We Got” fund, to continue to provide resources to local businesses in need.
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