A government official has taken away our ability to operate and provide for our staff and families with his unilateral power. He’s closed our businesses for ONE YEAR without any actual due diligence, communication, transparency, or effort to work with us, despite countless attempts on our part. Over the past nine months, we have made many attempts to work with the City of St. Louis, to resolve any grievances, issues, and hurdles that come with operating in today's unprecedented time for our industry. This isn’t unique to just us. It is happening all across the United States and St. Louis. Yet in other parts of the country and region, the restrictions and closures are used to mitigate, not to punish. Government officials are making unilateral decisions that impact businesses that have supported them for years, and still continue to. These closures and restrictions impact everyone, not just the businesses and their staff. It’s time for everyone to stand up to those in power who are continuing these restrictions and closures. We are looking for support in the suspension of arbitrary business restrictions of occupancy limits and operating hours to be lifted. Businesses can not be responsible for individuals' choices, including, but not limited to, wearing a mask and social distancing. Please sign this petition and reach out directly to your government officials, Mayor Lyda Krewson and County Executive Sam Page, letting them know that you support our businesses being open. Thank you for the support.