Lady Gaga's dad Joe Germanotta claims being 'attacked' outside church as he criticizes NYC violence
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Singer-actress Lady Gaga and restaurateur Joe Germanotta claimed he was attacked outside of his New York City church and lashed out at the "chaos" that has been sweeping the Big Apple.
A vocal opponent of New York lawmakers and its COVID-19 economic policies, Germanotta claimed that the city has been devolving into anarchy in recent years.
Lady Gaga's dad Joe Germanotta 'attacked' outside NYC church
Beloved New York City restaurateur Joe Germanotta claimed to have personally witnessed the rise in thefts and local crime in recent years.
Owner of Joanne Trattoria and father of Grammy Award-winning singer Lady Gaga, Germanotta revealed to Maria Bartiromo of FOX Business, "I just got attacked outside of my church… I was attacked."
"It was 7:30 in the morning, and I don't know whether he's homeless, he was a little disturbed," Germanotta said. "First, he pushed the pastor of the church. We were standing out in front, and then he came down the stairs coming after me"
The father and company owner continued, saying, "I can't tell you what I did to him."
Joe Germanotta addressed rising crimes in New York City
Amid intense anti-Israel demonstrations that were taking over the Columbia and New York University campuses in the city, Germanotta brought up the random attack while sounding the alarm about the city's deteriorating safety.
The celebrity's father, who has recently gained popularity as a critic on matters pertaining to New York City, stated previously on FOX that he places a large portion of the blame on President Biden's administration, per Daily Mail.
Germanotta has been vocal about the post-COVID surge in crime that New York City witnessed in the aftermath of George Floyd's protests, police defunding requests, and the ongoing influx of undocumented immigrants without homes.
Although the Wall Street Journal acknowledged in January that Mayor Eric Adams's law enforcement reform initiatives helped reduce crime rates from 2022 to 2023, Germanotta insisted the Big Apple still felt "unsafe."
"What's been so unsafe is a lot of people running around, just hanging out on corners, loitering," Germanotta remarked.
He added: "There's probably enough scooters and bicycles on the sidewalk to expand your delivery zone to Connecticut. They're everywhere, and they're buzzing around."
"You have to look both ways when you're walking down the street, because most of the time they're riding in both directions. The city's become unsafe in a couple of different ways, not just crime. Now there's chaos," Germanotta seethed.
Joe Germanotta stresses small businesses are affected by inflationary pressures
Germanotta claimed that he has observed a decrease in business of up to a third in recent years, which he attributed to rising inflation as well as lawlessness.
Sticky inflationary pressures, however, are a bigger deterrent for small business owners like him than violence and mayhem, and keeping one-third of his usual clientele away.
"I can tell you this, where we're getting hurt most is the economy. The customers that used to come in once a week, they come in once every three weeks," he said.
"And you know who gets hurt? Not so much the restaurant or their payroll, but the workers and the salespeople."
Germanotta concluded by saying: "Business was booming four years ago. And it's been a steady decline since this new administration and the mayor and the crime and the newcomers. And just every time you turn around, there’s a 'gotcha' there."
