Update: Millennium Restaurant Group has released the following statement regarding the sign located about The Union:

Hello all. I’m Director of Sales & Marketing for Millennium and I assure you we ‘did not’ create or post the sign. It is definitely not our stance - from the signage that went up today or the one we found out was up in May. We were completely unaware that this was on the sign until this evening. We have asked that it be taken down!

We, as a company, have taken VERY seriously the health and safety of our staff members, patrons and community. It is sad that we were unable to make it work out at The Union. We were obviously effected by the restrictions put on us, but also recognize that this was beyond anyone’s control.

This is no doubt a very difficult time for everyone, not only throughout Michigan, but as a country. We are nearing nearly 10 million total cases of people testing positive for Covid-19, over 200,000 dead, and leadership which has extremely criticized the actions of Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer to try and keep Michiganders safe. The criticizing of these actions from President Trump have no doubt influenced some Michiganders to take this virus lightly. From armed protests in Michigan's capital, to acting as if this virus is a hoax or over exaggerated, Governor Whitmer's decisions have caused a wave of turmoil and disagreement among it's citizens.

The recent news of The Union Cabaret & Grille closing in the Kalamazoo Mall was another sad casualty of this pandemic. As unfortunate as the closing is, it's important to note that Michigan is seeing a massive spike in positive Covid-19 cases, and Southwest Michigan has been going in the wrong direction. Regardless, it's never good when a company has been forced to close because of the Coronavirus. But it seems that whoever is responsible for operating The Union's neon sign is blaming Gov. Whitmer and is using the sign to take figurative shots at her. The night of November 9th, the sign read:

It is very sad to report that the UNION is permanently closed. Thanks gretch whitmer [sic] you have done a real number on Kalamazoo Restaurants... go buy another leather jacket.

We're unsure if the owners are responsible for this, if it was an employee expressing their personal view, or someone not connected to the company. Regardless, you can see the video of the sign here.

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