Current Events > how would you feel if the mayor forced a venue to stop a concert?

(+) Yeah! (+)

that happened in my city

the reporting makes it sound pretty crazy; the mayor tried to force the city attorney to stop the concert through some legal injunction, and when he refused, an at-large board member tried to get them to hire a fuckin temporary lawyer to do it instead.

Ultimately, the mayor and city council calling and pressuring the venue was enough to stop the concert

these are all democrats mostly btw
https://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2017/10/13/rap-concert-uproar-raises-questions-about-police-management-1st-amendment

https://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2017/10/13/state-rep-charles-blake-blasts-city-push-to-shut-down-rap-show

http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2017/oct/13/rapper-s-concert-canceled-after-lr-offi/

After City Manager Bruce Moore showed the mayor and board members Buckner's letter to iHeart Media on Thursday afternoon, they were visibly and vocally angry at the last-minute notice.

"This is alarming," Ward 3 City Director Capi Peck said.

Ward 2 City Director Ken Richardson got up and started walking out. "That letter was composed a week ago, and now we are getting it the day before?" he said.

Stodola said, "We do not need a Sex Money Murder Gang here, and I suggest we do everything we can. I suggest we get the city attorney to revisit this issue."

Several city directors stayed even though the budget workshop was adjourned, and started making phone calls to see what they could do. There was mention of calling an emergency board meeting sometime today.

They shook their heads as they read Buckner's letter. Vice Mayor Kathy Webb's jaw dropped.

Doris Wright of Ward 6 said, "You've got all this gun and violence going on, and you got people who are going to flock to that place," the Metroplex facility, which is within Ward 6 boundaries. "There's no way I'd risk my life to hear some fool named Moneybaggs, but our young people don't understand."

Several city directors questioned why they were just getting the letter. Moore told them he took his cue from advice by City Attorney Tom Carpenter that there was nothing the city could do to stop the performance.

"[The mayor] needs to call the local iHeart affiliate for us as a board and say we are not putting up with this and we are going to pursue legal actions. If Tom won't, let's hire someone to do it," at-large City Director Dean Kumpuris said. "We need to be in a position to do everything we can. We've got enough bad publicity. We just said we are going to do something [after the July club shooting]."

Stodola could be heard on the phone with Carpenter after Thursday's board meeting about 4:30 p.m. talking in an argumentative tone. He told Carpenter the board wanted an injunction and mentioned defenses the city could use in seeking an injunction. He also disagreed that the city would be liable for violating the First Amendment if it sought to have a court stop the concert.

"The board unanimously wants you to prepare an injunction on the theory that clearly [the performer] has a propensity to create violence in his concerts, that the situation in Little Rock has shown that very possibly could happen here. We cannot control what happens in the parking lot of Metroplex. While we may be able to insist on a certain type of security, are we going to be able to do that in every entrance and exit? The fact we had that incident in July shows the climate in Little Rock. Whether we can prevail or not, we need to make every effort we can to make sure this does not occur, " Stodola said on the phone to Carpenter.

does this seem like an enormous violation of the 1st amendment to anyone else? the artist himself is not connected to the shootings they are discussing, though they happened at his concerts
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it is quite literally trump-esque
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Balrog0 posted...

Stodola said, "We do not need a Sex Money Murder Gang here, and I suggest we do everything we can.

lmao
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Rap =

its kinda funny, but only because little rock is irrelevant
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silly to go after an artist for that surrounding them unless they implicitly call for it or participate
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Balrog0 posted...

it is quite literally trump-esque

It is indeed. What a stupid thing to panic about.
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lmao
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I've only heard of this happening once before and it was because of safety issues (someone died by being pressed against the wall trying to get into general admission)
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