Article Author:
Associated Press
Sudin Thanawarra
ATLANTA (AP) — Tens of thousands of Music Midtown Festival attendees will gather in Atlanta's massive Piedmont Park next month to cheer for hip No more. See future hop stars and beloved rock band My Chemical Romance on stage.
In fact, in Atlanta, the heart of America's hip-hop music scene, state law makes it nearly impossible for organizers and artists to hold music festivals and performances on public land. Some believe that more and more music festivals and performances will be lost as time goes by. Stop people carrying guns in alcohol-fueled crowds.
That prospect has ignited a new battle for gun rights in Georgia, disrupted the gubernatorial race, overshadowed Atlanta's vaunted music scene, Increasing tensions between city and state.
Live Nation declined to disclose why it recently canceled his September Music Midtown, a long-running event for pop music lovers.
But media outlets, citing unnamed sources, attributed last week's announcement to a Georgia Supreme Court ruling in 2019. The ruling stems from a 2014 state law that expanded where guns are allowed.
Democrats, led by Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, jumped on the news, an example of the kind of economic impact the state will experience from Republican Governor Brian Kemp's "extreme gun policy." Canceled as. Music The gun laws cited in his Midtown coverage were enacted under Kemp's Republican predecessor, but Kemp introduced a new state law this year that eliminated the need for a license to carry a handgun. was a major supporter of public.
An editorial in the Atlanta Journal and the Constitution warned that gun control threatened Atlanta's status as the "cultural capital of the South." Atlanta City Council Chairman Doug Shipman lamented the loss of this year's Midtown Music Festival.
"All of this culminates in a moment when music festivals, people gathering and a lot of economic activity should pull us out of COVID," he told the Associated Press.
} Beyond its immediate effects, the battle helped to further the disconnect between Georgia's still-democratic capital and the Republican-dominated legislature.The state's leaders are based in Atlanta. I banged my head with giants Delta Air Lines and Coca-Cola over the vote change.
Live Nation did not respond to emails regarding Music Midtown's cancellation. Although the festival website cites "situation beyond our control," no one at the company has publicly denounced the state's gun laws. Gun rights activist Philip Evans, who has sued over the ban, said he warned organizers at Music Midtown that their gun ban policy was against state law. Evans' lawsuit prompted a 2019 state Supreme Court ruling that said private companies doing certain types of leases on public land cannot ban guns.
Live Nation planned to host the festival at Piedmont Park (Public Land), where the festival has been held annually since 2011, with the exception of the 2020 coronavirus-related exception. would make gun bans illegal.
"Music He said, when it comes to Midtown, it's virtually a no-brainer that guns can't be banned there," said John, an attorney who represented gun rights groups in the case. Monroe said. In front of the State Supreme Court.
Canceling the event over gun control reasons makes sense from Live Nation's perspective, said Timothy Lytton, a law professor at Georgia State University.
More than 50 people were killed in the 2017 shooting at a country music festival in Las Vegas. of $800 million in litigation costs. Litton said Live Nation was considering taking on potentially "astronomical" liability at Music Midtown because there are no restrictions on guns.
The cancellation has hit Georgia's economy and local businesses.
Abrams said in a statement that Kemp "is more interested in protecting dangerous people who carry guns in public than in saving jobs and maintaining businesses in Georgia." “We are focused on doing what we do,” and her campaign released a targeted attack ad this week. Regarding cancellation. Democrats from other states also participated.
Governor of Nevada. Steve Sisolak said, "Here in Nevada, we believe in common sense gun safety and reproductive rights protection. â†* Mr. MusicMidtown, come to the Silver State." Gov. Roy Cooper, North Carolina Music also invited Midtown to his state.
Kemp accused Abrams and other Democrats of trying to "push" critical narratives about the gun situation in Georgia to distract from inflation.
Georgia was also recently under fire from California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom over a state law banning most abortions if there is fetal heart activity. . This law came into effect last month.
Newsom ran an ad in the entertainment magazine Variety last week urging film companies to stop making films in states, including Georgia, in what he called a "brutal attack on essential rights." accused of doing State tax credits have made Georgia a prime destination for filmmaking.
Kemp told reporters last week that he wasn't worried about attempts by Democratic governors to lure businesses out of Georgia, including California.
"You recently looked at gas prices in these states," Kemp said, citing Georgia's strong industrial development, tourism and movie figures.
77}Gun rights advocates have identified at least one other music venue in Atlanta that they say may have violated the 2014 Gun Control Act. The use of "weapons" at the show is prohibited.
But activists say they have no intention of shutting down the event, just to protect themselves. ,” said Jerry Henry, Executive Director of the Second Amendment to Georgia. "I assure you there are criminals out there."
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AP writers Jeff Amy and Bill Barrow contributed to this report.
