Tomorrow night’s performance of Dead Prez at Sky Bar has drawn criticism that the bar and group probably never expected.
The controversy goes back the summer of 2010, when No More Deaths started We Mean Business, getting almost 100 local businesses to post the red-on-white anti-SB 1070 sign that says “We Reject Racism.” Brooklyn Pizza and Sky Bar owner Tony Vaccaro took down his signs at his Fourth Avenue spots and claimed businesses shouldn’t get involved in politics.
Since that decision, immigration-rights activists have boycotted Sky Bar and Brooklyn Pizza. Boycotts aren’t easy to maintain, but this is a group that has stuck to its beliefs. But when a highly political rap group like Dead Prez shows up, it can make these battles difficult.
Still, a call went out asking the group to reconsider playing at the venue and what it means to immigrant-rights supporters.
The Mexican American and Raza Studies Facebook page, among others, have had active conversations about the controversy. This response from Dead Prez was shared on the page:
“Thank you for the information. dead prez already made a commitment to play this show prior to knowledge of this venue.”
Conversations of protests in front of the bar have been tempered, and word went out that Dead Prez is speaking with community reps and figuring out way to offer support.
This article appears in Sep 27 – Oct 3, 2012.
Tony, Sky Bar’s owner, is a forward thinking guy when it comes to solar panels but he and his business deserve to be boycotted for taking down the “We Reject Racism” sign. Apparently they do not reject racism. Come on y’all do you or don’t you?
I don’t know Tony Vaccaro and think I’ve only ducked into Sky Bar once for a quick beer while shopping on 4th Ave. But he has an excellent point and mmh is wrong. When a business takes a public stand on a contentious issue…there is a very real risk that one will offend potential customers. The former owner of Roses & More found that out after he protested Bush’s invasion of Iraq (which is why he is now a “former” owner).
We recently saw the fallout when the news of Chick-fil-A’s gay-hating stance hit the media. On a personal level I will not patronize Flores/An/McMahon restaurants due to their public suport of the Rosemont ecological disaster nor Jonathan’s Cork for his blatant partisan display on his restaurant.
If a business owner keeps his personal beliefs personal, there is not much risk of offending customers (on either side of a spectrum). Nor should Mr. Vaccaro be bullied by the group-think of other surrounding businesses. He is simply doing good business by staying away from contentious issues.