Afro-American band forced to leave stage because of Anti-Bush T-Shirt

Posted by Ban Shirts

August 19, 2007

An Afro-American band was asked to leave the stage at a jazz festival in Cleveland Ohio. Mifun had been on stage playing for about twenty minutes when the lights and sound went out at tower city center. Lisa Krieger, tower city general manager said the bands tee shirts were not appropriate and that they would have to turn them inside out to continue playing.

The tee shirts were of George Bush with a line through it and the caption said “Band Leader Jacob Fader, 28 of Cleveland Heights. The Band Leader, Jacob Fader argued that to turn the shirts inside out would be an infringement of his right of freedom of speech. The audience was informed of the decision that the band made to stop playing and showed their anger by booing.

Lisa Krieger stated that the bands dress was not appropriate. The show was held to entertain the city, and half way through a song they stopped playing. The song, supercrush was written to describe how the bush administration is eliminating the middle class. “The purpose of the show was to provide musical entertainment,” she said. When members of the audience, including Faders father, protested saying everyone has the right to freedom of speech, they were told
‘Not in here you don’t.” By a security officer. Read more about the ban on anti-bush t-shirt.

Banned T-Shirts