Chicago artist Sen Morimoto was scheduled to have a performance featured in the city’s “Millennium Park at Home” virtual concert series on Thursday (July 23), but the event was canceled at the last minute, as the Chicago Tribune notes.
On social media, Morimoto wrote that his performance was “pulled from the lineup because of a statement [he] made in [an introductory] video concerning Mayor Lightfoot’s actions in response to the protests currently happening in Chicago.” Morimoto also wrote, “I was asked to remove the statement, otherwise the video would be pulled, and I was not comfortable censoring my criticism of the mayor at the request of the City of Chicago.”
Fellow Chicago artist Tasha was also scheduled to have her music featured on “Millennium Park at Home” on Thursday, but asked to be removed from the bill in solidarity with Morimoto. Tasha wrote on her Instagram Stories, “Their decision to remove Sen’s set from the lineup is blatant censorship to protect Lori Lightfoot’s name, and that’s not the side I want to be on.”
The “Millennium Park at Home” concert series is organized by Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE). When reached by Pitchfork, representatives for DCASE shared the following statement:
According to Morimoto, DCASE asked him to remove the following statement:
When reached by Pitchfork, Tasha echoed Morimoto’s push for CPAC and defunding of the police. “I feel my actions in supporting Sen should highlight how much we care about Lori Lightfoot taking real steps to defund the Chicago Police Department, enact CPAC, and listen to what so many organizers, activists, and artists are calling her to do,” she wrote in an email.
Pitchfork has reached out to representatives for Sen Morimoto for comment and more information.