Ban Sought On Hip-Hop/Rap

According to The Morning Call, a Pennsylvania newspaper, the city of Bethlehem is seeking to ban Hip-Hop/Rap music. The officials in the tiny city want to regulate what kind of music can be played in a nightclub that is opening up on Broad Street. The club, The Bottom Line, opened the day before Thanksgiving and […]

According

to The Morning Call, a Pennsylvania newspaper, the city

of Bethlehem is seeking to ban Hip-Hop/Rap music. The officials

in the tiny city want to regulate what kind of music can

be played in a nightclub that is opening up on Broad Street.

The club, The

Bottom Line, opened the day before Thanksgiving and the

under 21 party they were having ended when gunfire erupted.

City officials are opposing the club’s attempt to obtain

a liquor license from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board.

The Officials

actually told the club owner that they will withdraw their

objections if he could meet six conditions and one of them

was no Hip-Hop or Rap music.

The nightclub

owner, Ray Nieves hired attorney Theodore J. Zeller III

of Tallman Hudders & Sorrentino and said that they comments

are racist. "I believe that the anti-discrimination

provisions of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Code and regulations

and those of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission

would prohibit such a restriction," Zeller wrote.

"Further,

I believe any agreement which restricts the type of music

played [and specifically, "Hip Hop" or "Rap"]

borders on being discriminatory and would cause a potential

for embarrassment on the part of the city and my client."

Bethlehem solicitor

Joseph Leeson Jr. said the allegation was a diversion attempt

to take away attention from the November gunfire.

"That’s

a red herring to distract from the issue of stray bullets,"

Leeson said. "The last thought on our mind has to do

with discrimination issues. Music cuts across all boundaries

and to even raise that issue is an attempt to divert attention

away from the violence that has occurred at that club."

The officials are also trying to limit the clubs operations

to Fridays and Saturdays with a 1 am closing time as well

as metal detectors at the door and off duty police officers

as security.

If you think

this is unfair, email reporter Chuck

Ayers and tell him.