PETITION

Dear Greenwood Village City Council,

We, music fans and artists, stand in solidarity with the Black community against police brutality and call for the immediate repeal of Greenwood Village’s Resolution 40-20, and stand with artists who will not play Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre until they do.  

Live performances at Fiddler’s Green are a major source of revenue for the city of Greenwood Village. Because the city council does not understand why it is imperative—from a civil rights and safety perspective—to abide by our statewide laws, we hope that they understand why it is also an economic imperative that we as artists and fans will now refuse to spend our money in Greenwood Village. 

With the exception of Greenwood Village, Colorado has made us proud. By passing Senate Bill 20-217 last month, our state leads the nation in its legislative response to George Floyd’s murder. The bill received STRONG BIPARTISAN SUPPORT and now serves as a national model in police reform. It bans certain choke holds, requires body cameras, and allows for police officers to be held civilly liable when their actions are deemed unjustified.

Last week, however, the Greenwood Village City Council passed a resolution that deliberately counters this hard-won progress. Resolution 40-20 says the city will pay all legal costs for police officers who are either accused or found guilty of the same egregious behaviors outlined in SB 20-217—even when the officer acts in bad faith. This sort of reactionary, ahistorical legislation flies in the face of everything Colorado and the Black Lives Matter movement has achieved. More to the point, the actions of Greenwood Village City Council directly endangers the lives of its Brown and Black community members.

We, music fans and artists, strive for representation and inclusivity. This law puts Black and Brown Coloradoans, and all of us, at risk and we will not stand for this injustice.

It is unconscionable that anyone—particularly Black artists and fans—should be forced to financially support a city government that has doubled down on racist policies, when performing in Colorado or attending a musician’s performance. This is why we are calling on all Colorado music fans and musicians to protest this egregious, backward, and wholly unjustified rebuke of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Unless Greenwood Village repeals Resolution 40-20, no one can be confident that the city is safe for all fans and performers. This is unacceptable, and we will protest  until the safety and enjoyment of all performers and fans can be assured.

In solidarity:

• Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats
  • Nathaniel Rateliff, Joseph Pope III, Mark Shusterman, Pat Meese, Luke Mossman, Andreas Wild, Jeff Dazey, Daniel Hardaway
• The Lumineers
  • Wesley Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites
• Flobots
• DeVotchka
  • Shawn King, Tom Hagerman, Jeanie Schroder, Nick Urata
• Spirit of Grace
• Erica Brown
• Andrea Marchant
• The Motet
  • Dave Watts, Garrett Sayers, Lyle Divinsky, Ryan Jalbert, Joey Porter, Drew Sayers, Parris Fleming