The multi-city music festival Punk In The Park is facing backlash over the political donations of Cameron Collins (pictured), owner of Brew Ha Ha Productions, which puts on the event.
The Denver edition of Punk In The Park took place at National Western Stockyards over three days last weekend with lots of legacy acts like Descendants, Bad Religion, Streetlight Manifesto, and Circle Jerks. Before the event, word got out that Collins donated money to Donald Trump's presidential campaign, which led to multiple bands dropping out and at least one, Dropkick Murphys, vowing never to return.
As Denver's ABC7 reports, Brandon Alan Lewis, owner of Punkerton Records, posted on Threads back in April that North Dallas-based Collins — whose company also puts on events like Punk In Drublic and Camp Anarchy — gave $225 toward Trump's 2024 campaign, backing up his assertion with a screenshot of the FEC report. "I felt like people at least had the right to know," Lewis told ABC7. "I just felt like it was the antithesis of what we represent in punk rock."
The revelation of Collins' campaign donation led to a petition attempting to shut down the Denver edition of Punk In The Park and other installments of the fest. From the text on the petition, which has nearly 1,000 signatures at present:
We must send a strong message that we will not support festivals and organizations that do not align with the values and beliefs of our community. Let's stand together to halt Punk in the Park from coming to Denver and all the other cities it's heading to. It's time to show that we, the punk rock community, are not just a demographic to be monetized, but a collective force that stands for socio-economic justice. Nazi punks, F%$# OFF!
Ahead of last weekend's fest, Colorado bands Destiny Bond and Time Heist announced they were dropping off the bill in protest. Dropkick Murphys played the show but posted afterward on Instagram that they will no longer participate in Brew Ha Ha events going forward. Here's what they wrote:
Hey folks. Punk Rock and Donald Trump just don’t belong together. So Upon finding out that Brew Ha Ha promotions donated to the Trump campaign we will not be playing any more Punk in the Park shows. We kept our commitment to the Denver show because we didn’t want to leave our supporters who bought tickets holding the bag.
In a recent Stereogum interview, Dropkick Murphys' Ken Casey discussed the band's working-class left-wing politics and the proliferation of MAGA views within parts of their fan base:
It’s a sickness. It’s a poison. Obviously, there’s a bunch of the band’s fans that are butthurt that we’re so involved in this, and I say, I don’t know what to tell you. We haven’t changed in 30 years. It’s been the same exact message, and our fanbase was in lockstep with us for most of that. Then this fucking asshole came down the escalator and started lying to working class people, saying he had their best interests in mind. All the while, he has a huge reputation for stiffing contractors, not paying his bills, giving two shits less about anybody beneath him on the economic ladder. And now all of a sudden, my friends and the band’s fans that used to see eye-to-eye with us and our beliefs are now calling the band commies and telling us we don’t know who has the best interests in the working class.
Check out the Murphys' IG post below.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DMbju7lPSXA/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading
https://www.instagram.com/p/DMN0pDNg54K/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading
UPDATE: Collins has shared a statement clarifying his political views. "We live in a two-party system, and unfortunately, you must choose based on a few important issues that resonate with you. For me, the promise to end wars and refrain from entering new international conflicts, lower taxes, and stopping government overreach,” he wrote, adding that “we all probably have common ground on a lot of big issues like being anti-racism, anti-war, and the belief in human rights for EVERYONE, regardless of race, sexual orientation, religion, or any other identity.”
