Sen Morimoto Leaves Chicago Virtual Concert Bill After Criticizing Mayor

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:

Mayor Lightfoot and DCASE honor artistic freedom and uphold free
speech. The “Millennium Park at Home” virtual concert series was
created as a platform to showcase local music, support musicians and
engage audiences at this difficult time. It is not intended to provide
a platform for public discourse and debate, which is why DCASE
requested the personal viewpoints of one of our participating artists,
Sen Morimoto, be removed from a pre-recorded introduction to the
concert. Both of our featured artists, including Tasha, instead asked
us to remove their entire music performance, which we of course
accommodated. Both artists were paid per our agreements. Since April,
DCASE has booked more than 65 local musicians for its new, reimagined
events—and has of course supported local artist relief.

According to Morimoto, DCASE asked him to remove the following statement:

… I would like to add my extreme disappointment in the lack of
action that has been taken by Mayor Lightfoot and our elected
officials here in response to some 100,000 protestors in Chicago
demanding the police be defunded and [the Civilian Police
Accountability Council
(CPAC)] enacted. We’re not
even seeing the same bare minimum changes that are being made in New
York, Minneapolis, and Seattle. We have a lot of catching up to do.

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.