Hot 97 concert spat a win-win for both Blakeman and Solages

                                                                                    

Yes, the Hot 97 hip-hop "Summer Jam 2023" indoor and outdoor concert will go on as scheduled today at the UBS arena in Elmont, despite Friday's political kerfluffle. The gates were to open at 2 and outdoor show at 2:30.

The concert's line up includes hip-hop artists Ice Spice, Coi Leray, GloRilla, Lola Brooke, French Montana, Fivio Foreign, Lil TJay, the LOX and Cardi B. Even the most out-of-touch conservatives have probably heard of Cardi B, if only for criticism of her sexually explicit lyrics. 

The spat began when Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, a Republican playing to his conservative base, filed suit in State Supreme Court Thursday evening to stop a free outdoor portion of the concert, called the "Festival Village."

Bruce Blakeman

 

He termed the outdoor concert a public nuisance, citing "the riot-like behavior and criminal violations that plagued prior Summer Jams."

Democratic Nassau Legis. Carrie Solages, one of four blacks on the 19-member county legislature, responded on Friday. 

Playing to his progressive and minority base, Solages issued a news release and was widely quoted in local media saying, "The harmful stereotyping contained within those papers is deeply insulting to the Black and Brown communities that form a large portion of hip-hop’s dedicated fan base, and the dog-whistle rhetoric alluding to ‘riot-like behavior’ is particularly offensive.” 

Carrie Solages

The dispute was settled before the day was through, with Blakeman announcing that the concert organizers would pay $80,000 to cover the cost of more policing at the event.

So both Blakeman and Solages won with their respective political bases.

From the start, it was obvious to many that Blakeman's legal maneuver was a negotiating ploy to get the concert sponsors, rather than taxpayers, to pay for extra security at an event unlikely to attract many of Blakeman's supporters.

His legal papers said. "The County – through its police department – is responsible for general law enforcement in Nassau County. The Police Department estimates that some 750 man hours of police work would be required to adequately police the event, at a cost to the County’s taxpayers of approximately $80,000."

After Blakeman announced an "amicable" settlement of the security issues, he said, "My job is to make sure all communities are protected and in this case my primary concern is the beautiful hamlet of Elmont."

Solages, who represents Elmont, also got what he wanted.

“While I am glad that an amicable settlement has been reached and Summer Jam is proceeding as planned, there is no logical reason as to why it had to come to this,” Legislator Solages said Friday. “I stand by my belief that self-serving motives and political pandering were the motivating factors behind the unnecessary chaos of the last 24 hours.”

He added today, "I am looking forward to attending a safe and successful event with my family that continues the celebration of hip-hop’s 50^th anniversary. I am gratified that the 11th-hour political stunt by the County Executive’s administration – one that was tinged with obvious racial overtones – has failed to cancel any portion of today’s event."

Last month Blakeman scored another political victory with his conservative base -- while enraging progressives --   when he organized a rally for Daniel Penny, the former marine from West Islip who allegedly fatally choked Jordan Neeley, a homeless man with mental health issues and a history of assault after Neeley allegedly threatened fellow subway riders.

While supporters donated more than $2 million for Penny's defense,  Fox News carried Blakeman's press conference live -- a public relations triumph for the Republican county executive.