Let's write about the difficult subject of slavery acted out in our own communities

An opinion echo essay publised in The Bollard, in Portland Maine by Samuel James, in his column titled "Racism". 

White folks tend to think of racism as someone else's personal problem. Like, it sucks to get called the "N" word or whatever, but them's the breaks. Besides, whatever hurt feelings racism may ro may not cause will eventually be solved when we finally get around to convincing everyone not to judge books by covers.  

Personally, I would be overjoyed if the problems about racism were only hurt felings. Unfortunately, it's about a little more that that.  Racism, as we know it today, can be traced to 1450, Portugal, when Prince Henry was looking for a way to justify his exclusive enslavement of Black Africans. And so, Henry's chonicler, Gomes Eanes de Zurara began writing about Black people as being inferior and deserving of enslavement. 

More than 400 years later those same dipshit ideas spewed from the mouth of Alexander Stephens, vice president of the Confederacy.  Weeks before the start of the Civil War, Stephens explained that the new Southern government's "cornerstone rests....upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery subordination to the superior race is his natural and normal condition".

After the Civil War, tasks established as "slave work" became common jobs but never lost their antebellum  status. This is why many of those jobs- kitchen and wait staff, childcare specialists, farmworkers, laundry laborers, etc.- continue to be the lowest paid in the country.  Yes, COVID showed us that society completely collapses without so called "essentail workers", but racism is a hell of a drug.

The servant class isn't the only one trapped by this history.  The entertainment class is trapped as well- especially musicians.  Performers of American music are often valued much like the enslaved people who originated it.  If you have any doubt, ask a local musician how many times they've been asked to perform for free, and then have a seat, because you'e about to hear a very long list.

This truth is obscured by the pop stars who, like most American success stories, rose to the top by already being there.  Ed Sheeran, Adam Levine Win Butler, Kid Rock, Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift comprise just a drop int he bucket of famous musicians born into wealth and privilege.  Performers like this wouldn't be discouraged by the typical recording contract, which involved signing away the rights to your work in perpetuity while receiving an advance to cover touring costs that must be quickly paid back, usually by committing to a grueling touring schedule.  

A business model requiring a perpetual supply of free labor benefitting those not supplying that labor should feel disgustingly familiar to anyone who comleted fifth-grade history. (In other words...."slavery".)

The music industry is built by non-musicians for the benefit of non-musicians like managers and agents and label heads and verius other middlemen. Live Nation, for exampoe, is an international "entertainment company", claiming to be "Artist powered, and "Fan driven".

Since they promote, operate and manage ticket sales, venues and musicians' careers, I guess  that's technically true.  They're also facing various monoply-related lawsuits brought by hundreds of individuals, 39 state attorneys general and teh federal government.  These legal actins allege racketeering price gouging an dviolating anti-trust and consumer protection laws. 

Oh, and this "entertainment compnay' is trying to build a 3,300 seat venue in downtown Portland, Maine.

If Live Nation is successful, Portland can expect to experience the alleged criminality of the "entertainment company" and the loss of its local music scene as Live Nation's invasion of communities frequently leads to the closing of idnependent venues and the exodus of local musicians.  Fortunately, a moratorium has been proposed that would block the venue's construciton, and the Portland City Council is scheduled to vote on in on August 11*.  Unfortunately, its vote could be meaningless, regardless of the outcome.

Portland operates under the Council of Managers form of mucincipal government and anti-democratic, white supremacist system created to subjugate Black people. In this system, the decision-making powers belongs to an unelected city manager, while the mayor is largely a figurehead, and the city council mostly functions as lobbyyists appealing to the city manager.  Portland has operated this way cince 1923, when the Ku Klux Klan, along with their members and collaborators in the Portland Chamber of Commerce and the Portland Press Herald manipulaed an electin gerrymandered city and installed this racist structure.

This is not to say that those opposed to the Live Nation shouldn't flood council chambers (again) this month.  They absolutely should❗ But, they should also manage their expectations of a government designed to choose whose interests it represents based on the decisions of a manager whom no one voted to represent them.

If any or all of this sounds especially bleak, congratulations! You now understant that racism is a little more than someone else's personal problem.  

* Portland City Council Passes 180-Day Moratorium, Pausing Live Nation Venue Project:  Monday, August 11, 2025, the Portland City Council voted 6-3 to pass a 180-day moratorium on the development of large concert venues with a capacity of 2,000 people or more. This decision will temporarily pause the construction of the controversial Portland Music Hall, a proposed 3,300-seat venue backed by Live Nation and Mile Marker Investments. However, the moratorium will not go into effect for 30 days due to the absence of an emergency clause.

What Does the Moratorium Mean? The vote on the moratorium means that the Portland Music Hall project, planned for 244 Cumberland Ave., will be put on hold for at least six months. During this time, the city will study the potential impacts of large-scale venues on traffic, parking, local businesses, and the city’s cultural landscape. The moratorium, which is retroactive to December 1, 2024, will give the city time to consider necessary adjustments to zoning ordinances and other regulations.

The Debate: Why the Moratorium? The proposal has sparked fierce debate within the community. (Published in PortlandOldPort.com)

Opponents of the venue, including the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) and the Maine Music Alliance, argued that a Live Nation-backed venue could be an “existential threat” to Portland’s independent music scene. Their concerns included the potential loss of jobs, venue closures, and a shift in the cultural landscape of the city, especially considering Live Nation’s involvement in a federal antitrust lawsuit.

Supporters of the venue, on the other hand, highlighted the potential for job creation, economic growth, and a boost to Portland’s tourism. They believe that the venue would serve as a much-needed space for national acts and large-scale events, strengthening Portland’s position as a hub for entertainment in New England.

The author of Racism, Samuel James, is giving an example about how slavery shows up in communities in very cunning ways. Live Nation obviously is looking for an opportunity to monopolize Portland, Maine's entertainment environment.