Nashville Metro Council members rejected a request to install a sign for country singer Morgan Wallen's future bar, citing his recent controversies.
The application was submitted by 4th Avenue Property LLC, which is developing Morgan Wallen's This Bar and Tennessee Kitchen at 107 4th Ave. North. But 30 council members voted Wednesday against allowing the sign, according to multiple reports.
Councilwoman At Large Delishia Porterfield noted Wallen's past.
"We want to make sure that Nashville was a supportive place for everyone, so I don't want to see a billboard with the name of a person who's throwing chairs off of balconies and who is saying racial slurs, using the n-word, so I'm voting no," she said, according to People.
Wallen was arrested on felony charges for reportedly throwing a chair from a Nashville rooftop bar last month. In 2021, he drew widespread criticism after a video surfaced showing him using a racial slur.
Council member Jordan Huffman seconded Porterfield's concerns.
"I rise to oppose this," Huffman said, according to People. "Number 1 - Mr. Wallen is an East Tennessean - he gives all of us a bad name. His comments are hateful, his comments are harmful, and you don't belong in this town, as far as I'm concerned. I'm tired of this city bending over to just make anybody happy that makes a comment that they want to. We continue to go down this road. I encourage my colleagues to vote against this.”
The resolution was brought to the council by Council member Jacob Kupin, who, although he approved the sign, admitted he was conflicted.
"It struck me that we're putting up a sign with someone's name on it that hasn't been a good actor downtown," he said. "I decided to move approval for this because I do support the efforts to move this bar forward ... the restaurant group that's managing this facility, TC Restaurant Group, has been really a good partner in everything going on downtown."
Under Nashville law, "Any aerial, underground, or building (including awning, sign, canopy, fiber optic cable, etc.) that encroaches on Metro right-of-way (ROW)" must be approved by the city's Metro Council.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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