Concert of John Hinckley Jr. in Brooklyn, a quirky concert scheduled to feature music by a man famous for trying to kill the US president, was canceled by the venue on Wednesday, leading to concerns about the reaction. violently in a “dangerous, reactionary radicalization process.”
Hinckley, 67, who shot President Ronald Reagan in 1981 and was not convicted of insanity, has lived in Virginia under restrictions since 2016, but has since unconditionally issued effective Wednesday. Mr. Hinckley has been planning to use that release to mount what he calls a “reward tour”, playing his original music at venues around the country.
But that plan has hit some setbacks as venues have changed his scheduled concerts, including the Market Hotel, a concert hall in Brooklyn’s Bushwick neighborhood that posted a statement give social media on Wednesday said it had canceled Hinckley’s July 8 performance.
“It’s not worth the risk to the safety of our vulnerable communities to give a guy a microphone and a salary from his art who doesn’t have to earn it, who we are not interested in on an artistic level and who disturbs the statement said.
Venue appears to have announced the decision with regret, writing in the statement that “this guy has done no harm to anyone in any practical way.”
The venue said: “This is a sex player with an acoustic guitar. The statement goes on to say that while they believe ex-s and those with mental illness will be able to earn an opportunity to “re-enter society fully”, they have made the decision after reflection. about “threats are very real and worse and hate to face our vulnerable communities.”
In 2020, a federal judge in Washington has ruled that Mr Hinckley could begin publicly exhibiting his works, artwork and music under his own name after his treatment team told the court of his frustrations at having to post music. anonymously online. Since then, Mr. Hinckley has uploaded videos of his original songs and covers to his YouTube channel which has more than 28,000 subscribers.
In a phone interview on Wednesday, Mr Hinckley said the tour would be the first time he’s streamed his original songs and that he was disappointed by the cancellation, though he said that He understands the site’s concerns about safety.
“I watch the news like any other person – to be honest, we live in very, very scary times,” Mr. Hinckley said. “I will only continue the show if I feel safe at the show and feel that the audience will be safe.”
Mr Hinckley’s attorney, Barry Levine, wrote in an email that there had been “growing threats” that could put Mr Hinckley and attendees at risk and he agreed with the decision to cancel.
But Mr. Hinckley said a promoter he was working with was looking for a new location in New York City. Venues in Chicago and Hamden, Conn., which had previously scheduled Hinckley’s shows, also canceled performances.
In 1981, after seeing the movie “Taxi Driver,” in which the protagonist plots to assassinate a presidential candidate, Hinckley said he hatched a plan to kill Reagan in order to impress Jodie Foster. He waited outside the Washington Hilton on March 30, 1981, where Mr. Reagan was giving a speech, and fired six shots as the president left the hotel. The shots hit the president; James S. Brady, White House press secretary; Timothy J. McCarthy, an agent; and Thomas K. Delahanty, a policeman. Mr. Brady died from his wound in 2014.
Mr. Hinckley was sent to a mental hospital in Washington for more than two decades. The judge set a final release date of June 15, without any restrictions, after finding that Mr Hinckley had met a number of conditions, including mental stability.
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute objected to Hinckley’s unconditional release, writing in a statement that the organization was “deeply saddened and concerned that John Hinckley, Jr., will soon be released unharmed. conditions and intend to pursue a music career for profit. ”
Patti Davis, one of Reagan’s daughters, opposed the lifting of restrictions on Mr. Hinckley, writing in an article. washington articles last year that she feared “the man with that gun and almost a desire to assassinate the president might decide to contact me.”
But Mr Hinckley’s supporters see an important message in society that has allowed him to perform publicly after decades of rehabilitation.
“This is what the world needs to see, which is resilience,” said Andreas Xirtus, a podcaster from California who supports Hinckley’s music. “Somehow his spirit is still there and making a positive impact with the music.”
Mr. Levine said in an email that his clients hope that the public understands he has changed since the 1980s.
“Although he knows his name is attached to an act of violence,” Levine writes, “he hopes that people of good will will understand that when he committed those acts, he suffered a devastating mental illness – a condition from which he no longer suffered. ”
