SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones and other elected officials gathered at the Holocaust Memorial Museum on Tuesday to condemn rap superstar Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, ahead of his concert at the Alamodome.
Ye is scheduled to perform on July 4 at the city-funded downtown stadium for a concert that is expected to draw a record crowd and has sold at least 50,000 tickets in less than a week.
Craig Berkowitch, CEO of the Jewish Federation of San Antonio, said the city had a choice between “our values and financial gain,” when booking Ye.
“We believe the wrong choice was made,” Berkowitch said.
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Ye has been at the center of controversy for years due to antisemitic comments made by the rapper.
“When we are thinking in using the peoples’ resources, I think it’s extremely important that we are much more thoughtful about the message that we send when we invest their time, their energy and their resources into providing somebody a platform who has years’ worth of hate speech and antisemitic rhetoric,” Jones said.
The mayor said she found out about the Ye concert through an email offering free tickets to the show sent from a city staff member to all councilmembers.
She said at least one councilmember accepted the offer via email.
“It was a reply all from one of our councilmembers saying, ‘I’ll take three,’” Jones said.
Jones later confirmed during the KSAT Q&A that District 9 Councilwoman Misty Spears was the councilmember who accepted the offer.
Spears agreed with the councils stance on denouncing antisemitism, according to a statement from the councilwoman. But she also said it’s “equally important” to be committed to the Constitution.
“That commitment cannot depend on whether we agree with someone’s views,” Spears said. “The First Amendment protects offensive speech, not just popular speech. Unless laws have been broken or there are credible threats to public safety, government should not be in business of using its authority to suppress speech based on viewpoint.”
Councilmembers against ‘resorting to censorship’
In a statement posted Tuesday — signed by Jalen McKee-Rodriguez (D2), Sukh Kaur (D1), Teri Castillo (D5), Marina Alderete Gavito (D7), Misty Spears (D9) and Marc Whyte (D10) — the councilmembers said “the City does not endorse his (Ye’s) rhetoric by allowing use of a public venue.”
“We can condemn hate without resorting to censorship, which could set a precedent toward limiting expression based on objectionable viewpoints,” the statement said.
The Ye concert is projected to generate roughly $1.7 million for the Alamodome, according to the statement, and “hotel reservations are already up 22% since the concert was announced.”
Jones said Tuesday that the council doesn’t have the votes needed to cancel Ye’s concert.
“At this point, the only way to cancel this concert is if we have a public vote,” Jones said. “And we don’t have the votes.”
The mayor cited “economic interest” from the councilmembers who likely would have voted against her.
But Jones, quoting a statement by McKee-Rodriguez, said “not all money is good money.”
Jones said city administrators will come up with a process to review decisions that represent the city, including booking events at the Alamodome.
State Sen. Jose Menendez and Bexar County Precinct 3 Commissioner Grant Moody echoed Jones’ statements in regard to Ye’s comments and hate speech.
“When someone repeatedly spread anti hate, praises Nazis, and denies the holocaust and tried to intimidate our Jewish community, we have a responsibility to call it out directly and forcefully and I am,” Moody said. “I do not support Kanye West’ planned performance in San Antonio.”
Jones said the antisemitic controversy cloud hovering over San Antonio as the city prepares for a Ye concert is an “important lesson” to ensure “that this doesn’t happen again.”
Read Spears’ full statement below:
While visiting Israel, I’ve been reminded of both the resilience of the Jewish people and the importance of confronting antisemitism wherever it appears. It is important to me that my hometown understands where I stand on this issue. District 9 is home to a robust Jewish community, and I will always ensure their safety and wellbeing is valued and protected.
Let me be clear: antisemitism is evil. It is hateful, divisive, and has no place in our community. Kanye West’s (Ye) repeated antisemitic rhetoric deserves to be condemned without hesitation.
Equally important is our commitment to the Constitution. That commitment cannot depend on whether we agree with someone’s views. The First Amendment protects offensive speech, not just popular speech. Unless laws have been broken or there are credible threats to public safety, government should not be in business of using its authority to suppress speech based on viewpoint.
The proper response to hateful ideas is to speak out against them, support those they target, and uphold the constitutional freedoms that protect every American. We can stand firmly against antisemitism while also standing firmly for the Constitution. Those principals are not in conflict. They are, in fact, what makes our country strong.
Going forward, I will advocate for San Antonio to be thoughtful about the entertainers and events the City chooses to promote, sponsor, or partner with. San Antonio should thrive to welcome artists who bring people together- not those whose public platforms are built on antisemitism, racism, or other forms of hate. We can make those choices without compromising the constitutional rights that belong to every American.
I’m grateful to those who join me in standing alongside our Jewish community and rejecting the hateful messages promoted by this entertainer.
Misty Spears, District 9 Councilmember