The City, It Is A-Changin'

Good afternoon, everyone.

Next week, Nashville is going to be buzzing. From our event with Erik Prince on Wednesday evening (last chance to RSVP if you’re interested in attending) to Trump’s speech at the Bitcoin Conference on Saturday, the group of people descending on Nashville next week represent everything the Metro Council has stood against.

I can’t think of a bigger middle finger you could give a city that refuses to accept its status as a Red State cultural beacon than a ‘til-now ignored institution such as BTC Media hosting the Republican Presidential nominee after its city government expressly voted against it. The Times Are A-Changin’. 

Since the start of the year, the council has voted against permitting a sign for Morgan Wallen’s new bar, denied a conservative firefighter a free speech settlement after his ejection for social media posts, and repeatedly brought forth resolutions after every appearance of rogue “white supremacist” organizations in town. (CM Courtney Johnston has late-filed a resolution condemning the assassination attempt; it will be worth watching how other council members react.)

Two years ago, the Metro Council voted to deny the city a chance to host the Republican National Convention, refusing to sign off on the security arrangements required for the event.  Lt. Gov. Randy McNally placed the blame on the leadership of then-Mayor John Cooper. Though the vote was partially in response to the state’s division of Nashville into three separate Congressional districts, it was certainly exacerbated by the broader political climate, especially the overturn of Roe v. Wade two months earlier.

CM Sean Parker summed up the body’s opposition to the convention, tweeting: “I'm certain that Trump would tell his followers to come ‘protest’ in Nashville if he loses the 2024 nomination and the convention is held here. No thanks.” 

Then-Councilmember Freddie O’Connell, no doubt thinking about the mayoral campaign he had launched three months earlier, abstained, but before he announced his run, he tweeted, “If this is how Tennessee Republicans are going to treat Democratic voters in Nashville, then [the mayor] should formally withdraw Nashville’s bid for the RNC.”

So it is, of course, ironic that Donald Trump will appear in Nashville next Saturday anyway. And this latent animus toward Trump and his ilk may explain why, late on Sunday, O’Connell offered the only public statement he’s made about the assassination attempt, intertwining it with a condemnation of another group of Neo-Nazis who held flags down on Broadway (one of whom, a Canadian, got arrested after he got into a fight). 

“Sadly, political violence is common throughout American history, as is hate speech,” he wrote at 10:30 p.m. Sunday night. “Fortunately, violent and fatal assaults on public leadership are rare. And that should remain our goal as part of American exceptionalism.”

As the council’s rejection of the RNC centered on their reluctance to secure the area of the proposed convention, it’s fair to ask if the city is going to do anything special to secure the Bitcoin Conference in anticipation of Trump’s arrival. 

We asked the mayor’s office if there would be any special precautions. “The mayor meets regularly with first responders to discuss security in the city, and he has confidence in their ability to keep both visitors and residents secure,” spokesperson Alex Apple told us before noting that MNPD will collaborate with the US Secret Service to execute a security plan. 

By press time, the Secret Service hadn’t gotten back to us, but based on their performance in Pennsylvania over the weekend, there are obvious questions that deserve answers. But more than that, the city deserves a leader who is willing to be forward about the city's commitment to protecting its own, rather than offering diffuse statements with the opacity of political rhetoric—one who’s able to address these obvious and straightforward concerns before some guy writing on his laptop.

Onward.

🚌 Will Transit Be On The Ballot? Tonight, Metro Council is set to give Mayor O’Connell’s transit referendum a final reading. If the bill passes (and it’s expected to, with thirty-two members signed onto the bill as sponsors), it will appear on November’s ballot.  

Though the bill was on second reading last meeting, it wasn’t pulled off the regular agenda for a public hearing. Sensing this may be their last chance to voice their opinions, members of the Nashville Chamber of Commerce have coordinated with the community to gather at the courthouse this evening, with the intention of signing up for the public comment period.

If you’re interested in seeing how everything plays out, you can stream tonight’s Metro Council meeting live starting at 6:30 p.m. To participate in a public comment period, the body provides a first come, first serve sign-up sheet in the Metro Clerk’s office between 5 and 6 p.m. The council sets aside twenty minutes to allow up to ten people to speak in front of the body, and priority is given to speakers who have come to comment on active legislation. You can review the bill proposing the transit referendum here. MEGAN PODSIEDLIK

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🍼 Born This Way Last Friday, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a state policy preventing people from changing their sex on their birth certificate. The lawsuit originated in 2019, when four Tennessee-born trans women argued that the state’s law unconstitutionally discriminates against transgender people. 

“While other states have taken different approaches, for decades Tennessee has consistently recognized that a birth certificate records a biological fact of a child being male or female and has never addressed gender identity,” said Attorney General Skrmetti in a press release four days ago. “We are grateful that the Court of Appeals agreed with the district court that any change in Tennessee's policy can only come from the people of Tennessee.” MEGAN PODSIEDLIK

DEVELOPMENT

• M.L.Rose opens fifth location; Fancypants reveals opening date (NBJ)
• Status of proposed Chestnut Hill tower uncertain (Post)
• Ex-Titan pays $1.23M for Jefferson Street sites (Post)

✹ THIS WEEK IN STREAMING (July 16th)

Hillbilly Elegy (Netflix) Republican Vice Presidential nominees typically don’t go into the job with a Hollywood biopic in hand, but we are pretty sure Ron Howard regrets directing this adaptation of JD Vance’s runaway hit 2016 memoir. While it’s not close to the lifelong Dem’s best, Glenn Close turns in a worthy performance as Mamaw that more than justifies a viewing.

Tanner ‘88 (Prime) Party convention season is the ideal time to revisit film legend Robert Altman and Doonesbury creator Garry Trudeau’s reality TV-comedy hybrid that finds fictional presidential candidate, Jack Tanner (Michael Murphy), on the campaign trail. As Tanner clashes with his campaign manager (brilliantly played by Pamela Reed)  and rubs elbows with real-life politicos from Gary Hart and Ralph Nader to Bob Dole and Chris Matthews, viewers can take heart that the political machine has always been spearheaded by deeply unserious people.

Arcadian (AMC+/Shudder) Those wanting a second helping of Nicholas Cage after his gonzo turn in Longlegs need look no further than this postapocalyptic pastoral that came and went from theaters without fanfare earlier this year. Cage plays the reserved father of two preteen boys who are hoping for adventure between the magic hours when they are free to roam the backwoods without the threat of mysterious creatures. It’s a heartfelt ode to family wrapped in a moody package that shows the true reach of Cage’s talents.

THINGS TO DO

View our calendar for the week here and our weekly film rundown here.

📅 Visit our On The Radar list to find upcoming events around Nashville.

🎧 On Spotify: Pamphleteer's Picks, a playlist of our favorite bands in town this week.

👨🏻‍🌾 Check out our Nashville farmer's market guide and yearly festival guide.

TONIGHT

🎸 Tight 5 Tuesday @ The 5 Spot, 8p, $5, Info
+ feat. Judy Blank & Nathan Kalish and His Derechos

🎻 The Sphinx Virtuosi @ Schermerhorn Symphony Center, 7:30p, $26+, Info

🎸 Whitten @ The Underdog, 7p, $10, Info
+ pedal steel forward instrumental music

🎺 Todd Day Wait @ The Underdog, 11:00p, Free, Info‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌
+ Honky Tonk Tuesday afterparty, down the street

🎸 Honky Tonk Tuesday @ American Legion Post 82, 8p, Free, Info‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌
+ two-step lessons @ 7p, The Cowpokes @ 8p