A Michigan movie theater company organized a Juneteenth Film Festival and the Democrat attorney general threatened to “criminally prosecute” the organizers.
Emagine Entertainment announced it would hold the event at a Royal Oak theater to “honor the work of black actors, screenwriters, and filmmakers,” Fox 2 reported.
But Attorney General Dana Nessel quickly intervened because it allegedly violated Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s executive orders still shuttering portions of the Michigan economy.
In a letter to the company made public by the attorney general’s office and published by Crain’s Detroit, Nessel said the event “would be against the law and subject you and possibly others to criminal prosecution if this occurs.”
“In the interest of public health, you are urged to immediately cancel plans to open your theaters until it is lawful to do so,” the letter said. “The Attorney General will criminal prosecute violations if local authorities do not.”
“The hypocrisy of our governor’s orders is unfathomable in magnitude. Strip clubs are open, massage parlors are open, and yet there is alleged ‘science and data’ to support the continued closure of movie theaters,” Emagine founder and chairman Paul Glantz responded.
Emagine found “this wrongful abuse of governmental power appalling, and we will be seeking legal redress from to prevent it from occurring in the future.”
Crain’s reported Emagine said its theaters “underwent a thorough cleaning and disinfecting program and instituted a variety of protocols to ensure the cleanliness of the venue for employees and guests, as well as new social distancing procedures.”
Glantz said he would “indefinitely postpone the event to avoid criminal prosecution,” according to Michigan Public Radio.
Kyle Olson is a reporter for Breitbart News. He is also host of “The Kyle Olson Show,” syndicated on Michigan radio stations on Saturdays. Listen to segments on YouTube. Follow him on Twitter and like him on Facebook.