Following the deadly shooting on August 8, The Waiting Room lounge in the historic Benson district of Omaha, Nebraska and their booking agency, One Percent Productions, will no longer be hosting local hip-hop artists.
The announcement has caused widespread outrage from locals who claim the decision is racist and against what the Omaha music scene stands for.
Local hip-hop artist and UNO student Rosalita Ramon Martinez argues The Waiting Room’s decision by saying, “It’s not fair to single out a whole genre of music, let alone its local scene, just because of some isolated incident.” The ambiguity of the shooting also has most locals concerned, Martinez continues — “As far as I know, the details of the shooting aren’t even clear, so how could anyone conclude that the events were connected?”
Marc Leibowitz, co-owner of the nightclub, commented for the Omaha World-Herald that any music genre can generate problems, but that the nature of the showcase slated for August 8 was “inherently stressful”.
Martinez continued by saying, “There have to be better ways of addressing safety other than just taking away a platform for local hip hop artists entirely.”
Locals connected to The Waiting Room are planning a community discussion on the matter, assuring us that there will be more to come.
Written by Connor Little
