Long Beach community event cancelled after organizers received multiple cease-and-desist orders from the city

The City of Long Beach is facing criticism after pressuring the cancellation of a community event due to what they claim are permit issues. The free gathering aimed to raise awareness and funds for activist groups such as LB Rapid Response, Emergency Food for Gaza, and StopICE.net. The “outdoor music event and fundraiser” promised a lineup of featured performers and was shared widely throughout social media.

Shortly after the event was announced, organizers received an email from the City of Long Beach informing them that an “occasional event permit” was required to move forward. In a message from the Department of Financial Management, a Business Services Officer cited a range of operational and public safety concerns, including emergency access, fire safety and potential issues related to traffic and parking. 

Sherman Austin, founder and developer of stopICE.net, spoke with CALÓ News about the days leading up to the cancellation of the event. He noted that in the past, Junipero Beach has hosted an array of public gatherings – many of which have gone on without permits. 

The city also raised concerns about alleged fundraising tied to the event. Officials cited the solicitation of funds, which they said would require a special nonprofit status to be conducted legally on behalf of other organizations. 

Austin spoke with officials from Business and Licensing over the phone to clarify that no admission would be charged and that attendees were simply encouraged to make an optional donation via QR code before the event. “They kept trying to find and make up a reason to make it look like the event wasn't within certain guidelines or stipulations that the city required,” he said. 

Following several discussions, both over email and on the phone with city officials, Austin and his co-organizers agreed to relocate the event to a private venue, as recommended by the Office of the City Manager. The event was moved to Toxic Toast Records, a local record store that includes a shared theater area occasionally used for community gatherings. However, less than a day after announcing the new location, the city contacted them again, stating that the venue lacked both a required business permit and an entertainment license necessary to host the event.

Since the event’s cancellation, several social media users have voiced frustration over what they described as excessive red tape and bureaucratic hurdles imposed by the city.

Austin suggested that he wouldn't be surprised if the Department of Homeland Security was involved in the targeted suppression of the event. StopICE.net has recently come under federal investigation. “In all my years of doing events and stuff in Long Beach, this has never, ever, ever happened. It's also the first time Toxic Toast [Records] has ever seen it happen,” he told CALÓ News.

The City of Long Beach, however, denies any “targeting” and addressed the matter in a press release.  “The City does not ‘target’ unpermitted events. Notices and other communications are issued when the City becomes aware of illegal event or entertainment activity through public complaints, word-of-mouth or advertising,” they alleged in the letter.  

In the statement, city officials said permits and advance planning were necessary for an event that “promoted a musical lineup with fundraising on public property that already had heavy public use and nearby homes.” Austin, however, argues the city is mischaracterizing the gathering, framing it as “something entirely different” from what was originally intended.