Jasper violinist Monika Schaefer took clear aim at what she called the 鈥渢hought police鈥� as she made her case for a busking licence in 2017.
Schaefer appeared before the committee of the whole Tuesday morning, Feb. 14, while local politicians were discussing the 2016 street busking pilot project and attendant feedback from community members and business owners.
It became clear the notoriety she gained after posting a video of herself (which opens with her playing the violin) denying the Holocaust hung heavy over the Habitat for the Arts decision-makers when Schaefer was denied a permit last spring.
She argued her 鈥減olitical鈥� and 鈥渉istorical鈥� thoughts should be considered separately from her musical aptitude.
鈥淭hese are irrelevant to busking,鈥� she said, pledging that she wouldn鈥檛 audition with a violin then decide to pull a bullhorn and soapbox once on the street, permit in hand.
鈥淗abitat for the Arts, they have unfortunately subordinated their role as an arts and culture organization to that of thought policing.鈥�
She added that she wants 鈥渁cknowledgement that wrong was done鈥� last year.
Mayor Richard Ireland said council had to make sure performers are family-friendly, and that they wanted to avoid the possibility of anything 鈥渧ulgar鈥� taking place.
鈥淲e can鈥檛 control the crowd that goes by.鈥�
Councillor Gilbert Wall was the only member of the committee to refer directly to Schaefer鈥檚 position on the hate-inspired slaughter of more than six million Jews during the Second World War.
He called her 鈥渕isguided鈥� position 鈥減oison,鈥� and told Schaefer he could not separate the 鈥渁ggressiveness at which you expound on both your political and historical views鈥� from her musical talent.
鈥淵ou present an interesting dilemma to me and to the community on a bunch of different planes,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here is a time, I think, (when) you can鈥檛 pick and choose how you want to be judged.鈥�
He said if he were on the busking selection committee, he would have a 鈥渓ong and hard thought鈥� ahead of him.
Schaefer said he should check his assumptions, tossing a thought police badge his way, too.
Changes proposed for 2017 busking season
There could be bigger changes to Jasper鈥檚 sidewalk music experiment according to Habitat for the Arts representatives Marianne Garrah and Dave Baker, who spoke before Schaefer and left shortly thereafter.
At the centre of the discussion was whether buskers should play within a specific zone or at a special busk-stop.
The 鈥渂usk stop鈥� solution tried out last year lends itself more to a traditional street music experience, but has its drawbacks according to feedback collected in surveys circulated since the summer.
Some business owners said they felt the sidewalks are already slammed with pedestrians during the busy season and subtracting more space for, say, a songstress would be moving in the wrong direction.
A survey conducted by the municipality shows five of 27 or 18.5 per cent of respondents thought the busking impeded foot traffic.
Two buskers were shut down for being in the wrong place over the course of the summer. There was also some wildcat busking after hours, but Habitat pled not guilty.
Outside the Post Office was dropped as a viable stage when Parks interpreters shared that the music was drowning out their interpretations on the Visitor Information Centre鈥檚 lawn.
There was concern over the two-hour limit for performances; councillors and Garrah chewed over a 90-minute set that would avoid employees at nearby businesses getting the department-store effect with the same music playing for too long.
In the chair, Deputy Mayor Rico Damota suggested rotating the performers would have the same effect.
If the town opts to create a zone for buskers it would allow buskers to theoretically spread out.
鈥淪ometimes I think I would like to be able to sit on a bench and listen versus walking to the bank and (being surprised by) a busker,鈥� Garrah said.
Ireland observed that the point of the project is to help revitalize the downtown and 鈥渁dd that very life Jasper is looking for,鈥� something hard to achieve with a segregated stable of singers.
There are details to iron out and months with which to iron them.
鈥淵ou believe the pilot was successful,鈥� Ireland said Garrah. 鈥淚t ought to be continued with, to use a Trumpian expression, a few tweaks.鈥�
Craig Gilbert [email protected]
