Carolers told to stop singing at event
RIVERSIDE: After Sasha Cohen ice skates, a city staff member has a choir halted midsong.
12:17 AM PST on Thursday, December 14, 2006
By ROBERT P. MAYER and MARLENE TOSCANO
The Press-Enterprise
While an Olympic-medal-winning ice skater smiled and listened to Christmas carols, a Riverside city staff member silenced the singing group because she was afraid the skater would be offended because she is Jewish.
Sasha Cohen, the 2006 Olympic silver medalist and 2006 U.S. National Champion, had just finished her performance at the Riverside Outdoor Ice Skating Rink on the downtown pedestrian mall and had begun to sign autographs when the Rubidoux High School Madrigals began to sing a Christmas carol.
The choir had barely launched into "God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman" when a police officer and Michelle Baldwin, a city special-events employee, approached choir director Staci Della-Rocco and told her to stop the choir's performance.
Baldwin had contracted with the choir for the event.
Della-Rocco said she complied with the request "because a policeman told me to stop. I didn't want to have a big old huge scene in front of my kids," she said. "I figured I would deal with it later. I would give it some thought and deal with it later."
Amber Eyerly, with the New York-based PR firm that helped promote the event, said that Cohen didn't make the request.
Baldwin could not be reached for comment. City officials referred questions to Development Director Belinda J. Graham, who confirmed the incident.
"This request was simply made by a staff member who was attempting to be sensitive to the celebrity guest, without considering the wider implications...or consulting with her supervisor for guidance," Graham said in an e-mail.
Mayor Ron Loveridge said he was troubled by the incident.
"You kind of wish people do a little checking first. You certainly have my apology," he said, referring to the choir members. "It is unfortunate."
Steve Frasher, spokesman with the Riverside Police Department, said no report of the incident had been filed and that he could neither confirm nor deny that any officer was involved.
"I felt so bad for my kids and that whole situation," Della-Rocco said. "I mean, what kind of a lesson was that? A police officer and a city official telling my kids they can't sing Christmas music?"
Della-Rocco said the students were devastated.
"I just thought it was really rude," said Samantha Moore, a student in the choir. "Everyone basically thought it was really stupid."
Eyerly said she accompanied Cohen through most of the night and that the skater appeared to enjoy the carolers.
"The comical thing is that Sasha wished everyone a Merry Christmas," Eyerly said.
Reach Robert Mayer at 951-368-9455 or rmayer@PE.com
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We now have city officials - and by some reports police - crashing Christmas programs to prevent someone from being offended by those nasty Christians. Now isn't that special?
I thought we were supposed to celebrating the different cultures in this society - all but the Christian culture? Is that how it works? |
