South Dakota Saloon Regrets Hosting Racist Rocker Ted Nugent
A last-minute protest didn’t stop Ted Nugent from performing last night at a large biker rally in Sturgis, S.D. But the operator of the saloon where Nugent played said he got the message and won’t book the racist rocker again.
Michael Ballard, owner of Full Throttle Saloon, told KOTA-TV in Rapid City, S.D., that he booked Nugent a year ago without being fully aware of Nugent’s racist rants that, so far, have resulted in three concert cancellations at Indian casinos in the past month.
Ballard told the television station that his business –– billed as the “world’s largest biker bar” – “is not a racist establishment.”
“I can't turn around and walk away from $150,000,” Ballard said of his contract with Nugent, adding that in retrospect he wouldn’t have booked Nugent. “I mean that's the nuts and bolts of it. Now that we're made aware of it, we'll listen to it next time.”
The litany of Nugent’s racist claims includes calling President Obama a “subhuman mongrel” and a “chimpanzee.” Nugent has also drawn increasing criticism from American Indians for saying he’s more Indian than most Indians.
The United Urban Warrior Society, a “community organization,” organized the protest outside the Full Throttle with support of A.I.M. Grassroots, described as an American Indian activist organization.
Nugent, who previously has called people who object to his performances “unclean vermin,” did not speak with reporters at Sturgis, but once he was back on his jet he posted a comment on his Facebook page.
“4 stinkyass unclean dipshit protestors that admitted they hate me AND ALL WHITE PEOPLE THAT STOLE THEIR LAND BULLSHIT!! See, it aint me they hate, they hate all Americans that produce & live the American Dream. Simply insane!”
Nugent was obviously was made aware of the protesters, earlier calling them “stinkyass unclean dipshit protestors that admitted they hate me AND ALL WHITE PEOPLE THAT STOLE THEIR LAND.”
