Cameron Collins of 'Punk in the Park' Responds - Racketeer Broadcast Association

Cameron Collins of ‘Punk in the Park’ Responds

A growing wave of dissent has rippled through the punk community after it emerged that Cameron Collins, owner of Brew Ha Ha Productions and organizer of the multi-city festival Punk in the Park, made financial contributions to former President Donald Trump’s campaign. The revelation prompted bands, fans, and petitioners to question the alignment between punk’s rebellious spirit and political affiliation.

Following the disclosure of Collins’s donations, two Denver-based acts, Destiny Bond—featuring LGBTQ+ members—and straight-edge hardcore group Time X Heist, announced that they would be withdrawing from the Denver leg of the festival. Destiny Bond’s Instagram post read:

“After learning and reflecting on the fact that the owner of the festival donated to Donald Trump’s campaign for president, we’ve decided playing as planned doesn’t align with our values.”

Meanwhile, Time X Heist explained that they “have decided to cancel our appearance at Punk in the Park … to stand in solidarity with our trans siblings, immigrants and others negatively affected by the current administration and policies of the day.”

These withdrawals reflected a broader sentiment among punk rock adherents, many of whom see Donald Trump’s politics as fundamentally opposed to punk’s inclusive, anti-authoritarian ethos.

While punk festival veterans Dropkick Murphys fulfilled their commitment to perform in Denver over the weekend, they’ve made it clear this will be their final appearance. On Instagram, the band issued an unequivocal statement:

“Hey folks. Punk Rock and Donald Trump just don’t belong together. So upon finding out that Brew Ha Ha Promotions donated to the Trump campaign we will not be playing any more Punk in the Park shows. We kept our commitment to the Denver show because we didn’t want to leave our supporters who bought tickets holding the bag. Thanks for your understanding on this matter. 👊”

Their statement underlines the tensions between honoring ticket holders and staying true to core political values.

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Collins has now issued a response via the brewhahaproductions Instagram account. It reads:

“I have never posted anything political on our platforms and have no intention to in the future but this needs to be addressed.

There have been a lot of assumptions and conclusions made as to who I am and what my values are.

Like many Americans, my political views don’t neatly fit into a single box or party affiliation. I believe in fairness, humanity, free expression, and fostering unity among people. That’s how I’ve tried to live my life and conduct my business.

We live in a two-party system, and unfortunately, you must choose based on a few important issues that resonate with you. For me, those issues were the promise to end wars and refrain from entering new international conflicts, lower taxes, and stopping government overreach.

At the time, it boiled down to those points for me. I must admit that I haven’t been pleased with a great many of the current President’s viewpoints, opinions, and policies thus far, particularly with the recent ICE atrocities and the backtracking on the Epstein files being released as well as all the posturing with our allies around the world.

I think we all probably have common ground on a lot of big issues like being anti-racism, anti-war, and the belief in human rights for EVERYONE, regardless of race, sexual orientation, religion, or any other identity.

Additionally, I’d imagine we all oppose hate of any kind and passionately support this community of punk rock and its individuality that has welcomed so many misfits into the family over the years.

This community represents a wide range of views and backgrounds, and that diversity has always been part of its identity. We don’t have to see eye to eye on everything to come together and enjoy what unites us, great music, good times, and mutual respect.

It’s important to note that the festival has not and will not donate any of its proceeds to any political party. However, we do make significant donations to various charitable causes, such as Punk Rock Saves Lives and Big Brother Big Sister.

We proudly employ hundreds of people directly and indirectly at our festivals from all walks of life, race, religion and sexual orientation.

Over the years, I’ve been proud to provide a platform for artists to connect with hundreds of thousands of fans. We’ve invested millions of dollars in artist guarantees, and I’ve never censored or restricted a band’s message or voice. Our track record speaks for itself.

• Cameron

In the comments of this post, 1876 responds directly to Cameron stating:
“Cameron, when you and I spoke backstage in Portland and I pressed you on your donation and involvement with maga, what you said to me that has really sat with me is, “knowing what I know now, if I could go back and take back my donation, I wouldn’t.”