The Virginian-Pilot
©
NORFOLK
Afr'Am Fest has failed to pay 51 police officers and sheriff's deputies for providing security at the downtown festival last month, two attorneys and Sheriff Robert McCabe said Monday.
The officers and deputies have tried without success to collect $43,000, said attorneys Martin Thomas Jr. and Peter Decker III, who represent most of the public safety employees.
"We always try to resolve things amicably," Thomas said. However, he said he likely will be forced to take their complaints to court.
"This is the first time I can remember in the 17 years that I've been sheriff of deputies having a problem being paid for providing security at an event," McCabe said. Police Chief Bruce P. Marquis declined to comment.
Festival director Mark Madison said Friday that public safety employees would get paid. "It's just a matter of it not coming as fast as those folks would like it to," he said.
Unlike most downtown festivals which are run by a city-funded organization called Festevents, Afr'Am Fest is hosted by a private group called the Southeastern Virginia Arts Association. The group generally contracts with off-duty public safety employees to provide security at the annual festival.
The city helps subsidize Afr'Am, including the free use of Town Point Park, but requires the festival to provide much of its own security.
Afr'Am is a celebration of African-American music and culture that has evolved over a quarter century into Norfolk's second-largest festival, behind Harborfest.
However, it has been plagued with poor attendance since 2009, when it was forced to move from its traditional Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day. That move was necessitated by the $11.5 million renovation of Town Point Park, which was closed until mid-summer last year.
The festival was hit with another blow this year when City Manager Regina V.K. Williams banned events that charge admission on holiday weekends at Town Point Park. That again bumped the festival from Memorial Day. The festival was held May 21-23, and attendance again was sparse.
Williams did not respond to e-mail requests for an interview.
Councilman Paul R. Riddick said he knew the festival would face financial problems when it was forced to move from Memorial Day. He said he has urged Afr'Am officials to cease charging admission, a change that would allow them to reclaim the Memorial Day weekend.
"It needs to go back to that weekend," he said. "And until the economy comes back, they need to scale back on the national acts" and control their costs, he said.
Decker said that a representative of the public safety officers was supposed to meet with Afr'Am officials May 23 to collect the checks. But when he arrived, Afr'Am officials had already checked out. Decker said he has had trouble reaching Afr'Am officials ever since.
Mayor Paul Fraim said he, too, is "concerned that we have police officers and sheriff's deputies who have not been paid."
"Any festival that is funded privately should pay for its security," Councilman W. Randy Wright said. "It doesn't matter who it is."
Pilot writer Patrick Wilson contributed to this story.
Harry Minium, (757) 446-2371, harry.minium@pilotonline.com
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afram
apparently this group thinks that for some reason they are special, and should not be held to commitments made...s'c'mon folks, you're not special, you're not "entitled" to any more than anyone else, pay the darn bill and shut up, or go somewhere else. You're not doing anybody any favors by holding your "festival" here.
Norfolk Racist State of Mind
Why was Harbor Fest charged less? Explain that. I bet you can't.
what?
Where did you get the information that Harborfest was charged less? Or is that just a fabricated "fact?"
harborfest and admission
The Harborfest organizers were wise enough not to charge admission. Had the Af'ram organizers done so they could have held it during Memorial Day weekend.
The person who made the decision not to allow events requiring an admission fee during back-to-back weekends was the city manager. The city manager of the City of Norfolk is a black woman, by the way, so your assertion that "Whites control everything here" is, shall we say, inaccurate.
And one of the reasons attendence was down this year might have been because the organizers didn't publicize it very well. The Af'ram web site, for example, still has information for the 2009 event, so people looking for information about this year's were out of luck. Pretty stupid, I'd say.
Here's a cure!
If the idiots won't play it straight, then next year require fifty thousand dollars in certified funds be deposited one week ahead of the event or it gets canceled. I'll bet they move some place else!
This is not a debate and is
This is not a debate and is an out right shame. Go to court and still not get paid. Just don't approve any more events them here. Let them go else where and play that crap.
timely payment
Festival director Mark Madison said Friday that public safety employees would get paid. "It's just a matter of it not coming as fast as those folks would like it to," he said.
What a disgustingly cavalier attitude.
I imagine if Mr. Madison's paycheck were withheld until the festival paid the police officers the money they are owed he'd feel his money wasn't coming "as fast as [he] would like it to."
Totally Agree
Trust that he gets his money even when not warranted. I totally appreciate your comment. I would never attempt to undermine the Police like that. He picked the right people to play games with this time. Goes to show you how ignorant he clearly is. No justifying paying other people and not the police. He deserves all the negative press that he is receiving. I feel bad for other people within the organization who truly care and don't deserve to be mixed up in his dealings. Hopefully people will uncover the truth and hold the right person accountable, Mr. Madison. Sorry excuse for a person.
Shame
"Festival director Mark Madison said Friday that public safety employees would get paid. "It's just a matter of it not coming as fast as those folks would like it to," he said."......Who puts off paying the POLICE!? Goes to show how brave people are in this world. The Festival Director conducts bad business and it is known throughout the community. He could ruin the organization himself because of his own greed. Afr'am has always been a reputable event until he stepped in and the City is not at fault. Burn bridges with the wrong people and deal with the consequences. It's truly a shame. There is no justifying his behavior and his disregard for other people. He could care less and luckily, his ignorance will not be ignored this time. KUDOS to people finally standing up to this nonsense.
the police
What we are all missing here is the wonderful work being done by the Decker Law Firm. Taking on the task of getting the 50 or so Police paid in a timely manner is a huge undertaking, my hat is off to those at the Decker Law Firm for once again putting Norfolk ahead of themselves.