Story updated: 4:22 p.m., 9:50 p.m.
An art and music collective called Wandering Treehouse had planned a music and fundraising event at Zanzabar (2100 S. Preston St.). The event was scheduled for March 15 to raise money for Palestine relief. It was canceled a few hours after appearing on the Zanzabar calendar, according to the Wandering Treehouse Instagram account.
In a multi-screen post, the group describes their account of why Zanzabar canceled their event. In their Instagram post, the group said, “Wandering Treehouse believes neutrality is not an option. Zanzabar canceled our Palestine Aid Relief Show, but we will not be silent. Palestinians have faced 75+ years of occupation, displacement, and apartheid. Standing for human rights is dangerous yes-but, allowing oppression to continue is more. Speak up, take action, and stand in solidarity. Free Palestine🇵🇸🇵🇸”
A few hours after canceling the event, Zanabar issued a statement on Facebook stating that they were misinformed and wrong. They shared the donation link and said that the show will go on.
Wandering Treehouse responded to Zanzabar’s post saying, “While we won’t move forward with the event at Zanzabar, we appreciate your apology and support.”
The cancellation made Reddit (of course) with members of the community seeking answers about the event. A person identified themselves as a member of the collective and stated that they were looking for a new venue. Group members confirmed that a new venue was found and will send more info soon.
LIO called Zanzabar owner, Anthony “Antz” Wetting, and he expressed his remorse for what transpired.
“We just kind of got scared, and I hate all the bad press, and I hate all the bad publicity. I’ve been trying to profusely apologize. At the beginning, I really did try to handle it very diplomatically and it was just a scary thing ’cause we were kind of getting blowback for hosting it in the first place.
Wetting said that individuals on both sides of the issue are passionate and both raised very strong opinions about the venue hosting the show.
“It was just kind of coming from a couple different angles, and we saw a storm brewing and we wanted to get in front of it. ‘Cause I just didn’t want anybody over here to get hurt, you know, like Right. My whole grandstand on the thing was to protect my patrons and protect my customers, and just leave the religion and leave the politics at the door and come in and keep everybody safe.”
To make up for what he felt was an error, and after speaking with his partner and brother Jon Wetting and his staff who were very concerned about the response to the cancelation, he decided to reinstate the show and to donate 1/3 of the group’s fundraising goal.
“I mean, especially in this awful political climate we’re in, everything’s just amplified and it just seems like everyone’s on edge, and one thing can just really upset a lot of people,” Wetting said. “On the internet, it’s really easy to get a bunch of people to pile on it quickly.
“I just really wish I could do it over again. I just can’t.
I’m trying to make up for it. I just really was trying to avoid any conflicts or any violence or just anybody having anything coming at ’em that was gonna upset or hurt anyone.”
Wandering Treehouse sent their official statement to LIO this evening stating that, “Zanzabar was on board with our event until they messaged us at 10:30 p.m. on March 1st stating concerns. 12 hours later on March 2nd, 13 days before the event, they sent us a message canceling the event for “political and safety” reasons, and a desire to “remain neutral.”
The organization recognized Zanzabar’s apology and willingness to make amends.
“We decided it’d be best to find a venue that would support us from the start,” the organization stated in their statement. “We are not an organization of policing or cancellation. We believe conflict resolution is just as important as holding those accountable. We seek to cultivate a united community and hold space for people to learn from their mistakes, and move forward.
“That being said, we appreciate Zanzabar’s apology and their efforts to make things right, but we will not be working with this venue.”
The new venue for the show will be The Woodbine Chamber also known as the Chapel of St. Philip Neri located at 236 Woodbine St. The show will be held on Saturday, March 15. Doors for the show open at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m.
Here is a link to the Wandering Treehouse GoFundMe for the relief fund: https://gofund.me/2a9774cb.
