Name: Emagine postpones Juneteenth festival after legal threat, chairman slams Whitmer
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Emagine postpones Juneteenth festival after legal threat, chairman slams Whitmer

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Detroit Free Press After making plans to hold a Juneteenth film festival without state permission, Emagine Entertainment announced the festival has been postponed.&nbsp;The Juneteenth Film Festival at Emagine Royal Oak planned to give net proceeds from ticket sales to United Negro College Fund. Under current state order, indoor theaters are not allowed to open.The multiplex chain, with locations across Michigan and the midwest, Monday. Emagine Chairman Paul Glantz received a Thursday, giving notice that proceeding with the festival would bring criminal charges, according to a news&nbsp;release from Emagine.&nbsp;In a statement, Glantz called the order a "wrongful use of governmental power" and said the company will "be seeking legal redress to prevent it" happening again.“The hypocrisy of our Governor’s orders is unfathomable in magnitude," Glantz said in the statement. "Strip clubs are open, massage parlors are open, and yet there is alleged ‘science and data’ to support the continued closure of movie theaters.&nbsp; It is okay to walk arm and arm with folks in Highland Park for a photo op in violation of social distancing guidelines, but we allegedly pose a threat to the life and safety of our guests.&nbsp; If there is anything more arbitrary and capricious in governmental behavior, I certainly haven’t experienced it in my lifetime.”Department of Attorney General spokesman Ryan Jarvi said in a statement under the current executive order, opening an indoor theater is a misdemeanor offense.&nbsp;"While the Attorney General's office appreciates the effort behind this festival to recognize and support African American people throughout our country, we cannot allow one noble cause to risk the lives of countless Michiganders," Jarvi said in the statement. "Until it is deemed safe to do otherwise by medical experts, we must continue to follow the guidelines in place to ensure our state's recovery from this pandemic is not thrown off track."Michigan reopening:The film festival was planned to run for a full week, with 100% of the proceeds going to UNCF, an organization that gives more than 100,000 student scholarships worth more than $100 million a year.June 19 is , which marks the end of slavery in the United States. The day picked up more attention as protests over and police brutality continue nationwide.&nbsp;Not all were supportive of the entertainment company's intentions.&nbsp;Danielle McGuire, local author and historian of racial and sexual violence, criticized the company for holding an event against state orders that could put lives at risk when so many in the Black community have been adversely impacted by COVID-19.&nbsp;"I just thought he was using the Black Lives Matter movement, or even the celebration of Black film makers, Black actors, Black creativity, as a shield for him to defy a state order for his own political and financial gain," McGuire said.McGuire said she is happy to see the event postponed to celebrate Black film and Black creativity at a later, safer date.&nbsp;"Have the festival, but do it when it's safe. Do it when people don't have to be afraid of catching a disease that has killed so many Detroiters, particularly Black Detroiters."Free Press reporter Julie Hinds contributed to this report.&nbsp;Meredith Spelbring is a news intern with the Detroit Free Press. Reach her at mspelbring@freepress.com or on Twitter @mere0415.

Detroit Free Press After making plans to hold a Juneteenth film festival without state permission, Emagine Entertainment announced the festival has been postponed.&nbsp;The Juneteenth Film Festival at Emagine Royal Oak planned to give net proceeds from ticket sales to United Negro College Fund. Under current state order, indoor theaters are not allowed to open.The multiplex chain, with locations across Michigan and the midwest, Monday. Emagine Chairman Paul Glantz received a Thursday, giving notice that proceeding with the festival would bring criminal charges, according to a...

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Meredith Spelbring

The Detroit Free Press is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, US. The Sunday edition is titled the Sunday Free Press. It is sometimes referred to as the Freep (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It primarily serves Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Livingston, Washtenaw, and Monroe counties.  The Free Press is also the largest city newspaper owned by Gannett, which also publishes USA Today. The Free Press has received ten Pulitzer Prizes and four Emmy Awards. Its motto is "On Guard for 189 Years".

Emagine postpones Juneteenth festival after legal threat, chairman slams Whitmer

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