June 3, 2014 – Daily Brief

I read about 15 newspapers and blogs online each day, and was sad to learn about the events at Repertory East Playhouse from East Coast news blogs. I make people angry for telling the truth, but here it is: Santa Clarita is no longer just an idyllic white family oriented suburb any more, and most people know it. Santa Clarita is the home of a huge creative community, many tied to the movie, television and music industry. Lots of LBGT people own or rent houses or condos in the community. Santa Clarita has a growing Jewish, Latino and Black community. Santa Clarita is far more Los Angeles than Mayberry. On balance, I think on a national level, it will reflect BADLY on Santa Clarita that Repertory East Playhouse fired of the actor who decided to silence the man disrupting the theater performance by yelling inappropriate slurs and booing. The play disrupter's conduct was rude and tasteless, and I wonder why Repertory East Playhouse did not have ushers/ticket takers to remove the shouting, booing apparently drunken man. Contrast with that situation something my son, a Congressional intern went through recently. He and his boss (a Senator's Communications Director) were checking in reporters for a press conference. Each person attending the press conference was required to show press ID and driver's license for security purposes. A man speaking English with a not- American and not-British accent refused to show his credentials, made rude racist comments to the Communications Director, pushed by the other cooperative reporters, and headed for a seat near the stage. Seeing there was no "security" in the meeting room, my son used his MMA training learned in Santa Clarita, grabbed the intruder and held him against a wall until the Capitol Police arrived to remove the man. My son was very shaken by the incident, as I am sure actor John Lacy was. The difference is that my son was commended for protecting the people in the room, whereas Mr. Lacy was fired for protecting the work of theater art being performed and for protecting the sensibilities of one part of the Santa Clarita community, when his employer's other employees failed to act. If a vandal in an art gallery pulled out a can of spray paint, and pointed it at a Picasso, should the museum employee be fired for tackling the grafitti vandal? That's in essence what the drunken man booing and shouting insults was doing. Vandalizing art. I am offended by Mr. Lacy being fired and the rest of the cast losing the opportunity to perform a Pulitzer Prize winner's play they had diligently prepared to act.