A library in Alabama canceled a faith-filled story hour days after actor Kirk Cameron and champion swimmer Riley Gaines announced their appearance at the event.
In a news release from Madison Public Library’s public relations director Jay Hixon, restricted capacity was the reason behind canceling the event hosted by the conservative political organization Moms for Liberty.
“Due to the event’s anticipated attendance increasing beyond the Library’s capacity, the Library will be unable to host the event. Initially, the organizers of the event reported 20 attendees to library officials,” the release stated.
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The release continued, “On Tuesday the Library learned that event organizers are now expecting over 300 people, a number that far exceeds any meeting room capacity within the Huntsville-Madison County Library System.”
The City of Madison expressed concerns over the excessive amount of attendees in a statement.
“The City of Madison applies permitting regulations for outside events equally to all groups and
organizations. While the initially planned event was suited for the Madison Library’s capacity, the
scope of attendees quickly grew,” the statement reads.
The City also pointed fingers at the Moms for Liberty group for failing to “apply for an event permit in advance.”
“And it was determined that City resources cannot support an event of this size on such
short notice. Alternative accommodations have been recommended to the organization to ensure a safe and well attended event,” the statement continued.
But Moms for Liberty organizers Emily Jones and Elizabeth Stewart fired back, saying they were not buying the “official narrative,” as The Daily Wire put it.
“It was a directive on how to manage our group and not the protesters,” Jones, the organization’s Madison County chapter chairwoman, told The Daily Wire. “To me, that just indicates that [the police chief] is not interested in making this event go well. He wants it to go away.”
Before the cancellation, Jones and Stewart expressed their excitement to the outlet about Cameron and Gaines’s attendance after they were initially not scheduled to appear.
“I freaked out on Elizabeth and shouted and kind of did a happy dance,” Jones said.
After announcing the news on social media, Jones added, “The response was overwhelming.”
