Singer Corey Smith says he was the victim of censorship on Friday night at Track 29 in Chattanooga when the lights were turned on and the sound unplugged during a song critical of police in his former hometown.

He said on his website that when the sound went off during the song "F--- The Po Po" he was "victimized by a few of Chattanooga's law enforcement officials."

The popular singer from Georgia said the decision to halt the show made the situation much more unsafe than had the song been allowed.

A video of the event shows the singer bemoaning to the audience about the sudden cutoff, then walking off. It then shows angry patrons yelling near the front of the stage.

Owners of Track 29, which is in the former skating rink at the Chattanooga Choo Choo, said they acted out of safety concerns. They noted it was the last song of the show.

Track 29 was the scene of a recent clash between two patrons and police in which an officer said one man tried to gouge his eye out.

Corey Smith said on his website, "There have been two times in my life when my rights were undeniably violated. One was in 2003, when I was wrongfully arrested for disorderly conduct for voicing my displeasure with the way a road block near my house was being conducted by local law enforcement. Although the charges against me were later dropped, I felt compelled to write a song about my ordeal.

"Ironically, the second time was last night in Chattanooga, Tn., when my show was shut down prematurely for attempting to perform that very song.

"Safety and security are always given as justifications for the infringement of our freedom. Therefore, I am not surprised that Track 29 (the venue which hosted last night’s sold-out show) has claimed it acted in interest of 'safety alone' when it bowed to pressure from local law enforcement and unplugged the PA during the first measure of my song, 'F--- the Po Po'. However, the roughly 1,400 adults in attendance, who heard my lengthy, heartfelt, and conciliatory introduction, are sure to recognize the falseness of such an assertion. In fact, the decision to stop the show made the environment much less safe than it would have been otherwise.

"The disturbing reality is that I was victimized by a few of Chattanooga’s law enforcement officials because of the perceived controversy of the lyrical content of my song. Consequently, my First Amendment right to free speech was blatantly violated in an act that can only be described as censorship.

"I’m deeply disheartened by last night’s events and regret that a multitude of peaceably-assembled, law-abiding citizens were cheated out of their concert experience by the poor judgment of a few. However, out of respect for the U.S. Constitution and the brave men and women who have sacrificed so great a price for the freedoms which it embodies, I will not apologize for my actions. I stand firm in my conviction that 'might does not make right' and hope the officials responsible will have the courage to step forward and be held accountable for their unjust decisions. Let freedom ring. Let it ring loudly. And let it rattle the windows of City Hall in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

"Sincerely,

"Corey Smith"

He said the song was about an incident in 2003 when he was arrested at a roadblock and put in jail for using the F word. He said he has a number of police officer friends now, but he said the police department in his hometown at the time was "corrupt".

Operators of Track 29 said, "On behalf of the entire Track 29 team, we would like to apologize to our friends, family and fans.

"Last night, Georgia artist Corey Smith performed a sold-out show at Track 29, along with openers Canaan Smith and American Aquarium. The music was incredible, and we are very appreciative to everyone that performed, and all of their crew.

"Unfortunately, the show ended while Corey was playing his last song. Our team made that decision with the intent of protecting our audience, our talent, and the long-term viability of Track 29 to bring great live entertainment to Chattanooga. Rest assured that we had no intention of limiting any artists creative license or right to speak freely. All decisions were made for safety and safety alone. We will always keep the health and well-being of our patrons, talent and staff as our utmost concern.

"As a team that loves music first, THEN built a music venue, our number one goal is to consistently provide Chattanooga with the very best concert experience possible. The last thing that we want is unhappy patrons and talent. It's not good for our business nor for our community. To each of you, please accept our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience caused.

"We are working hard to address every individual that we've heard from via e-mail and voicemail to apologize individually. In the meantime, we have limited the comment functions on Facebook out of respect to the artists that are performing in the room tonight and our staff who labors day in and day out to provide this form of entertainment to the community.

"We will continue to diligently respond to all comments and concerns sent to info@track29.co We certainly understand the sentiments of all that we've heard from and we want each of you to know that we are doing everything in our power to make this a world-class, fan-friendly music room.

"We are incredibly excited to have one of our favorite bands, the Drive-By-Truckers, perform tonight at Track 29. Tonights show is going to be a 21 and up show. If you are under 21 and purchased truckers tickets, simply send us an e-mail with your name and confirmation number to info@track29.co for a full refund.

"With Sincere Apologies,

"Josh McManus, Adam Kinsey, and the Track 29 Team"

Corey Smith at Track 29
- Photo2 by Mark Herndon