“Let’s make this one special because this will be the final Punk in the Park performance ever for the Dropkick Murphys, so let’s make it a good one, shall we?” he said before the band’s Sunday, July 20, headlining show at the National Western Stockyards.
The decision was in response to recent news that festival organizer Cameron Collins of Brew Ha Ha Productions sent several donations in support of Donald Trump's campaign last year. Naturally, that didn’t sit well with the longtime Celtic-punkers, particularly Casey, who has made his opinions about the two-term president well known. Guitarist Tim Brennan spoke with us about the band’s history of taking a stand prior to the festival, but the idea of not playing at other Punk in the Park concerts did not come up at that time.
However, from the stage, Casey said, “America’s a free country, allegedly; you’re free to vote and do as you wish. But if you’re American and you’re coming under the punk-rock banner and you’re voting for that fuckin’ guy and supporting the shit that they’re doing, you’ve twisted your mind into knots. The far right ain’t the new punk. You heard it here first.”
Dropkick doubled down on the decision Wednesday, July 23. “Hey folks. Punk Rock and Donald Trump just don’t belong together. So, upon finding out that Brew Ha Ha promotions donated to the Trump campaign, we will not be playing any more Punk in the Park shows,” the band wrote in a statement shared on social media. “We kept our commitment to the Denver show because we didn’t want to leave our supporters who bought tickets holding the bag. Thanks for your understanding on this matter.”
Collins subsequently issued an official statement via Punk in the Park socials addressing his decision to financially back Trump’s second run at the White House and further clarifying his political views.
“Like many Americans, my political views don’t neatly fit into a single box or party affiliation,” he began, explaining that it’s the first time he’s posted anything political in regards to the fest. “I believe in fairness, humanity, free expression, and fostering unity among people. That’s how I’ve tried to live my life and conduct my business.
“We live in a two-party system, and unfortunately, you must choose based on a few important issues that resonate with you. For me, those issues were the promise to end wars and refrain from entering new international conflicts, lower taxes, and stopping government overreach.”
He goes on to acknowledge that pretty much none of that has happened so far. In fact, pretty much the opposite is happening.
“At the time, it boiled down to those points for me,” he continued. “I must admit that I haven’t been pleased with a great many of the current President’s viewpoints, opinions, and policies thus far, particularly with the recent ICE atrocities and the backtracking on the Epstein files being released as well as all the posturing with our allies around the world.”
For the record, ICE officials announced Tuesday, July 25, the arrests of 243 undocumented Denver metro residents during a mid-July operation. One community member recounted what she experienced in her neighborhood at that time for Westword recently.
Collins further pointed to sharing “common ground on big issues like being anti-racism, anti-war, and the belief in human rights for EVERYONE, regardless of race, sexual orientation, religion, or any other identity.
“Additionally, I’d imagine we all oppose hate of any kind and passionately support this community of punk rock and its individuality that has welcomed so many misfits into the family over the years.”
According to FEC records summarized by OpenSecret, Collins donated $250 to Trump’s campaign on May 30, 2024. An additional $104.10 was earmarked for the Trump National Committee JFC, Inc. on August 2, 2024, while $524.29 more went to other Republican causes — WinRed and Never Surrender, Inc. — during the year, according to public individual contributions listed for Collins and Brew Ha Ha Productions on the FEC website.
In the lengthy response, he explained that none of the money raised from the national Punk in the Park fest was used for his personal political contributions.
“It’s important to note that the festival has not and will not donate any of its proceeds to any political party,” he said. “However, we do make significant donations to various charitable causes, such as [Denver-based nonprofit] Punk Rock Saves Lives and Big Brother Big Sister.”
Collins concluded by sharing that he’s “never censored or restricted a band’s message or voice” as a festival organizer, a sentiment he previously shared with Westword.
“My focus has always been on bringing people together — not dividing them,” he said earlier this month. “Brew Ha Ha Productions exists to create inclusive, fun and safe spaces where people from all walks of life — regardless of race, sexuality, beliefs or political views — can come together to celebrate music and community.”
A petition to boycott the Denver edition of Punk in the Park was first created in April, after the donations linked to Collins were uncovered by Brandon Alan Lewis, the owner of Ohio-based independent label Punkerton Records.
“I was heated because I was like, ‘Who knows about this?’ I looked it up and nobody knew about that,” Lewis told Westword during the week leading up to the Denver Punk in the Park.
The protest gained traction and two local openers — Time X Heist and Destiny Bond — decided to pull out of Sunday’s lineup, which was ultimately punctuated by Dropkick sharing its decision.
As of Thursday, the petition has garnered nearly 1,100 signatures. The organizer who goes by the pseudonym
“Jack Mehoff” told Westword there are plans to expand the boycott’s breadth to address the remaining two Punk in the Park stops this year in Massachusetts and California, October 4 to 5.
