The Democracy Center, a community meeting space and all-ages locale for DIY shows in Cambridge, will shutter on July 1 according to a newsletter from the organization. The statement explains that the closure is linked to “necessary renovations to the building, with the hope that in the future we will be able to welcome community groups once again,” but shares no projected timeline or further details about the aforementioned updates.
The newsletter also notes that the Foundation for Civic Leadership, a Cambridge-based nonprofit and the Democracy Center’s sponsor, made the decision to close the building. It’s a call that the Democracy Center’s booking agents intend to push back against with “everything [they] have.”
The Instagram account @DemocracyCenterShows posted the news to social media over the weekend (April 7), expressing concern about the “sudden, undemocratic decision” and detailing steps about stopping the closure. The organizers behind Democracy Center Shows have booked drug-free and all-ages performances at the Harvard Square space since 2005, offering artists a sober, accessible environment for live music in Harvard Square. Many shows have doubled as partial fundraisers, like last year’s Record Hospital Fest, which raised money for the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center. According to their Instagram post, “There was no process with staff or the DC community prior to the [closing] announcement,” going on to call the decision “disrespectful” and “harmful.”
“The most important thing is that if the Democracy Center has been important to you, in any way, over the last nearly 20 years, WE NEED YOU to show up. It’s now or never,” the post adds.
Their message also encourages concerned members of the community to attend two meetings regarding the closure, scheduled for this Thursday at 9 a.m. and next Monday at 7 p.m. Both meetings will take place at the Democracy Center, with the option to attend virtually via Zoom. As a second course of action, the statement from Democracy Center Shows also requests that readers leave comments about their reactions and how the closure will affect them; responses thus far range from “crushed” and “gutted” to “chilled to the bone.”
“This arbitrary decision puts dozens of emerging organizations and long standing community projects in a horrible position,” the post concludes. “The cost of event space and office rent could completely shutter some projects (risking community members’ jobs and disruption in vital organizing).”
Read the full statement from Democracy Center Shows below.