Petition calls on Nashville mayor to shut down Broadway

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A Nashville native and granddaughter of country music legend Johnny Cash has started a petition to demand Nashville Mayor John Cooper shut down Lower Broadway.

Chelsea Crowell, daughter of Rosanne Cash and Rodney Crowell, started the petition on Change.org, where it has gained almost 3,000 signatures, so far.

Next stop 1,000 signatures. Sign and share to let @JohnCooper4Nash know what voters think of how he and @GovBillLee are handling downtown #Nashville amid #COVID
"Mayor John Cooper: Shut Down Lower Broadway – Sign the Petition! https://t.co/Zga2pZGEz8 via @Change

— Chelsea Crowell (@cjanecrowell) July 21, 2020

Crowell’s petition claims:

I am a native Nashvillian and have seen our city sold to the tourism industry over and over, but now this industry and the very alarming way they are conducting business and ignoring mandates is endangering the health of Nashville residents.

So many of the citizens and small businesses of Nashville have made huge sacrifices while these tourist traps on lower Broadway cannot be bothered to make an effort or care about the rest of the city.

Meanwhile our leaders are looking the other way.We need our health and lives prioritized over money and the tourism industry. Shut down lower Broadway. None of us can return to work, school or our lives if this problem is left unchecked.

She added the end goal of the petition is simply to show Mayor Cooper there is wide support for closing down Lower Broadway.

The most recent active heatmap released by the Metro Public Health Department continues to show a concentration of positive cases in downtown Nashville.

Restaurants and other businesses that serve alcohol in Nashville and Davidson County will now be required to close by 10 p.m. daily beginning Friday.