Club Wants Out Of Gates Concert

Gates is facing a battery charge after a YouTube video went viral that showed him kicking a fan in the stomach during a recent Lakeland performance. The fan later filed a complaint with local police. In a statement on Facebook Whiskey North owner Navdeep Bisla wrote that the venue condemns Gates’ “shameful act” and has “no respect for an act or a person like this.

“Long story short: We are between rock and a hard place. Stuck because of legally binding contract with the company who is bringing the show, but we honestly DON’T WANT THE SHOW,” he wrote.

Bisla’s statement included email correspondence with the club’s property manager RPM Realty Management, which advised that the county sheriff’s department is unwilling to provide security for the event.

“The sheriff’s office strongly advises that this particular event be cancelled due to the inherent security risks posed by recent events surrounding Kevin Gates,” the email said. “If this event is not cancelled and a guest of Whiskey North should be injured, Morni Regency, LLC and RPM Realty Management expect to be indemnified by Whiskey North should a lawsuit result from such injury.” Bisla, however, says he can’t deal with a lawsuit from the promoter over the show.

“I am obligated under a legally binding contract to open the doors for the person who booked this show,” he wrote. “It’s not about making money at this point. I will be more than happy if no one comes to watch the show. But at the same time I cannot take the headache of lawsuits.”

A spokesman for the State Attorney’s office told the Tampa Bay Times Gates has been formally charged and is due in court Oct. 22, but no warrant has been filed for his arrest at this time.