West Palm Beach City Hall accuses lawyer of ‘advocating violence’ against the mayor during Black Chamber of Commerce Gala

By Terri Parker

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    WEST PALM BEACH, Florida (WPBF) — West Palm Beach lawyer Malcolm Cunningham gave what he says he thought was an inspiring message to Black business owners during the Feb. 10 Black Chamber of Commerce Gala.

But his words sparked a letter from West Palm Beach minority business director Frank Hayden accusing Cunningham of “advocating violence toward the mayor,” urging the chamber to condemn Cunningham’s remarks publicly and send Mayor Keith James an apology.

“Me, apologize to the mayor? ” said Cunningham. “I think he should apologize to the citizens of West Palm Beach for refusing to attend the Black chamber event.”

The mayor did not attend the gala — and directed his staff to rescind the $17,000 purchase of two tables — after learning Cunningham was the speaker.

The reason?

Apparently, the year before, Cunningham successfully sued the city to reinstate his client, Vita Lounge LLC as managers of the historic Black Sunset Lounge — a move James was against.

In an email exchange with a staffer weeks before the gala, James asked:

“Who is the keynote speaker this year?”.

“Malcolm Cunningham,” wrote back the staffer.

“As in the lawyer who is suing the City over the Sunset Lounge?” James replied.

“Yes, sir,” she replied.

“Rescind the purchase of the tables. The city will not support any event at which he is the keynote speaker,” the mayor wrote back.

WPBF 25 News Investigative Reporter Terri Parker emailed the mayor’s spokeswoman to ask James for an interview, and ask why he canceled the city’s support.

Diane Papadakos writing back:

“The propriety of the Mayor’s decision to withhold the City’s sponsorship of this Chamber event was confirmed by Mr. Cunningham’s remarks during his address, when, after making several harshly critical remarks about the Mayor, he stated, “Entrepreneurs prepare for battle; lower the guns.” This is reckless and dangerous rhetoric in these politically charged times. The question for Mr. Cunningham is with whom the entrepreneurs are to do battle, and at whom are they to lower the guns?”

“It had absolutely nothing to do with the mayor,” said Cunningham.

Cunningham says he was using a pirate metaphor, referring to the intellectual battle business owners face.

“So the answer is no, I didn’t incite any violence toward him. In fact, the people who were there were very prominent people. It’s not like I was talking to the Crips and the Bloods,” said Cunningham.

Cunningham did mention the mayor’s absence at the event, asking:

“Where in these United States have you seen a black mayor boycott a black chamber event because the speaker, a black lawyer, succeeded in helping a black business prove the black business was wrongly disqualified by the mayor’s city?”

Cunningham said he was surprised at the mayor’s boycott.

“I invited the entrepreneurs there to consider how incredulous that was. And maybe that’s the thing that caused them to try to divert attention from the mayor’s boycott of the Black Chamber of Commerce,” he said.

Joseph Sanches, president of the Black Chamber of Commerce, said he did not consider Cunningham’s remarks to be advocating violence.

“It was pretty clear he was talking about the business owners taking up for themselves,” said Sanches, who said he thought the metaphor was taken out of context.

James did not reply to two requests for an on-camera interview.

Sanches said the chamber would be taking no action.

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