Camp Bar will host an evening of local stand-up comics to raise money to cover losses the staff suffered after owner Bill Collins canceled six sold-out performances from a Canadian comic last weekend.

Collins pulled the plug on the shows after the comedian went viral with a social media post ridiculing Renee Good, who was fatally shot by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer on Jan. 7 in Minneapolis.

Dubbed “Bounce Back: A Comedy Revue,” the Feb. 10 show features Pearl Rose, James Stanley, Rick Logan, Khadijah Cooper, Pierre Douglas, Tommy Ryman, Ben Katzner, Maggie Faris and “a few surprises.” The $25 tickets are available at camp-bar.net.

Collins said the proceeds will go toward covering staff hours and tips that were lost due to the canceled shows. He also said he hopes to donate some of the money to nearby restaurants Sawatdee and Keys Cafe, which also lost business.

“In talking with people around the club and regulars, people wanted to do something, to have an opportunity in some way to say that they agree with what we did,” Collins said.

Sold-out shows

Comedian Ben Bankas. (Courtesy of Ben Bankas)

The shows were already completely sold out when Ben Bankas, who calls himself “anti-woke,” posted a clip from a show in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., just days after Good’s death.

“Now for a moment of silence for Renee Good. Really hope that dog’s OK … and her pet,” Bankas said in apparent reference to Good’s wife. “Her last name was Good. That’s what I said after they shot her in the face.”

Bankas went on to call Good a “dumb, retarded lesbian” who “should have been shot 10 minutes before.”

After hearing calls to protest Bankas’ performances, Collins said he decided to cancel the shows due to safety reasons for both the audience and the performer.

“I don’t understand how (Bankas’ agents) think it’s a good idea to send this guy into this city right now,” Collins told the Pioneer Press last week. “I don’t know how getting in and out of the venue would work for him and if the people coming to see him are going to have to go through crowds of protesters. The risk of something happening is just way, way too great. And it’s just mind boggling to me that they don’t see that.”

Bankas’ response

The story was picked up by several national outlets — including the New York Post, People and NBC News — and Collins said he’s been inundated with emails, calls and social media posts, about 20 percent of which have been in support of the club’s decision. He said most of the negative responses appear to be from people out of state.

Bankas posted another clip to social media after the shows were canceled. “F— them, obviously,” he said and added he expected to be paid regardless.

Collins said Bankas’ management company, CAA, told him that if he doesn’t pay Bankas, CAA won’t book any comics at the venue in the future. The club stands to lose about $18,000 if forced to pay Banks.

Collins said Wednesday he has yet to hear anything further from Bankas’ management.

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