December 23, 2025
Bridgeport Records has made a name for itself for its inclusive and diverse approach to the Chicago music scene.
A Chicago record store is facing racist harassment and death threats for stocking “Black music” and other works by artists of color.
Bridgeport Records first opened in 2024, being a beacon of creativity and diversity for the neighborhood and its namesake. However, the record shop’s owner recently received a death threat, targeting the store for its diverse collection.
Bridgeport Records mainly stocks dance and house music, thus befitting why it has a wide-range of artists to select from. The assortment had not appeared to spark issue until recently, when a distressing call alerted owners Jerry Morrison and Vick Lavender on Dec. 20.
The duo were watching the Chicago Bears’ game at the shop when a man told them he had plans to kill them.
“An older white man called and said he was on his way to kill us,” Morrison told the Chicago Sun-Times. “This was someone who had been in the store, knew the layout, knew our music. He said he knew we sell Black music, rap music, Spanish music in Bridgeport. And he said we were going to die.”
Not wanting to risk their lives or their patrons, the owners shut the store down for the night. The threat appeared to have real legitimacy, as Chicago police determined the man’s location in the neighborhood.
While the death threat was concerning, the owners and their customers remain undeterred by the racist harassment. Since their opening, they have felt embraced by the local community. Through this mission, they want Bridgeport Records to be a “third space” for artists and creatives in the city’s famed Southside.
“The neighborhood loves us. We have close ties with lots of prominent deejays and producers,” Morrison said. “We’ve become a social hub in the music scene on the South Side.”
Evidently, not everyone appreciated their growing place and impact in the city’s music scene. Despite the backlash, Morrison wants young people of color to continue feeling empowered and welcome at the record shop.
“We’re not a typical white rock ‘n’ roll record shop,” Morrison said. “He was probably irritated that he saw young, Black and Latino kids in and out of our shop.”
The man reportedly not only threatened to kill them with a bomb, but claimed that they were infringing on the status quo of the South Side. However, Morrison is unafraid to bring about good, inclusive change to the area.
In fact, he plans to turn the music up by Black and Brown artists for the foreseeable future, making sure this art remains heard throughout Chicago.
“They ain’t messing with us. We’re going to turn up some Black dance music and turn it up loud,” exclaimed Morrison.
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