Livingston's city commission reinstated a film permit after hours of a public hearing that drew a packed council room and about 150 people watching online.
The commission unanimously reinstated the permit that it had suspended on Saturday for Bonfire Pawn Shop LLC, which is producing a film for Daily Wire.
Watch Livingston film permit story here:
They allowed the film production with conditions that included screening the public from seeing and hearing violent scenes.
The special meeting started at 5 p.m. Monday and ended when the commission voted to reinstate at 11:49 p.m.
The city attorney said the only issue before the commission was whether the production crew had complied with the terms of the permit.
The city manager approved the permit on Sept. 21 and gave an overview at the hearing, noting it was approved with certain conditions, according to the producers.
"We paid the city's invoice," a producer told the commission. "We carried the required insurance, canvassed the blocks, and posted the notices. If we operated within the permit, followed the required safety protocols, and responded to the city's legitimate safety concerns, that is not misconduct."
After consulting with the city attorney, Commission Chair Melissa Nootz limited public comments to the permit itself.
"Temporary suspension of the permit was issued for other reasons, none of which included anything regarding the nature of this film, the content, or anything," City Attorney Jon Hesse said over Zoom.
The commission did not want to hear about the film depicting ICE agents or any political comments about its content.
Some attendees raised safety and security concerns, saying on public property, the safety of the community and its residents was cited as the top priority.
Security guards on hand during filming shared their perspective on what took place.
"There's been a lot of questions about our authority and what we're in place to do," one security guard said. "Our main goal is to stop and prevent forcible felonies, which is violent crimes, and protect property. Now that doesn't just mean for the film crew set, that also means for the lovely protesters and the members of this community as well."
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