Volusia councilman Robins backs Jason Aldean in 'Try That In A Small Town' controversy

Volusia County Council Vice Chairman Danny Robins has put his support behind country singer Jason Aldean, who is facing criticism over his song "Try That in a Small Town."

Robins on Friday posted the phrase "Enough is enough" on his public Facebook page, where he interacts as a councilman, with an image that says "I stand with" Jason Aldean.

The video for the song features Aldean and his band playing in front of a courthouse, mixed with video clips of clashes between police and protestors and flag burning, among other images. Some have accused the song and video of supporting violence.

Country Music Television pulled the music video after the backlash following its release on July 14. The song was released in May.

Robins responded to a comment on Facebook asking for an explanation of his support. He wrote that "the song references nothing racial."

"If anything it promotes unity within a community in terms of acceptable behavior and how to treat people. It puts down lawlessness and desecrating the Americans flag," Robins wrote. "It puts out front what won’t be tolerated such as anti-police, looting, violent crimes towards innocent people and anti-American behavior."

Robins added that the music video contains images or clips that were real, and that Aldean "refuses to sit back and be quiet anymore."

"He refuses to be silenced, he stands by his values and not afraid of backlash and he’s got a pair. If some people don’t like it, o well. Their thin skinned interpretation, feelings and opinions don’t change the facts," Robins wrote. "As far as I am concerned he is a good man and we need more people like him. I stand by my public support."

Among the lyrics that have been criticized:

"Got a gun that my granddad gave meThey say one day they're gonna round upWell, that (expletive) might fly in the city, good luckTry that in a small townSee how far ya make it down the road"

Featured in the video is the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee, the area where the Columbia Race Riot happened in 1946 and the site where an 18-year-old Black man was lynched in 1927.

The production company for the Aldean video said the star didn't choose the location, and the courthouse has been featured in movies and music videos.

Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action, a group that seeks stricter gun laws and other measures to curb gun violence, called it a "racist and violent song" in a Twitter post.

She also wrote that the "song is an ode to a sundown town, suggesting people be beaten or shot for expressing free speech. It also insinuates that guns are being confiscated, the penalty for which is apparently death."

Tennessee state Rep. Justin Jones also criticized the song on Twitter.

"As Tennessee lawmakers, we have an obligation to condemn Jason Aldean’s heinous song calling for racist violence," he wrote. "What a shameful vision of gun extremism and vigilantism. We will continue to call for common sense gun laws, that protect ALL our children and communities."

Aldean, 46, grew up in Macon, Georgia (population 157,346 in 2020). He is a hugely popular country music star with multiple platinum albums to his credit. He posted about the backlash on Twitter.

"In the past 24 hours, I have been accused of releasing a pro-lynching song (a song that has been out since May) and was subject to the comparison that I (direct quote) was not too pleased with the nationwide BLM protests. These references are not only meritless but dangerous. There is not a single lyric in the song that references race or points to it- and there isn't a single video clip that isn't real news footage."

Aldean wrote that for him the song is about "the feeling of a community that I had growing up, where we took care of our neighbors, regardless of differences of background or belief. Because they were our neighbors, and that was above any differences."

Aldean was on stage when the mass shooting began in 2017 at the Route 91 Festival shooting in Las Vegas, which killed dozens of people. He mentioned the shooting in his Twitter post.

"NO ONE, including me, wants to continue to see senseless headlines or families ripped apart," he wrote.

Robins wasn't available for a phone interview but did respond via text when asked why he chose to post his support. He said he agrees with Aldean's stance on a number of issues, such as supporting the military and first responders, denouncing violent crime "that's running rampant across America," and opposing flag burning.

"I also like that he’s not afraid to face the fire and publicity (and) stand up for what he believes in. Today that's pretty rare, especially with how crazy things are," he wrote. "I believe more and more folks across our nation are over the days of sitting back silent, being complacent and allowing themselves to be a victim."

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: 'Try That In A Small Town' gets support from Volusia County councilman