The Livingston, Montana, city commission voted to temporarily suspend the filming permit for Pawn Shop, a Daily Wire thriller about an ICE agent, after residents and local service providers complained of disruptions, unannounced street closures and intimidating security. The Livingston Food Resource Center said attendance fell to an eight-week low during the shoot and that it had not been notified about the production. The commission asked the city attorney for a legal review and instructed the issue to return to the commission before Oct. 5. A leaked script excerpt reported by The Bulwark has also stoked controversy.
Livingston Temporarily Suspends Daily Wire Film Permit Amid Community Backlash
Ben Shapiro speaks during the CPAC Argentina 2024, Conservative Political Action Conference, on Dec. 4, 2024 in Buenos Aires, Argentina (Tomas Cuesta/Getty Images)
The Livingston, Montana, city commission voted in a special session to temporarily suspend the filming permit for Pawn Shop, a thriller produced by The Daily Wire about an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer. The decision followed multiple complaints that the production disrupted local businesses, blocked access to services and failed to notify residents about street closures and other logistics.
Commissioners passed a motion to "immediately temporarily suspend Bonfire Pawn Shop, LLC's permit while seeking legal opinion from the city attorney in a timely manner to amend, suspend or revoke the permit to come back to the commission, not after 5 p.m. on Oct. 5." The motion called for a prompt legal review and a return to the commission for further action.
Community Concerns
At the meeting, residents and local service providers described considerable disruption. One attendee said it was "crystal clear that Livingston residents and businesses were not adequately informed in advance about the street closures and the disruptive nature of the filming activity that took place in the neighborhoods with the city-permitted filming." Several speakers added that clients of the Livingston Food Resource Center (LFRC) encountered barriers accessing services because of road closures and security.
"Since filming began across the street from our building, road closures and armed security guards have increased the barriers to accessing food. Our clients deserve to feel unequivocally safe accessing this essential resource," the LFRC said in a statement, adding that attendance plunged to an eight-week low during the shoot.
LFRC representatives also said they were not notified about the production and learned about its local impact only after contacting city officials; by that point, the permit had already been issued and filming was imminent.
Security, Protests and Script Controversy
Residents described production security as appearing "paramilitary" and said some clients felt intimidated. The shoot drew local protests and social media criticism accusing the project of a "pro-ICE" slant and faulting the production for not notifying nearby residents.
Separately, The Bulwark obtained and reported on a leaked excerpt of the film's script that describes a contentious opening scene: an ICE agent allegedly shoots and kills a woman described in the leaked copy as a "fat blue-hair" wearing a mask after she reportedly strikes another agent with a vehicle; the agent then shelters in a pawn shop. The language in the leaked excerpt prompted further public outcry.
Filming in Livingston had been scheduled to run through Oct. 10, according to reports. The Daily Wire did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the permit suspension or plans to resume production.
Next Steps
The commission’s motion requires the city attorney to provide a legal opinion on whether to amend, suspend or revoke the permit. The issue is to return to the commission for further consideration before Oct. 5, giving local officials time to review the permit process and address community concerns.
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