{"id":490,"date":"2026-05-13T06:03:54","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T06:03:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=490"},"modified":"2026-05-13T06:03:54","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T06:03:54","slug":"orlandos-music-scene-in-turmoil-after-uncle-lou-detained-by-ice-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=490","title":{"rendered":"Orlando\u2019s music scene in turmoil after \u2018Uncle Lou\u2019 detained by ICE"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A longtime Orlando music stalwart was detained by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement over the weekend, sparking an outcry among progressive politicians and\u00a0Orlando\u2019s indie music community.<\/p>\n

Read more Princess Cruises ship with more than 100 sick from norovirus arrives to Port Canaveral<\/a><\/p>\n

Cleon Ortille \u201cUncle Lou\u201d Williams, born in Jamaica and the owner of the Mills 50 concert venue Uncle Lou\u2019s Entertainment Hall, was arrested on Saturday and is being kept at the Orange County jail under an immigration hold. There appear to be questions about his visa status, but the details as well as the circumstances of his arrest are unclear.<\/p>\n

Williams\u2019 venue, described lovingly by many as a quintessential dive bar, helped launch the careers of hundreds of local bands.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s someone that you think will [always] be there,\u201d Bailey Blankenship said, member of the rock band Kidney Boy who debuted at Uncle Lou\u2019s in December. \u201cI was taken aback, he\u2019s a pillar of the community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Videos circulating on social media show what appear to be law enforcement agents wearing bulletproof vests walking into Williams\u2019 venue and detaining him.<\/p>\n

In a statement, the Orlando Police Department said they assisted the Florida Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco, or ABT, regarding possible alcohol ordinance violations at both Uncle Lou\u2019s and its Mills Ave. neighbor, Grumpy\u2019s Underground Eatery and Lounge,<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring the joint operation, ABT was the lead agency on the investigation and enforcement related to alcohol licensing violations,\u201d the agency said. \u201cAs part of the operation, ABT undercover agents conducted investigative purchases and inspections at both establishments.\u201d<\/p>\n

OPD said they transported Williams to the jail, where an ICE detainer was later placed on him due to an expired visa.<\/p>\n

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It was unclear on what charge, if any, Williams was initially arrested. Police referred any questions about alcohol licensing violations or related charges to ABT or ICE. Neither agency responded to requests for comment Monday.<\/p>\n

As of Monday afternoon, two days after Williams was arrested, criminal charges have not appeared in jail records or court filings.<\/p>\n

State Rep. Anna Eskamani said she\u2019s concerned Williams may have not been able to present an ID, an issue often used by ICE to detain undocumented immigrants. Eskamani said she is trying to connect him with an immigration attorney.<\/p>\n

U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost, who was part of a tour of the jail by Democratic members of the House Oversight Committee, said Monday he spoke privately with Williams. \u201cHe told me to give a message to the community: He loves everybody, he wants to get back to helping the arts and culture of Central Florida,\u201d Frost said. \u201cHe said he\u2019s trying to keep his hopes up,\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Williams\u2019 detention comes as Orange County is attempting to transition to a new type of agreement with ICE that would restrict the number of people detained at the jail without criminal charges and also shorten their stay.<\/p>\n

Read more 10 rescued after small plane crashes off Florida\u2019s east coast<\/a><\/p>\n

Last month, Orange County commissioners unanimously decided to move forward with a Basic Ordering Agreement, or BOA, under which only immigrants detained with criminal charges and arrested within the county\u2019s boundaries could be housed by ICE at the jail, for only 48 hours after charges are resolved.<\/p>\n

Andrew Hess, a local workers compensation attorney, has been friends with Williams for over 20 years and visited him in jail on Sunday after learning about his \u201cgut-punching\u201d arrest.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s devastated and terrified about what this will mean for his life, his family, his friends, his community,\u201d Hess said. \u201cI hated seeing him like that because he is such a pure light and joy. It\u2019s rare to ever see him without a big old smile on his face.\u201d<\/p>\n

Williams\u2019 arrest leaves a void among the local indie music scene, Eskamani said. Musicians are stuck in limbo looking for other venues that will take newly-formed acts.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re losing independent venue space all the time across the country, from the ripple effect of COVID-19 to companies like Ticketmaster and others that operate these really unfriendly consumer policies that are monopolistic,\u201d Eskamani said. \u201cTo have venues and owners that are willing to open their doors \u2026 it\u2019s not something we take for granted.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kidney Boy had booked a performance at Uncle Lou\u2019s later this month, but will likely now cancel it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere aren\u2019t a lot of spaces that offer an opportunity for DIY bands in the area,\u201d Blankenship said. \u201cYou\u2019re pretty much limited to Uncle Lou\u2019s and Grumpy\u2019s, because everywhere else there\u2019s more a barrier to entry.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tom Haney, leader of The Tom Haney Band, said Uncle Lou was one of the only venues that would let up-and-coming bands play for free.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s definitely going to be a hole in the community,\u201d Haney said. \u201cIt\u2019s very difficult getting into places as a new band, because places will charge like sometimes a $100 fee plus a percentage of anything you bring in.\u201d<\/p>\n

His band, which has been performing together for just one year, has just played at Uncle Lou\u2019s Wednesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe played last week without a hitch,\u201d Haney said. \u201cLou is just the sweetest guy you\u2019ll ever meet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Two separate Go Fund Me fundraisers organized by those who frequented Uncle Lou\u2019s have started collecting donations for Williams\u2019 immigration attorney. Together they have already raised over $28,000.<\/p>\n

Read more Uthmeier blasts Worrell for \u2018lenient\u2019 sentences; she says judges gave out punishments, not her office<\/a><\/p>\n

Staff writer Ryan Gillespie contributed to this report.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cleon Ortille “Uncle Lou” Williams, born in Jamaica and the owner of the Mills 50 concert venue Uncle Lou\u2019s Entertainment Hall, was arrested on Saturday and is being held at the Orange County jail under an immigration hold.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":374,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-490","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news"],"yoast_head":"\nOrlando\u2019s music scene in turmoil after \u2018Uncle Lou\u2019 detained by ICE - Orlando Relocation Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=490\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Orlando\u2019s music scene in turmoil after \u2018Uncle Lou\u2019 detained by ICE - 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