this was the magic moment 16-year-old xavier mack had been waiting for. a chance to dance on stage this month at new york s radio city music hall, xavier performing in a talent show put on by a nonprofit called garden of dreams run by msg entertainment its mission? to bring opportunities and joy to young people going through tough times. is there something you d want the world to know about what happens in this room and how important it is yes i feel like this talent show is over all just a great way to understand people s pain and understand people s love for each other. reporter: love is xavier s main motivation he decided to perform as a way to honor the legacy of his little sister winter who died last summer following a battle with brain cancer for these two, dancing had always been their bond
msg executives aren t backing down from that policy. matching somebody on facial recognition. reporter: he was recognized on facial recognition cameras, then confronted. benjamin? reporter: this is how lawyer benjamin noren from a new york city law firm was greeted by madison square garden staff while trying to attend an event in the fall. the ticket is revoked. reporter: he works for a law firm representing ticket brokers in a lawsuit against madison square garden entertainment. all the roughly 60 lawyers at his firm are also banned until the litigation is resolved. we received a letter from msg stating that because of this litigation all attorneys in our firm, even those attorneys who have nothing to do with the litigation, would be barred for the duration of the litigation. reporter: the firm s cofounding partner has been a season ticket holder for 47
we will work with you every step of the way to help you achieve it. so let us focus on the how. just tell us - what s your why? . so madison square garden is looking to stay where it is forever. the special operating permit it has now will expire in july. a decade ago, city officials granted a ten-year permit and urged the garden s owner to find a new home. according to the new york times, msg entertainment told new york officials it will ask for a permanent permit. this is an already difficult process. it could be further complicated by the fact that msg is using facial recognition to block attorneys at firms that oppose it from attending events at the gardens and radio city music hall. as cnn s omar jimenez reports,
Madison Square Garden might make headlines for musical artists or sporting events, venue parent company, MSG Entertainment, has been in spotlight following media and regulator attention regarding use of facial recognition technology to ban certain individuals from venues.