Organizers Must Be Held Accountable for Astroworld Tragedy
Words By Krystal Suriel
Edited by Kazi Maisha
Since November 5th, more information has been released daily about the Astroworld disaster along with its aftermath. Since then, about 177 lawsuits have been filed against Travis Scott, Drake, and Live Nation, to name a few being held responsible for what happened that night. One of the most significant lawsuits targets Scott, Live Nation, and Apple specifically for a whopping $2 billion.
However, on social media, it’s only Scott who’s being used as a substitute to blame for what went wrong. But that’s not right. The main people at fault for what happened that tragic night are the organizers.
Hours before Scott touched the stage, things were continually going wrong at Astroworld. Thousands of fans broke past the barricade creating a stampede that injured three, while others overdosed on unknown drugs. The situation had become so bad that an official at ParaDocs, a medical group of first-hand responders and doctors, recalls the event was “understaffed or that serious medical problems got out of hand before 8 p.m.” However, officials did not pull the plugs, as they didn’t expect what was yet to come. “By 8:15 p.m., the medical staff on hand said they were unable to document patients because there were so many who needed help,” informs the report from ParaDocs.
The show ultimately continued. Officials were on high alert but remained optimistic. Yet, it took just 35 minutes into Scott’s set for Houston officials to declare it a “mass casualty event.” The show continued for an additional 40 minutes before promoters shut it down, even ignoring the police department’s initial request. Injuries might be unavoidable, but there were preventative measures that could’ve taken place hours before Scott touched the stage to ensure no one would die.
Of course, Scott has been known for having rowdy concerts throughout his career. He encourages his fans to “rage,” and it has become synonymous with his art. Scott has cheered on physically threatening behavior, such as law-breaking actions and fights among his fans. Once he encouraged such an intense rage, it even resulted in one of his fans becoming partially paralyzed.
It’s not that Scott is entirely innocent, but knowing his history, Live Nation could’ve told Scott not to be so rowdy. He’s now a megastar with a larger, more prominent fanbase; he has a lot to lose. But it’s not surprising that they didn’t, as Live Nation has a history of safety violations and has been linked to about 200 deaths.
Live Nation’s past carelessness should be a wake-up call for organizers and artists. Rules and guidelines need to be instituted so these horrors never happen again. And moving forward, those affected by the atrocities that occurred at Astroworld should be compensated.
