TX - 10 deceased as a result of crowd surge at Astroworld festival, Houston, 5 Nov 2021

[Gardenista]

Interview with the young man who tried to get the camera operator's attention as to what was happening in the crowd:

Ayden Cruz

 

[CrimeAway]

Update from Houston Mayor, Sylvester Turner, (discussing agencies involved in investigation).

ETA: Mayor's name.

 

[x_files]

Interview with the young man who tried to get the camera operator's attention as to what was happening in the crowd:

They were brave trying to stop the show. Crew/crowds can be brutual to people hopping onstage. I'm glad security didn't toss them off.
Here's my biggest question. Why didn't a police officer or security crew member attempt to stop the show?
A police officer could have run to the sound person and pulled the mic or waved at the stage crew to stop the show.
Maybe, it did happen I cannot find any footage of it though. The show should have stopped when the VIP gate was crashed at 8 pm.
But when there the fatalities occurred at 9 pm that should have been it. Sound automatically cut. No exceptions.

 

[sds71]

Astroworld staff were instructed to refer to dead concert-goers as "Smurfs," according to a 56-page security and emergency medical response planobtained by CNN and authored by Austin, Texas-based concert promoter Scoremore. The wide-ranging document outlines contingencies and instructions for staff responding to different situations at the festival, which ended Friday night with the deaths of eight concert-goers as a result of a deadly crowd surge

Astroworld security plan referred to potentially dead concertgoers as 'Smurfs'

msm link to plan:
Here's what the operations plan for the Astroworld Festival included and didn't include - CNN

<modsnip>

 

[x_files]

Astroworld staff were instructed to refer to dead concert-goers as "Smurfs," according to a 56-page security and emergency medical response planobtained by CNN and authored by Austin, Texas-based concert promoter Scoremore. The wide-ranging document outlines contingencies and instructions for staff responding to different situations at the festival, which ended Friday night with the deaths of eight concert-goers as a result of a deadly crowd surge

Astroworld security plan referred to potentially dead concertgoers as 'Smurfs'

<modsnip>

yikes. poor choice of words.

 

[mickey2942]

After Astroworld fatalities, Travis Scott offers refunds and cancels Day N Vegas gig

Las Vegas show, canceled.

 

[CocoChanel]

Houston releases permits issued in advance of Astroworld Festival

 

[Gardenista]

Astroworld Investigation: Houston firefighters union chief admits there were communication issues with private medics at Astroworld concert - CNN

 

[Gardenista]

Travis Scott Went to Dave & Buster's After Astroworld Festival, Unaware of Tragedy

 

[Gardenista]

Travis Scott's Astroworld Security Accused Of Not Checking Wristbands, Allowing Unpaid Fans Inside Overcrowded Venue Hours Before Deadly Stampede

 

[Arkay]

The plan instructs staff to "notify Event Control of a suspected deceased victim utilizing the code ‘Smurf’." It goes on to say, "never use the term ‘dead’ or ‘deceased’ over the radio." It’s not clear whether the protocol was followed.

This was one of my questions- how would an emergency be communicated effectively? It will be interesting to find out whether protocol was followed or not.

I understand that protocol usually requires that those in charge do not cause a (worse) panic and that code words are used. IMO though, calling deceased patrons "Smurfs" just resonates as a lack of respect for those whose patronage gives these people their salaries.

As a middle school teacher for 25 years, we were all drilled in the protocol for an emergency. An intruder in the building, a teacher having a heart attack, a physical fight between teenagers and so on.
The protocol was the word "red," but not in an obvious sense like "Red Alert, Red Alert!" It was a subtle announcement over the loudspeaker, so that only the staff understood. "Mrs. Hxxxxxxx," please bring the red folder to room 213." That meant the assistant principal in charge of safety, and directing her to the location of the emergency. Thus, the kids did not panic and the verbiage did not degrade anyone.

Certainly this was not the biggest problem, but I would be livid if my child or grandchild were referred to so demeaningly.

 

[SaguaroSpirit]

Travis Scott Went to Dave & Buster's After Astroworld Festival, Unaware of Tragedy

Are we supposed to actually believe that?????

 

[airportwoman]

It’s such a different world now from when I was young, thanks largely to social media. I went to my first concert at age 12, with 3 friends and 2 moms. Assigned seating. If the singer had made any references to audience members taking drugs or drinking, much less rushing the stage or “raving,” our moms would have hustled us out of there immediately. I’m sad that it seems to be the norm now for kids under 18 to be at concerts where this goes on.
Hoping those fighting for life from this all survive.

I was 15 years old and a couple years before my first big rock concert when the 1979 Who concert disaster happened. A decade later, with 3 kids in college, my dad got a job moonlighting as a security guard at a local civic arena, and after working a bunch of events, he told our mom, "I can't believe I had a problem with the kids going to rock concerts. I sure am glad they weren't country music fans!"

 

[Gardenista]

Travis Scott's Astroworld Security Hired Through Text Message Without Experience At $17 Per Hour, Not Prepared For Deadly Stampede

 

[mickey2942]

Travis Scott's Astroworld Security Hired Through Text Message Without Experience At $17 Per Hour, Not Prepared For Deadly Stampede

I totally can't believe how unprofessional that is! In Vegas, ushers and security either work for the venue, or a contractor. There is training, and background checks. Security needs to pass a full FBI security check, having fingerprints done prior to being hired.

 

[Mrs G Norris]

I totally can't believe how unprofessional that is! In Vegas, ushers and security either work for the venue, or a contractor. There is training, and background checks. Security needs to pass a full FBI security check, having fingerprints done prior to being hired.

This doesn't surprise me, we have a large festival near here where people are 'hired' and paid nothing but free entry for a number of positions.

 

[Arkay]

Travis Scott's Astroworld Security Hired Through Text Message Without Experience At $17 Per Hour, Not Prepared For Deadly Stampede

Is there no end to this grotesquerie? I wouldn't even want someone with no experience working at a concession stand in such an overcrowded venue.

To think this little boy Ezra is in a coma, and a 14- year old is dead. Not to mention the others in their 20s....the prime of their lives. There was essentially no security if guards were hired as last-minute employees, with no training nor experience. If the untrained and overwhelmed security had not been rushed at the barricades, the crowd may not have been as large and unruly at all. Real LE or guards that were in the security industry may have been able to get a handle on things before all control was lost.

Of course things will never go well when the main attraction is on the stage, encouraging mayhem and illegal activities like drug use.

 

[Luna20]

Are we supposed to actually believe that?????

He must have been high? If he is telling the truth…

 

[bears10]

Meanwhile, another video has emerged of the 30-year-old performer in 2016 at the Freaky Deaky festival outside Chicago, where he is seen acknowledging a potentially unconscious person before continuing the show.

“Whoa, somebody’s passed out?” Scott shouts out before repeatedly asking, “He can’t survive?”

 

[bears10]

In 2015 Travis posted a pic on Instagram of what looks like a kid passed out on the ground, captioned “to the kid that didn’t survive the rodeo, you’re a hero in my book”. (“Will he survive the rodeo” are lyrics from one of his songs)

warning, this might be an upsetting pic to some, idk. Link to his Instagram post -

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