The Blame Game
Undoubtedly, most of you have heard by now about the tragedy at Astroworld. It happened on Friday and here we are on Tuesday and seemingly the world has moved on to assign blame. Heck, there have already been lawsuits filed against Travis Scott and Drake and the blood hasn’t even dried yet.
At this point in an investigation, facts are few and far between. Supposedly, there were over 50,000 people at the event. Is that too many? That’s certainly a possibility, but even if that is true it can be hard to assign blame for overselling the event.
For instance, did the promoters of the event know for a fact that had sold as many tickets as they had? Did they know for a fact that the venue could only handle a certain number and then ignore that? Again, that’s hard to say. Even if that is true, who exactly do we hold responsible for that error in judgment.
It’s also possible that the event wasn’t oversold and instead there was a problem with the venue’s design. This certainly isn’t the first such tragedy and it likely won’t be the last. In many of these instances, there was a design flaw that made such a tragedy a larger possibility.
Then, we get to the questions of Scott himself. What did he know and when did he know it? This is always a pressing question in situations like this. Supposedly, he continued to perform while much of this was going down. Yet, it is difficult to imagine him performing with full knowledge of what was going on.
Furthermore, he was supposedly briefed on the security of the event as the people on duty had obvious concerns. What were their concerns? Were their concerns met with the seriousness they deserved? We obviously don’t have all of the answers there either.
In the backdrop of all of this was the woman heard at my local gym. Her only response to the tragedy was to ask if it was a Christian music concert. When she heard it wasn’t there was some obvious disdain there. It’s as if somehow that these things happen when the music is morally objectionable and that the lives lost are not as valuable as those that would enjoy a more wholesome brand of entertainment.
Whether your objections be moral, negligence on the part of the venue, negligence on the part of the performer, or bad behavior on the part of the spectators, we hopefully can all acknowledge that this is a horrible situation that never should have happened. There is all the time in the world for blame. Let’s hold off and instead take stock in what we’ve lost. The families involved deserve a whole lot more than the pointing of fingers.
How this will resolve in Texas is a mystery to us. Nevada has a law specific to cases where there are conflicts between parties as to who is to most to blame. Designed to avoid some, not all, of the “finger pointing” apportioned blame is assigned.
Best example would be a Las Vegas case from 40 years ago, the MGM Grand hotel fire that killed 87 and injured hundreds. The number of litigants and their attorneys necessitated the use of the Thomas and Mack center at UNLV to accommodate everyone. Excellent reference case, if anyone is looking to precedent.
Astroworld? Texas? It will be a scrum starting with who the heck thought it was a “good idea” to hold a jam packed event in the middle of a pandemic, then on to the various responsibilities of all parties involved in organizing the event. Pity the judge; he will be challenged with a task that would daunt Speaker Pelosi on any of her worst days herding legislation and Congress varmints.
1One big reason to file a lawsuit right away is to get a restraining order in place to preserve the evidence at the scene.
2“There is all the time in the world for blame. Let’s hold off..”
Respectfully, I disagree. Isn’t that what republicans used to say when another mass shooting happens – it’s not the time for gun control talks, let’s hold off and let the families mourn?
IMO, NOW is the time to talk about it, to point the fingers, when the tragedy is in everyone’s minds. Let a couple of months pass, and a lot less people will care about the subject.
3Evidently, Scott was the entertainer, not the promoter. Entertainers have lots of very bright lights shining in their face and usually can’t see much if anything beyond the footlights.
4It’s been widely reported that the Police Chief met with Travis Scott prior to the event to express safety concerns about the upcoming concert. It was also reported that concert staff expressed their concerns before the concert started. Obviously having prior knowledge of safety issues will certainly play into the lawsuits even if he wasn’t the promoter. It’s hard to believe the promoter wasn’t informed about the concern as well.
5So far the news has featured the usual ambulance chasers with their hyperbolic rhetoric. It’s going to take some time to get all the facts, much less get lawsuits heard or new laws on the books. Europe has lots of music festivals, and they seem to have no problems – perhaps for the future we should look across the pond for direction?
6@Steve from Beaverton, exactly.
7Also: “Rapper Travis Scott had twice been arrested at his concerts before Saturday’s Astroworld tragedy. The 30-year-old musician pleaded guilty to public disorder charges at concerts in 2015 and 2018.”
https://www.the-sun.com/news/4018529/travis-scott-previously-arrested/
He has a history of instigating violence and mayhem while performing on stage.
Fraufee #3,
I would be remiss not to point out the obvious differences between what we are talking about. One involves both criminal and civil liability while the other involves policy. Conservatives avoid talking about gun violence as a way to kick the policy debate down the road. In the case of this tragedy, we aren’t saying no one is responsible or that nothing should happen. We are simply saying let’s be right.
8Nick Carraway #8, yes, I can see your point. I admit that comparison with republicans was a bit harsh. Peace?
P.S. As for bright lights shining in performers face – here are some examples how other artists have been handling similar situations:
9https://www.huffpost.com/entry/viral-videos-adele-dave-grohl-helping-fans-travis-scott-show-deaths_n_6189987ae4b055e47d7e9010
When will Governor Abbott be held responsible for his executive orders? During a Pandemic he allowed because of his lack of executive orders that would prevent the gathering of 50,000 people. In addition, no mask mandate, no safe distance mandate and no checking if attendees had covid vaccinations and many exemptions from vaccine mandate. This event would never have happened in a vast majority of States. Just Texas, probably Florida and Arizona.
10Nick @ 8, if you would please explain what “let’s be right” means to you. TIA
What is right and what is the law are all too frequently not the same thing. Texas Law. Nevada Law. We are not here to criticize Texas. NV booted that “high ground” with the Bundy trial failure(s).
We can scream about Congress, but the reality when it comes to “the law” failing justice, that begins with state legislatures. Best explanation we can offer is borrowed from the current high profile trial: Rittenhouse. Worth a read. https://gregfallis.com/2021/11/08/mel-gibson-delusions/
11Point taken. I guess getting it right is just to make sure we get as many relevant facts as possible. Obviously, the law rarely handles things perfectly so I’m just hoping for facts.
12Nick, you might find this interesting as we ponder “what went wrong.”
“According to the president of the city’s firefighter union, the Houston Fire Department officials on standby had asked the concert organizers for a radio to communicate with ParaDocs, the emergency medical providers, but were only provided with cellphone numbers.”
My d’oh question would be at what point and who has the authority to cancel or refuse event permits to those who fail to cooperate with safety procedures?
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