Travis Scott Warned About Audience Safety Beforehand? Police Officer Reveals Major Concern Leading to Tragedy
The Astroworld Festival continues to be under the spotlight as Travis Scott didn't pass the vibe check after handling audience safety, despite warnings given by a police officer.
Many people have raised their concerns after eight fans died and numerous concertgoers got injured during the event hosted by the rapper, held on November 5. In recent news, the chief of Houston Police revealed that he personally informed Travis Scott regarding crowd control hours before the casualty.
Based on a report from New York Times, Police Chief Troy Finner shared that he visited Scott's trailer before he went on stage that Friday in Houston, Texas. As someone who knows the rapper personally, he relayed his concerns right away about the crowd, which he said would include "very devoted fans."
The Chief's Voiced Out Concern
Monday, November 8, Chief Finner released a statement saying, "I met with Travis Scott and his head of security for a few moments last Friday prior to the main event."
"I expressed my concerns regarding public safety and that in my 31 years of law enforcement I have never seen a time with more challenges facing citizens of all ages, to include a global pandemic and social tension throughout the nation."
The officer shared that he asked Travis Scott and his team to work with the police department, who came prepared with extra police and private security personnel for the two-day event. He also added to "be mindful of his team's social media messaging on any unscheduled events."
Travis Scott was warned about the crowd at Astroworld Fest by Houston Police Chief who visited his trailer to speak about public safety concerns before the show. pic.twitter.com/yr5NJuxFoO
— Pop Base (@PopBase) November 8, 2021
Finner also clarified, "The meeting was brief and respectful, and a chance for me to share my public safety concerns as Chief of Police."
According to the Independent, city officials and concert organizer Live Nation anticipated a lot of energy in the crowd, knowing that the event happened after the pandemic, which canceled live concerts.
Following the tragedy, fans continue to question the celeb's handling of audience safety. It took the rapper precisely 37 minutes to stop the concert as he wanted to continue with his set while medics were trying to get the victims out of the crowd, as stated by the article.
Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña told the New York Times that the rapper "could have urged the crowd to stop and brought the show to an end sooner."
"If somebody would have said, 'Hey, shut this thing down and turn on the lights until this thing gets corrected' - and that coming from the person with the mic - I think could have been very helpful," he exclaimed.
The media has covered his "long history of inciting chaos" during concerts from the past, recalling Lollapalooza Festival in Chicago back in 2015, where he told fans to jump over the barricades. Another was during the Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion in 2017, where Scott got arrested and accused of "inviting fans to bypass security and rush the stage at a show," which led to many people getting injured.
The soon-to-be father-of-two went on Instagram and released his statement saying he was "just devastated" by what had happened and vowed to help the victims' families "through this tough time."
