If you asked the average person what a perfect music festival scenario would look like to them, they’d probably describe something akin to the vibe at Blood Orange’s (real name: Devonte’ Hynes) Friday afternoon set at Lollapalooza. The crowd at The Grove stage was on the intimate side, allowing all present to truly cut loose as Hynes and his band ripped through a set that was both passionate, precise and downright funky at times. However, there was a serious theme tucked between the carefree grooves. Backup singer Samantha Urbani, formerly of the NYC buzz band Friends (she’s also Hynes’ girlfriend) stopped between songs to deliver a message. “Guys, we have to take care of each other. Police brutaility has to stop. If you see someone being arrested, film it. Film arrests!” Urbani’s white T-shirt had “Stop Police Brutality” written on it in black marker. Hynes had a similar outfit on, but his shirt featured the names of Trayvon Martin and victims of police brutality like Jordan Davis and Eric Garner, who made national news when a videotape of a New York City police officer choking him to death went viral. This week, Garner’s death was ruled a homicide, shining a light on police and how they operate while dealing with citizens. Hynes posted a photo of the shirt to Twitter earlier in the day.
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After the set, all in attendance moved on. About two hours later, Hynes tweeted that he and Urbani had been assaulted by security guards at the festival.
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A tweet from Urbani, since deleted but archived, read: “BTW after talking w lollapalooza ppl we’ve discovered the guards who assaulted us were NOT lolla staff, but privately hired for that stage. — samantha urbani (@SamandudeBITCH) August 2, 2014”
In response to this alleged assault, Lollapalooza issued a statement to Pitchfork: “Lollapalooza has shared a statement regarding the incident: ‘Late Friday night, we learned of an incident involving an artist and a security guard on site. Since then, we have been in contact with those involved and the authorities, as we work together to resolve the situation. As always, our top priority is to ensure the safety of everyone at the festival.'”
If you witnessed the incident, email me. I’d love to hear from you.
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