Congressman requests Justice Dept. investigation day before Astroworld tragedy anniversary
Astroworld victims honored around Houston with pink bows
FOX 26's Damali Keith speaks with Congressman Al Green on the investigation into the deadly concert that took the life of 10 people. The Pink Bows Foundation, a non-profit honoring Madison Dubiski who lost her life in the tragedy, is encouraging everyone to tie pink bows in honor of the victims.
HOUSTON - Saturday is the one-year anniversary of the deadly Astroworld Music Festival that left 10 people dead.
In Downtown Houston and across the city, victims are being remembered with pink bows being tied outside City Hall and many other places, to honor those who went to the Astroworld concert and never made it home.
"You shouldn’t get crushed at a concert and there must be a methodology by which you can attend, bring your child and return home safely," says Congressman Al Green.
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Congressman Green says there is a bit of an update a year later in the congressional investigation he requested into the catastrophic concert there at NRG Park.
Astroworld promoter Live Nation recently wrote a letter of response to the legislative committee, but the information is confidential.
"Well, I’m disappointed because quite frankly I expected that we would be able to share more from the committee level but what we’ve received has been embargoed," the congressman explains.
Congressman Green sent a letter to the Department of Justice. In the letter, he said he is, "asking the Justice Department to investigate. I do believe this requires a thorough investigation. I don’t think we can get too many eyes on this circumstance because 10 people died. I’m very, very saddened by what has happened to the victims and to their families because they’re suffering. This is going to be a time of suffering for them because they relive these things on anniversaries."
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There is a memorial at NRG for the 10 victims who range in age from just 9 to 27-years-old and were crushed to death in the crowd as 50,000 people packed into the stadium.
"No parent should think that their child is going to go to a concert and not come back because of a safety protocol situation," says Peter Remington, the President of Pink Bows Foundation, a non-profit honoring Madison Dubiski who lost her life in the tragedy.
Pink Bows launched on May 1, which would have been Dubiski's 24th birthday. "Our whole goal is to heighten the awareness of security protocols at major events. When the breach of security was happening through those gates the security guys kind of just walked away or turned around," Remington says.
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The organization also plans to pursue what they call a Showstopper Law that would give a security expert the power to shut an event down at the first sign of trouble. "Somebody who’s not tied to the revenue of the event, but is there looking over the crowd," Remington explains. Later this month, the organization plans to begin setting up a 30-by-20-foot tent outside crowded events.
He adds, "It’s going to be a place where if somebody’s feeling anxious, or they’re getting nervous, or they’re having a difficult time, or they’re having a little bit of mental stress they can come to the Pink Bows Foundation safe space." Remington says water will be available, as well as mental health professionals for people to talk with.
According to Remington, everything Pink Bows Foundation is doing is exactly what Madison would do if she wasn’t tragically taken the day she went to a concert for fun, but instead was killed in an out-of-control crowd.
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"Everybody loves to describe an individual they lost like they’re bigger than life, but I wouldn’t be exaggerating in this case…Madison would walk into a room and instantly make friends...she did 500 hours worth of charity work in her high school years…many people don’t do that in a lifetime," he said.
The foundation is encouraging everyone to hang pink bows in honor of all the victims to show support and love to family members who lost loved ones one year ago.