Houston police union condemns Travis Scott’s first concert since Astroworld tragedy

Travis Scott is planning his first concert in Houston since the 2021 Astroworld tragedy, and law enforcement have taken a public stance against the event.

Following Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner confirming Tuesday that the rapper’s Utopia Presents Circus Maximus Tour will make a stop at Houston’s Toyota Center on Oct. 19, the city’s police union issued a statement condemning the concert.

“Like most, we were in complete disbelief that anyone would approve of Travis Scott or the production company having another concert,” began the statement Houston Police Officers’ Union president Douglas Griffith sent to KPRC. “Only days after the release of a 1,200-page report describing the tragic events that took place during this Astroworld Concert, we are advised that there will be another performance.”

“Just two weeks ago we were asking for prayers and healing for the families of the Astroworld tragedy and then we are once again opening those wounds with announcing another concert,” the organization continued. “We believe that it is unreasonable to allow this concert to go forward and call upon elected officials to stand up and say, not in our city, not again!”

Scott organized and headlined the Astroworld festival on Nov. 5, 2021, which ended its first night in what authorities called a “mass casualty incident” with deaths and injuries from compression asphyxia at Houston’s NRG Park.

On June 29, a Texas grand jury elected not to indict the “Sicko Mode” rapper on criminal charges for the tragedy that left 10 dead and thousands injured. Scott, whose given name is Jacques Bermon Webster II, and several other event organizers were reportedly included in the criminal probe. Multiple civil cases were filed, with one privately settled by the rapper in 2022.

Mayor Turner released a statement to The Daily News about the upcoming Utopia Presents Circus Maximus tour stop on Wednesday afternoon, emphasizing that it will be held at a different venue — which will hopefully lead to a different outcome.

“Unlike the Astroworld Festival at NRG in 2021, the concert will be held in a different type of venue. The Toyota Center has been a good partner with the City of Houston, and we expect this to continue for this and every other concert,” Turner’s statement said. “Before today’s announcement, Toyota Center representatives convened meetings with public safety officials and the City’s special events office. They will continue working together to ensure this concert’s safety, not unlike the many other concerts and events held at Toyota Center each year.”

The venue, which opened in 2003, has a concert seating capacity of 19,000.