Photo: Getty Images
A spokesperson for Travis Scott is reiterating what his attorney said earlier this week: he did not have the authority to stop the Astroworld festival.
Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, former mayor of Baltimore and Travis' spokesperson, told Gayle King Friday (November 12) that the rapper didn't know what was going on until several hours after the event ended.
"There's a lot of confusion, it was chaotic," Rawlings said when asked when the rapper actually found out about the tragic events of the festival.
"Just like the police officers who were standing in the front of the stage with Travis nearly 30 minutes after declared a public safety emergency, Travis had no idea what was going on until well later, hours and hours later," she added.
According to Travis' spokesperson, it was the rapper's team who notified him of the multiple confirmed deaths and hundreds of injuries "after he had gone from event." Reports indicated that Travis went to Dave & Buster's after the concert, which Rawlings-Blake confirmed, adding that he was "trying to regroup with his team" and figure out what had taken place.
"While a lot of people are trying to place the blame, Travis is taking responsibility for moving forward and trying to make sure this never happens again to anyone's child," Rawlings-Blake said, later clarifying that the responsibility to stop that show was not on Travis.
"This notion that Travis had the ability to stop the concert is ludicrous. They have a 59-page operations plan and it clearly says that the only two people that have the authority to stop the concert were the executive producer and concert producer," she said.
"He was not responsible for this, but he wants to be responsible for the solution," Rawlings-Blake added, noting that the rapper and his team prioritized safety and that he'd "learned" from previous concerts about the importance of safety.
"The video shows he stopped multiple times to try to get a sense of what was going on," Rawlings-Blake said. "And just like those police officers standing in front of the stage, he could not tell what was going on."
The rapper reportedly reached out to the victims' families and has teamed up with Better Health to provide mental health counseling to concertgoers. The rapper also offered to pay for funeral expenses for the victims.
Reading about trauma can have an impact on your mental health. If you or someone you know need immediate mental health help, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
Get the latest news 24/7 on The Black Information Network. Listen now on the iHeartRadio app or click HERE to tune in live.