ACL Fest Makes Security Changes, Offers Refunds for Those Shaken By Las Vegas
As ACL Fest looms over us, with less than 48 hours to go, representatives for the festival have spent the week responding to community concern regarding safety measures being taken in light of the mass shooting that took place on the Las Vegas Strip on Sunday night. And yes, there will be some differences, but the festival says they’re changes set in place well before the shooting occurred.
First of all, Austin City Limits Festival is offering a full refund to anyone who feels unsafe being out at Zilker park the next two weekends. ACL is also beefing up security and tweaking its list of what can and cannot enter the festival. Metal detectors will be in place this year in addition to the normative pat-down searches. Large backpacks are also on the list of don’ts this year: they must be about 10 X 10 X 10 inches (like a drawstring or mini backpack). You’ll also have to leave your sealed and aerosol sunscreen bottles, umbrellas, and inflatable furniture at home as well. And yes, that means your Puchcouches and Dumbos. ACL Fest takes over Austin the next two weekends.
Large backpacks are on the list of don’ts this year: they must be about 10 X 10 X 10 inches (like a drawstring or mini backpack). You’ll also have to leave your sealed and aerosol sunscreen bottles, umbrellas, and inflatable furniture at home as well. And yes, that means your Puchcouches and Dumbos. ACL Fest takes over Austin the next two weekends.
Las Vegas Victim’s Fund Raises Over $8 Million in 48 Hours
In the wake of the Las Vegas tragedy, the city, country, and world responded. Within hours of the disaster, local blood banks had lines in the hundreds before the sun even rose, and according to Las Vegas Sheriff Joe Lombardo, there’s currently a 2-week waiting period to donate to most banks.
Now that the blood banks are filled, Lombardo asked what to do next to help individuals suffering in the wake. He turned to Clark County Commissioner Steve Sisolak, and the two decided to setup a GoFundMe to pool funds for the victims. 20 percent of the posted goal of $500,000 was raised within an hour, and after 48 hours had raised a staggering $8 million.
In an interview with Billboard, Sisolak said the funds are going directly to the individuals who need it—no organizations, no big companies, just straight from the pot to the hands of those in need. There are companies, Sisolak says, who want to make donations larger than GoFundMe can handle, so a bank account has been opened to field those donations.
All the logistics are being handled by volunteers, so literally the only money lost is the small percentage GoFundMe takes from each transaction. If you want to join the over 64,000 people around the world who have donated to the victims of the Las Vegas Shooting, you can find a link on our SC page.
-Taylor Wallace
