Administration Cancels Pan Afrikan Concert Due to Safety Concerns

Chris Hart-Williams | Staff Writer

Wednesday evening it was announced via a press release from the Department of Student Leadership and Engagement that the on-campus concert scheduled for Friday, featuring rap trio, Migos has been canceled for safety reasons.  The concert was organized by the Black Students Board of the Union Activities Board (UAB), as part of N.C. State’s annual Pan-Afrikan Week celebration.

Days before the cancellation, some N.C. State students on social media questioned whether or not reports of a Miami shootout that took place on Friday involving Migos would impact their scheduled performance.

“We felt like we had no choice but to cancel the event,” said Mike Giancola associate vice provost of Student Leadership & Engagement.

Giancola said he and other administrators were informed of the Miami shooting Wednesday morning. He said the decision to cancel Friday’s concert stemmed from a discussion health and safety officials had with campus police.

“We received recommendations from campus police and also the University officials responsible for health and safety,” said Giancola.  “The details of what happened in Miami are still unfolding, we can’t assume to know exactly what went on there, but at the end of the day, we have to put the safety of our campus community, our students and the guests of our campus at top priority.”

 About an hour after Giancola’s press release, UAB Treasurer, Lauryn Collier sent an email  to organizations, students, and faculty, calling on administrators to address students and justify canceling the concert. The email also asked for students to rally at the Talley Student Center on Friday, in place of the concert.

In the email, Collier wrote, “We are requesting the presence of the administrators who canceled the event to have a Q&A and address all concerns from the community.”

According to Collier, it was a Campus Enterprises staff member who brought the Migos shooting to the attention of various University administrators on Wednesday. Collier said, campus police and Dr.  Lisa Zapata, vice provost, of the Division of Academic & Student Affairs and campus police made the decision to cancel the concert over the phone.

“The decision to cancel the concert was based on no research,” said Collier.  “We’re rallying for justice because the concert was unjustly canceled.”

Collier said, the BSB Activities Board who planned the event was not informed of the administrations conversation about Migos and safety precautions, until they were notified that the concert had been canceled.

“[BSB members] were basically told ‘this is a decision from administration and there’s nothing you can do about it’,” said Collier.

According to Collier the event totaled near $60,000, and “its all going down the drain.”

“When artists come to campus we have certain protocols and processes to make sure that every event we do regardless of the artist’s genre, is safe,” said Collier.

Talley Ballroom where the group was set to perform, would have been a secure student union where attendees would be wanded and have their  bags checked, according to Collier.

Collier said, there could have been less detrimental measures taken because Migos wasn’t the only act scheduled to perform. A total of  five acts lined up for the concert, including Malcolm Brown, an alumnus of N.C. State.

“We look at this as an opportunity to really showcase our talent,”said Malcolm Brown one of the acts formerly scheduled to open for Migos. “It’s so last minute.”

Brown said he doesn’t agree with the university’s decision to cancel the concert two days before. He said the university should have never agreed to allow Migos to headline the concert because they’ve held their existing image as artists before the alleged shooting.

“We’re a research based school, we have all these research programs and other stuff. Is it that hard to look at a video that’s five minutes? Everybody, at least [those] who bought a ticket, knew what Migos was about,” said Brown.

According to Brown, university administration had three months to “say no.”

The group based out of Atlanta, Ga. is reported to have been in a shootout on Highway I-95 while visiting Miami, Fla.

At approximately 3:30 a.m. on March 28, an unknown gunman opened fire on a van carrying the group and its entourage to their South Beach Hotel, Miami’s WSVN reports.

Florida Highway Patrol authorities told WSVN that a member of Migos’ entourage was the only person injured in the shooting. He was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital, according to police.

“As they were driving back on I-95…a dark vehicle pulled alongside and basically opened fired on them,” said Florida Highway Patrol Trooper, Jose Sanchez who spoke with WSVN following the incident.

According to Sanchez the group had gotten into an altercation at a nightclub prior to the shooting.

Migos was scheduled to perform at the Cafe Iguana in Pembroke Pines but had a disagreement with the club’s management Sanchez told WSVN.

“For whatever reason, they didn’t perform,” said Sanchez.

Cafe Iguana tells a different story, denying Migos had ever been scheduled to appear. In a statement Cafe Iguana said, “unfortunately Migos was not scheduled to perform at our club and this incident is unfortunate but it happened out of county and has nothing to do with the club or management.”

Not long after the shooting the members of Migos were vocal on Twitter about their ordeal, and even tweeted a photo of them posing at the hotel they were en route to.

There have been no reports detailing the current condition of the  entourage member taken to the hospital.

 

 

Correction: An earlier version stated that Lauryn Collier is the BSB treasurer she is the UAB Treasurer. The BSB is one of the seven committees under the UAB.