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Wiz concert calls for heightened security

With more than 2,000 tickets already sold for the Nov. 14 Wiz Khalifa concert, a security and logistics meeting was held Oct. 7 between student coordinators, campus directors and community fire and police department chiefs to discuss how to keep students safe.

According to Student Activities intern Kailee Watkins, the concert is the first hip-hop show since Lupe Fiasco’s performance in 2010, and the genre brings some safety concerns.

“There will be an increase in security just because of the nature of the show,” Dashawn Cason, Special Events Reserve Fund (SERF) coordinator, said. “Student safety is everyone’s first concern and when you mix tons of different people, there are a ton of variables, so we are accounting for that.”

According to Cason, safety procedures will be similar to previous years, but there will be an increase in the number of volunteers and officials at the concert.

“It will be a mix of students, the security company service that we hire and then some increased law enforcement,” Cason said. “[There will be] more bodies to post at different places.”

Attendees entering the concert area will need to pass bag-checkers and ID-swipers.

“If you are falling over intoxicated, no one is going to let you in,” Cason said. “It’s one of those things where our main concern is safety during the show…no one is going to specifically point you out for being intoxicated, but if you are disrupting [others], then there’s an issue.”

According to Watkins, security has done a good job at past concerts about pulling people out of the event so they are not hazardous to others.

“If there’s an issue brought up or there’s a suspicion about anyone, especially with heightened security, I think the appropriate measures will be taken,” Watkins said.

Cason also warned against bringing alcohol or drugs into the concert.

“If you somehow get marijuana into the show and it’s found out, law enforcement is going to handle that as it should be handled,” he said.

Not only is there concern with students bringing drugs to the concert, but some students also suspect Wiz will smoke marijuana while performing.

Sophomore criminal justice studies major Mackenzie Zywica attended a Wiz concert in august at Tinley Park.

“Wiz smoked a ton, and he even passed it around in the front row,” Zywica said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he tries to smoke here.”

Cason said there has not been discussion between ACBU and Wiz’s manager about this possibility.

“We aren’t expecting it,” he said. “We don’t really know what is going to happen when it comes up. Obviously, it is illegal, so it’s a law enforcement thing [and] it would be handled that way.”

According to Zywica, there were security officers at the August concert, but they did not step in during the performance. She said she hopes law enforcement at the Bradley concert will be different.

“I think Bradley should be smart enough to stop him,” she said. “It’ll give Bradley a bad name. If non-students came to Bradley and they saw Wiz smoking on stage, it would make Bradley look bad.”

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