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Dec 14, 2008 9:16 pm US/Central
Fest Officials Discuss How Better To Handle Crowds
DALLAS (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
Dallas city officials and Kwanzaa Fest organizers met Saturday night to discuss possible new crowd management techniques. CBS 11 was live at the fairgrounds when Dallas Police had to break up crowds using pepper spray as people left the festival. A shooting just outside the park contributed to the chaos.
No one was injured in the crowd, but a few hours earlier a 15-year-old was shot in the buttocks as he left the festival. Billed as a family event, attendees like Vicie Mustafaa say incidents like these did not dampen the event. "Maybe if they can organize it a little bit better and spread out the talent, that might help but I'd hate to see them stop it because of the crowd."
County Commissioner John Wiley Price, who founded Kwanzaa Fest in 1990, says he's proud of the tens of thousands of health screenings likely to come from the event. Price says organizers and officials talked Saturday and agreed crowds just can't be allowed to form. "We've got to manage it better; we're a victim of our own success. We're just going to have to manage the individuals who come into the venue and make it very clear that there will be no tolerance of individuals hanging around the venue."
He points out the problems did not occur inside the event, but outside the gates as people left for their cars and homes.
Dallas County Constable James Cortes was assisting in security yesterday. He feels more attention can be paid to the parking lots between the venue and city streets.
"It's all about visibility. If people see law enforcement everywhere they step, the chance of them acting up goes down."
Keeping scenes like Saturday night to a minimum.
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