Event at New York Nightclub Ends Abruptly After Pepper Bombs Go Off
On Thursday, February 3rd at around 1:30AM, New York nightclub Nowadays hosted an event by black beyond, which featured an all-Black lineup. After attendees reportedly began coughing, excessively sneezing, and complaining of a burning sensation in their throats, the event abruptly ended.
"At first, people were trickling out to the back patio," Lamb, one of the night's performers, told Resident Advisor. "I thought they were just getting some air or were part of a really big group who came together and were planning to leave. Then you could see a bit of commotion stirring--people were asking each other if they'd begun coughing and sneezing too. When the consensus was 'yeah,' almost everybody moved outside."
When the "mace-like" fumes in the building got intense, a Nowadays employee opened the patio doors to air the club out. Several witnesses reportedly noted multiple clumps of powder near the patio entrance, leading many to believe a pepper bomb or other irritant was set off.
"It felt like they intentionally set that mace bomb off at peak time when the floor was the fullest I had seen it in the two hours I had been there," MHYSA, one-half of SCRAAATCH, told RA.
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On February 7th, black beyond shared a statement on their Instagram account to address the incident, which they said was caused "by an unknown person(s) setting off pepper bombs inside the venue."
"Attendees were quickly affected by the pepper spray and exhibited symptoms typical of exposure to the weapon, including coughing, shortness of breath, and eye irritation," the statement reads. "This ultimately prevented our loyal supporters, attendants, and artists from safely enjoying a night of celebration and black communion."
Read the full statement below.
