October 4th, 2010, New York City- On Saturday October 2nd , the NYPD and FDNY were forced to shut down what is considered the “Largest Paint Party on Earth” at Webster Hall. As early as 9 pm, masses of New York City college students, as well as out-of-towners, crowded the three entrances of the sprawling dance and performance venue, all hoping to get in as quickly as possible and let the paint wars and raving begin. It was extremely difficult to navigate ones way through the sea of white t-shirts and Soffee shorts, considering the disorganization of the three various entrances.
One entrance was designated for Advanced Tickets, another for VIP bottle service reservations, and still another for Promoter Lists. Although this system could have been very organized, the number of people trying to enter was simply too much to handle. Individuals who had already purchased advanced tickets were haggling for bottle service to try to expedite their entrance, but the truth was that the VIP guests were waiting just as long to enter the venue. After a few large VIP parties were finally seated and introduced to their waitresses, the FDNY made an attempt to enter the venue. As Kelly X, manager of bottle service and VIP reservations stated, “If the fire department cannot enter the building easily, we get shut down.” Her forecasting was right on point.
After the FDNY investigated the situation, they made the executive decision to evacuate the venue, going so far as to use mace on the upper balcony to get people out, as recalled by bottle waitress and bartender Tracey X who was working the balcony the entire night.
As the masses of people evacuated the building, there were countless complaints about monetary refunds and the huge struggle it took for individuals to reclaim their belongings from coat check. Security was adamant about getting people out as quickly as possible, leading to two violent situations where a young man was pushed against the wall and another female thrown across the floor as a result of the chaos. No refunds have been given as of yet, and we can only hope that Webster Hall will limit the amount of people they allow in the venue from this point on.
As a result of the venue being evacuated, there were a huge number of people on the street and NYPD were forced to shut down 11th Street between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue. This lead to many complaints from 11th street residents, causing upheaval in the East Village and leaving a bad test in the locals’ mouths.
by Lula Brown
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