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U2 Issues Refund & Cancels St. Louis Concert Due To Stockley Riot: Safety Concerns For Fans As 10 Officer Hurt

By Tracey Johnson
Published on: 06:15 PST, Sep 16, 2017

U2 is cancelling their St. Louis concert tonight September 16 2017 and issuing a full refund for their fans. Live Nation and U2 have stated that the St. Louis Police Department has told them that they have their hands full due to ongoing protests in the city. Live Nation issued a statement regrettably cancelling the show because their fans’ safety is of paramount concern.

“We have been informed by the St. Louis Police Department that they are not in a position to provide the standard protection for our audience as would be expected for an event of size.”

The St. Louis protests erupted this week when former police officer Jason Stockley, a white male, was found not guilty in a charge of first-degree murder of 24-year-old Anthony Lamar Smith, a black male. After a high speed chase, Stockley shot Smith. Prosecutors told the court that Stockley planted a gun in Smith’s car after he shot him five times, because it was later found that the firearm only had Stockley’s DNA on it. Stockley had said that he was “going to kill” Smith before telling the driving police offer to steer the car into Smith’s decelerating vehicle. With each shot, Stockley struck Smith.

Last night, approximately 1,000 protesters gathered at the mayor’s home and threw rocks and bottles at the property, inflicting damage on the mayoral home. Others burned the American flag while on the lawn. A public library and at least one other local business were damaged by protesters.

The chief of the St. Louis Police Department said that 10 officers were injured in the protests and that they had already arrested 32 people. According to USA Today, Louis is expecting more protests today and that the violence will continue. Prior to the verdict, barricades were already erected around the court house and police headquarters as authorities took precautions in anticipation of the verdict.

U2 stated that they could not risk their fans’ safety in light of the information that there would not be adequate security measures in place. They said that cancelling their show was the only acceptable decision they could make in good conscious. In their statement, U2 said that refunds would be issued to all their fans who had purchased tickets. For those who had bought their tickets online, a refund would be issued on the credit cards that they purchased the tickets on. Fans who did not buy their tickets online would receive their refunds on Monday, September 18, from 10 a.m. at the place that they had bought their tickets from.

[Featured Image by Mike Coppola/Getty Images]

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