The annual Decibel Festival is once again upon us. People are coming to Seattle from all over the world to attend this pillar of musical community. Unfortunately the reality of the world today is that some people just don’t understand that no means no. This year, the organizers of the Decibel Festival are going to great lengths to protect people who feel they are victims of this problem.
In a press release earlier today on social media, the organizers said they will be handing out business cards to attendees to remind the what consent is and say that there will be a strict zero tolerance policy for any behavior like it.
Protecting attendees is of the utmost importance to any festival. To our knowledge, there isn’t a festival in the Northwest that has addressed this issue so directly. Most festivals’ approach to harm reduction is focused on preventing drug use through antiquated measures.
Decibel Festival put it very simply:
“Please respect the space and the people with whom you are sharing it. If you experience any of the above violations or feel unsafe in any way, please notify a staff or security member and the issue will be dealt with promptly. At dB2015 we have a ZERO tolerance policy.”
Currently there isn’t a data base that tracks the number of sexual assaults at festivals, but unfortunately it is something that we hear about a lot. Law enforcement officials and industry experts do believe that sexual assault is on the rise. The combination of drugs, alcohol, and lack of properly trained security is attributed to the rise according to one publication. This is a trend for all festivals, not just dance music festivals.
If you’re at the Decibel Festival this year and you see someone being violated, please get the attention of security. If we want to make our music community we have to behave AS a community and look out for one another.
Important things happen in Pacific Northwest nightlife, and DMNW will send you alerts!
