Singer Kehlani has taken to social media to apologise to her fans after hundreds were denied entry to an oversold LA Pride event over the weekend.
"Y'all deserve refunds and I hope we get a chance to jam soon," she wrote in a tweet.
She continued: "As fun as that was, my heart goes out to all the folks who drove, flew, train and bussed (sp) here and weren't allowed in. My heart is wit (sp) those who had scary run ins with the LAPD & bad security tonight."
"We gotta do better."
Jimmy Palmieri, the founder of the festival's 'sober carnival' section, described the unfolding chaos to LGBTQ Nation.
“The fire marshalls kept saying, ‘no matter how long you wait, you’re not getting in, you’re not getting in,’ to the people that were waiting in line,” Palmieri said.
“We packed early and we left because we knew this was going to happen, once we heard the choppers yelling. It was really crowded, but honestly, it didn’t seem like trouble to me. I think the cops were not letting people in no matter what, even if they had tickets.”
“What were they expecting, Stonewall?” Pride-goer Jerwyn Morton, who flew in from New York City, told Los Angeles Blade.
He added: “I have never seen so many cops in my life wearing riot gear at a gay event.”
“The Festival has become a full on Rave," 44-year-old Christopher Johnson told LA Blade.
Other attendees took to social media, describing their fear at the unusually large presence of riot police and frustration at spending hours in line, only to be turned away.
"I went this evening because I wanted to simply stroll around the festival, but the line of early 20-something people was 20 people deep for several blocks," he added.
“I’m glad it’s successful but I’m not welcome."
"There’s nothing there for me anymore and it makes me feel old.”
