Sean Diddy Combs: 9 Lives Lost at Puff Daddy Charity Concert

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Under a sky full of pulsing
lights, a crowd of bodies sways

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hypnotically to the rhythm of
live music.

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Their cheers fill the vast
expanse of festivals like

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Coachella, South by Southwest
and Austin Afropunk.

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The air buzzes with excitement
and anticipation, charged with

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love for artists who are more
than just performers.

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To their fans, they're icons,
heroes, and sometimes even

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saviors.
But among the euphoria and

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camaraderie, a sinister shadow
lurks.

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The haunting echoes of the 2021
Astro World tragedy and the

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ghostly remnants of disasters
that have scarred legends like

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The Who, Guns N' Roses and ACDC
linger.

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Yet among these tragedies, one
event stands out, the 1991

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charity concert in Harlem, New
York.

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It started with promise and joy,
but ended in an unforgettable

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nightmare for 9 innocent souls.
Welcome back to No Tears for

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Black Girls.
I'm your host Samantha Paul.

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Today we're revisiting a dark
chapter in music history, the

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1991 charity concert in Harlem,
New York.

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What started as a star-studded
event featuring Sean Puffy,

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Combs, and Heavy D turned into a
nightmare, claiming the lives of

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nine innocent attendees.
In this episode, we'll unravel

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the tragic events at New York
City College, where mismanaged

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tickets and a dangerous
bottleneck led to a horrifying

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crush.
Join us as we remember the lives

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lost, the chaos that ensued, and
the lasting impact on the

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community.
A cramped staircase at New York

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City College became a dangerous
bottleneck, trapping teenagers

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and young adults in a crushing
heap.

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Nine people lost their lives in
this tragedy, leaving the city

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in mourning.
This prestigious institution,

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located at 160 Convent Ave. in
Harlem, has a long history,

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having been founded in 1847.
Many students from across the

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country flocked to this college
with dreams of success.

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The surrounding area, known as
Greater Harlem, is steeped in

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rich history, from the lively
events of the 1960s to the

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bustling streets filled with
basketball games, block parties,

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St. festivals, and charity
concerts during warmer months.

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But on December 28th, 1991,
something disturbing happened at

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New York City College.
As the Christmas holiday ended

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and New Year's Eve approached,
people prepared for celebrations

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across the city.
Instead of terror, attendees at

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Sean Puffy Combs and Heavy DS
celebrity basketball game

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endured a nightmarish
experience.

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Despite tickets selling for $20
each to ensure entry into the

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star-studded event, chaos
erupted when tensions rose

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between the Hefsters and Puff
Daddy All Stars teams.

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Familiar names like LL Cool J
and Mike Tyson were present

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along with Doug E Fresh and Red
Alert.

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This fundraiser for AIDS turned
into a tragic night that will

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never be forgotten by those who
witnessed it.

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Among the star-studded lineup on
heavy DS team were Michael

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Bivens from Belle Biv, Devoe and
New Edition members of Boys to

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Men, Run DMC, Fife Dog and Big
Daddy Kane.

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They would face off against
Puffy's team which included

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artists from Jodeci Brand,
Nubian Guy, Nice and Smooth, and

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Ed Lover.
Providing the beats for the

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event was none other than
Funkmaster Flex of Hot 97.

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The Apollo box office on 125th
St. in Harlem refused them

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entry, stating that there were
no tickets available.

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One reason cited for this
rejection was that the Apollo

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could not fulfill all ticket
requests they received.

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Another reason given was that
98.7 Kiss FM wanted its name

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featured on the flyer.
This competition with WBLS FM,

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owned by Inner City Broadcasting
who also owned the Apollo

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Theater, caused further
complications for ticket sales

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through the venue.
The Apollo Theater, listed as a

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point of purchase on the flyer,
had been promoting the event

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with KISS FM since December
20th.

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Despite their radio ads
mentioning the Apollo as a

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ticket location, phone calls
flooded in and customers were

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turned away.
Flyers directing people to Boss

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Emporium, a Harlem clothing
store, were put up at the

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Apollo.
The owner of Boss Emporium

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reported that tickets were
selling fast thanks to heavy DS

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popularity with Uptown Records.
Kiss FM community staff member

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noticed the huge crowd gathering
outside the college and realized

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there was no way everyone could
fit inside.

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An hour later, Kiss FM told
listeners without tickets to

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stay home, but by then it was
too late to spread the message

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effectively.
Despite attempts to control the

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growing crowd, witnesses
reported that hundreds continued

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to gather in two separate lines
outside the gym by 5:00 PM,

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though this timeline has been
disputed.

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As time passed, more celebrities
arrived through the same

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entrance designated for ticket
holders causing tension as non

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ticket holders were allowed in
to purchase tickets online.

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While actual ticket holders
became upset trying to make

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their way inside amidst the mass
of people on the staircase

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leading into the gym.
Eagerly pressing against the gym

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doors, wanting to enter via
pulling them open instead of

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pushing due to limited space
from the growing crowd inside as

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well as outside where some
waited for loved ones also being

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let in.
Around 6:30 PM that evening,

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tragic events unfolded when Greg
Nice of Nice and Smooth

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approached the glass doors
leading into the building along

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with others noted in later
reports.

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As the entourage entered, a
massive crowd surged in behind

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them.
Amidst the chaos, people shouted

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123 push and shattered the
safety glass on the doors.

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With hundreds pushing.
Those entering pulled away at

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dangling shards to make room for
more people.

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Panic and cries to stop fell on
deaf ears as the huge crowd

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crushed anyone against the 12
foot wide stairwell doors.

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Reports differ on whether people
tried to move backward or step

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on others to escape.
Yet it was chaos as people

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fought to get out while others
gasped for air under the weight

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of hundreds of bodies.
Eventually, some inside opened

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doors and pulled people in, but
the pandemonium continued.

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Injured individuals appeared in
footage carried into the gym,

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while Doug E Fresh pleaded for
someone to call for help.

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Reports of shots fired caused
further panic and a Stampede

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among those seeking cover.
The first ambulance arrived 15

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minutes after the chaos began,
but attempts to save lives

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started earlier.
Based on footage timestamps, 19

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year old Letitia Creschad Heard,
a focused Bronx native

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determined to become a probation
officer at John Jay College,

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ignored her brother's warnings
and excitedly attended the

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event.
A friend later identified her

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among the casualties, a
devastating loss for her family

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and community.
Similarly, 17 year old Leonard

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Nelson Junior, an only child
with dreams of college and a

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bright future, often listened to
hip hop tunes on his Walkman and

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played quarterback for Truman
Mustang's football team.

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Afterward, the city named a
field in his memory.

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Unfortunately, 9 lives were lost
that night, including theirs.

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A stranger broke the news of
Cherise Ann Noel's death to her

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brother.
Cherise, 26 years old, from

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Brooklyn, NY, came from a
religious family and had

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recently graduated as a nurse.
She lived with her grandparents

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and young daughter and had been
separated from her boyfriend

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during the chaos.
Fellow nurses wore their

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uniforms to pay tribute at her
funeral.

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Unknown to Jabal Rainey's
parents, he attended the event

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but never made it back home.
Darren Brown, 28 years old and a

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friend of Nice and Smooth,
worked on their Rd. crew and

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should have been safe at the
concert.

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However, he succumbed to the
crushing crowd.

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His daughter had called him
Daddy only days before.

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Yul Dargan, age 24, lived in his
parents attic apartment

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decorated with posters of his
icons like Whitney Houston and

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Michael Jordan.
Yul, an avid sports fanatic,

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always caught games at the
Meadowlands and was thrilled for

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this event.
He was very involved in his

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church community at Walker
Memorial Baptist in the Bronx

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and was known as one of its most
active young members.

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After graduating from Cardinal
Hayes High School, you'll plan

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to move to Atlanta to be closer
to family and attend college

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while working for their transit
system.

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On the day of the event, you'll
took the D train with his mother

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to Coney Island, where she
worked as a nurse at the

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hospital.
He gave her a bottle of White

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Diamonds perfume for her
birthday and promised her a

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birthday card after the
basketball game later that

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night.
However, Yule's mother learned

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about his death from local news
and received a call from their

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00:09:45,680 --> 00:09:50,080
pastor shortly after his death.
Over 600 people attended Yule's

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funeral, including famous
figures such as Mike Tyson and

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Don King, who wore purple in his
honor as it was his favorite

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color.
Don McCain was a kind hearted 20

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year old from Brooklyn who loved
spending time with her family

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and taking her nephew to events.
Unfortunately, he had a cold

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that night, so she left him at
home to rest alone at home

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instead of attending with him.
The year before tragedy struck.

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Don struggled with ticketing
cars parked outside churches or

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supermarkets during holidays
while working as a city traffic

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agent, which made her feel
guilty.

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Still, she eventually secured
tickets through someone rumored

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to be dating Puffy, despite
initially being denied entry.

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Described by those who knew her
as quiet but intelligent and

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dedicated, Sonja Williams
studied nursing before

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tragically passing away days
later due to injuries sustained

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during this event.
Sonja, a bright young student at

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Lehman College, was working
towards becoming a pediatric

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nurse.
She had fond memories of

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attending a New Edition concert
with her mother at City College

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when she was younger.
Despite her high hopes for the

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upcoming event, she was in for a
shock when things took a

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sinister turn.
Dirk Swain, a 20 year old from

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the Bronx, an aspiring
architect, had narrowly survived

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a shooting just months prior.
Despite being advised to avoid

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crowds, he decided to go out on
this fateful night.

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Just days before, Dirk had
expressed gratitude for another

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chance at life after surviving
the shooting.

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Little did he know that tragedy
would strike again.

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His brother Jason would go on to
create a documentary in memory

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00:11:34,560 --> 00:11:38,920
of the 9 victims who perished in
the Stampede at the 1991 City

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College of New York event.
The events of that night haunt

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those who lived through it and
those who lost loved ones, yet

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it is often overshadowed by
other tragedies.

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As the holiday season
approaches, nine families must

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face another year without their
loved ones, and countless others

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have been scarred for life.
The question remains, who is

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00:12:05,400 --> 00:12:07,760
responsible for this horrifying
incident?

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00:12:08,560 --> 00:12:11,680
Was it due to overselling
tickets or the college's lack of

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00:12:11,680 --> 00:12:14,880
proper precautions?
There may never be a clear

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answer.
Was it because of the big

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00:12:17,600 --> 00:12:20,560
support behind A cause later
found to be bogus?

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00:12:21,160 --> 00:12:23,760
Was it the crowd who didn't
realize the real danger that

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00:12:23,760 --> 00:12:26,120
they were in?
Was it greed?

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00:12:26,920 --> 00:12:30,040
It would be safe to assume that
nobody involved in this event

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00:12:30,040 --> 00:12:33,920
wanted this outcome.
It was done with good intentions

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00:12:33,920 --> 00:12:38,200
according to everyone.
But sometimes things unfold

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00:12:38,200 --> 00:12:42,720
quickly right before your eyes,
and before you know it, the

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00:12:42,720 --> 00:12:44,880
situation can no longer be
contained.

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00:12:45,640 --> 00:12:48,880
And when it gets to that point,
everyone involved in something

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00:12:48,880 --> 00:12:53,440
like this, from the venue to the
promoters to the officers, has

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00:12:53,440 --> 00:12:57,480
to be on the same page because
tragedy can strike faster than

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00:12:57,480 --> 00:13:00,320
you expect.
It's always important to point

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00:13:00,320 --> 00:13:03,840
out that many are to blame.
But what these families wanted

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00:13:03,840 --> 00:13:06,680
more than anything was to have
their loved ones back.

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00:13:07,960 --> 00:13:11,800
They longed to discuss that
fateful evening and imagine how

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00:13:11,800 --> 00:13:15,480
it should have unfolded, free
from devastation, surrounded by

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00:13:15,480 --> 00:13:20,520
safety and happiness.
But instead, the night became a

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00:13:20,520 --> 00:13:24,320
stark contrast, leaving grieving
families to mend what was

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00:13:24,320 --> 00:13:27,560
broken.
May those who perished find

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00:13:27,560 --> 00:13:31,000
eternal peace.
My heartfelt sympathies go out

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00:13:31,000 --> 00:13:33,600
to all those impacted by this
tragedy.

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Thank you for tuning into No
Tears for Black Girls.

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This series is skillfully
crafted by acclaimed writer and

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00:13:40,160 --> 00:13:44,280
producer Jon Reedberg with the
guidance of unapologetic host

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00:13:44,280 --> 00:13:47,640
Samantha Paul.
Catch new episodes every Tuesday

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00:13:47,640 --> 00:13:50,520
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00:13:51,000 --> 00:13:54,720
You can listen anywhere,
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00:13:54,720 --> 00:13:58,280
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00:13:58,960 --> 00:14:02,320
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