In the aftermath of Friday’s centennial burning of Zozobra, some ·è¿ÍÖ±²¥ Feans have taken to social media and online forums to voice concerns about what they say was an overcrowded celebration.
To hear them tell it, organizers must better address crowd control and capacity at Fort Marcy park for future torchings of the 50-foot bogeyman, which has lured about 65,000 people in recent years.
“This was perhaps the most unsafe I have ever felt in a large crowd,†one person wrote in a Reddit thread in the days that followed the 100th burning.
“It is extremely lucky that there were no injuries. I’ve seen no reporting about this issue and I think it’s important that the organizers take note of these giant problems,†another person wrote in a post on the Facebook page for the ·è¿ÍÖ±²¥ Fe Bulletin Board. “It was truly dangerous.â€
The posts on Reddit and Facebook generated a multitude of responses — many describing similar circumstances.
The burning of Will Shuster’s Zozobra began as a modest tradition in 1924 but has swelled since then, attracting thousands of locals and visitors. The Kiwanis Club of ·è¿ÍÖ±²¥ Fe has presented the annual show for decades, touting it in part as a fundraiser for local nonprofits that benefit kids.
But some ·è¿ÍÖ±²¥ Fe residents have complained the event no longer feels like a local tradition because of the large crowd size and rising ticket prices. And this year, many said, there seemed to be bad behavior among attendees, disorder in admission lines and even concerns about danger.
Longtime event chairman Ray Sandoval defended security measures in place for the 100th anniversary burning — which he has said was the most expensive ever to produce, in large part because of a heavier focus on safety and security but also due to rising costs.
The event cost $1.2 million this year, he said, 60% of which was spent on security efforts — from drones and security guards to light towers and metal detectors. He noted there were no arrests at the event and asserted it was safe and successful.
“The best indicator of whether or not a crowd is safe is whether or not there were incidents,†Sandoval said. “We can tell you that nobody was arrested at the event. Nobody was hurt at the event. ...
“When we go back and look at our debriefs, the first thing was: Did everyone go home safe?†he said. “That’s really important, to make sure that folks went home safe.â€
One post on a Reddit thread contradicts Sandoval’s assertion no one was hurt.
“I saw a boy get punched in the face, blood pouring out [of] his nose, because he was trying to get back to his parents and a man didn’t him want [him] walking past his chairs,†a person wrote in the post. “It took 45 minutes for people to find a single security person to address this incident.â€
Sandoval said he had no knowledge of the incident.
“Obviously, that is concerning,†he said. “We don’t have any reports of that. And the amount of security we hire for this event, there should be security guards within a stone’s throw of almost any place anybody is at.â€
In addition to private security, the event received support from several law enforcement agencies: ·è¿ÍÖ±²¥ Fe police, the ·è¿ÍÖ±²¥ Fe County Sheriff’s Office, Rio Rancho police, New Mexico State Police and officers from the state Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, Sandoval said.
Overall ticket sales for the event hit 52,378, he said, adding attendance reached about 65,000 including kids 10 and under, who get in free — numbers relatively consistent with those of past years.
With ticket prices ranging from $30 for general admission earlier this year to $45 at the gate, the event might have brought in more than $2 million — though it’s unclear how much of that will go to charity.
In some of the event’s highest-sale years, Sandoval said, the Kiwanis Club has given away as much as $100,000 to $150,000.
“We are hoping to exceed that this year,†he said, adding it is a little too early to report proceeds.
The 100th burning was planned to accommodate a large crowd, Sandoval said, and officials had several methods of monitoring its size and crowd behavior.
Attendance is tracked through ticket sales, ticket scanners and “magnetometers,†which Sandoval described as metal detectors attendees went through at checkpoints.
“We also monitor the crowd with drones, right? So that way, we can see if the crowd has gotten too big or if they have gotten caught up in one place, or if there is a danger of pushing or doing any of those kinds of things,†he said.
“We want to be able to have the correct numbers, so we used redundancy systems,†he said.
Sandoval said he respects how people were feeling about the crowd size, “and we will obviously listen to that.â€
In a letter to the editor The New Mexican published Wednesday, a writer named J. Martin expressed feeling unsafe while attending Zozobra.
“I’ve attended a number of large group events, and this was the most unsafe I’ve ever felt. The number of people packed into the Fort Marcy Recreation Complex was excessive,†Martin wrote. “It could have been very dangerous if there had been any kind of incident requiring a quick exit. I was in general admission and was shoulder to shoulder with little room to move.â€
Martin witnessed a woman experiencing a panic attack, children crying and irritable people, according to the letter, with attendees elbowing and shoving one another.
Some people described disorder and confusion at the admission lines.
One person wrote in a Facebook post about the “crowd crush†at the gates and “terrible crowd management.â€
Complaints about people smoking and the general behavior of crowd members also circulated on social media.
“That was some of the trashiest unsafe behavior I’ve ever witnessed,†one person wrote in a Reddit thread. The person has lived in ·è¿ÍÖ±²¥ Fe for over 20 years and has attended many Zozobra burnings, they wrote, adding, “Last night was beyond anything I have ever seen with the crowds. It was out of hand.â€
“I was extremely nervous that a stampede was going to happen,†another person wrote. “People were pushing forward and getting angry when we couldn’t move to let them in. Insanity. Never again for us.â€
