On Friday, August 16, 2013, the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities held an opening reception for “Go-Go Swing: Washington, D.C.’s Unstoppable Beat,” an art exhibit at the I (eye) Street Gallery in Southeast.
That night, news cameras and ambulances cluttered the streets outside of the gallery because portions of the ceiling fell onto event attendees, injuring at least ten people, including a few well-knowns of go-go. Injured parties at one hospital described feeling like they were “hit by a ton of bricks,” “hit by a two-by-four,” or “had big rocks poured over” their heads. As DC Brand 99 reported, people suffered injuries to the head, face, eyes, neck and/or shoulders.
What was the aftermath of this occurrence? Ask around. Are the people still affected by their injuries? Were the injured parties ever compensated? Who is responsible for their compensation? Is the buck still being passed, and where does it stop?
Videographer and photographer ReggPhoto made one video to sum up the event itself: https://vimeo.com/83347865
His camera was rolling when the ceiling fell, and he suffered injuries to his head. That footage is now available: https://vimeo.com/134748390
ReggPhoto shooting at the “Go-Go Swing” exhibit on 8/16/13