Last year, many of the headlines that dominated the news post Coachella had to do with all of the sexual assault and harassment allegations from their concertgoers. Being that the festival brings thousands of people annually to their grounds in Indio, it can be difficult to staff enough security to supervise what goes on in the crowd. However, that's not an excuse for people to be acting like animals. Coachella is taking as many preventative measures as they possibly can to stop things in their tracks. They don't want a repeat of last year and they obviously want Coachella to be viewed as a safe space for music lovers around the world. The festival has decided to launch an initiative called Every One to combat sexual assault and harassment at the upcoming show.
As Complex reports, a new section has been added to the Coachella website reading, "We are pushing ourselves and our guests to do better and to be better. We are taking deliberate steps to develop a festival culture that is safe and inclusive for everyone. Persons of any gender identity or expression, sex, sexual orientation, race, religion, age or ability are welcome at Coachella."
Trained individuals will be on the festival grounds in case anything does happen and they will be able to diffuse the situation if need be. The statement continues, "Coachella will NOT tolerate any form of assault or harassment, be it sexual, physical or verbal. Anyone found to be in violation of this policy is subject to immediate removal from the festival site and law enforcement may be notified. Every One tents will be staffed with trained counselors for anyone that needs extra support or a quiet moment away."
The lineup for the 2019 edition of the concert was announced earlier this week, which you can view above.