Weekend two of Coachella wraps up tonight, and with it, the epic Coachella season. Stagecoach will return next weekend as the next Goldenvoice festival in the area, along with Staff Pro event security. However, reports of contracted security experiencing race inequality, abhorrent living conditions, and little to no accommodations from staff have begun to spread after a couple of workers became fed up.
Antonio Cannady, who worked as festival security under Staff Pro, subcontracted to BMW Nationwide Security, wrote a long account of the working conditions that he eventually sent to The Daily Beast. In it, he describes how workers, many of them destitute upon arrival, were forced to sleep on hard, wet grass as they either couldn’t afford a tent or it blew away in the wind.
As for the accounts of racism, Cannady included photos of the lot he was staying in compared to “their lot,” a comparatively pristine assortment of bespoke tents for the majority-white security staff. Cannady is African-American.
“On my campground there are like three or four companies, all minority-owned by black folks,” he explained. “Now if you go across the field like I showed in the pictures, those are majority-white folks on different campgrounds.”
Cannady also spoke about the catering for security, who were often asked to work 12-16 hour shifts during the event. “Outside the initial meal upon of our arrival, you were pretty much ‘shit out of luck’ if you didn’t bring food with you, which some people didn’t.”
Head here for the full exclusive on Daily Beast, and Cannady’s own account here.