The family of youngest Astroworld victim Ezra Blount is speaking out against Travis Scott’s Project HEAL initiative. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Tericia and Bernon Blount, whose nine-year-old grandson passed away after being trampled at the show, shared their beliefs that the rapper is attempting to sway the public’s opinion after the tragic music event.
“It’s a PR stunt. He’s pretty much trying to sway the jurors before they’re even assembled,” said Tericia. “He’s trying to make himself look good, but it doesn’t look that way to someone with our eyes. What we’re seeing is that he’s done wrong, and now he’s trying to be the good guy and trying to give his own verdict on safety.”
Scott announced Project HEAL on Wednesday (March 10) and has already backed the effort with $5 million. The project is aimed at organizing initiatives that will address the community’s needs. While the effort was praised by many, Blount’s family is less than happy. “Every time he does something like this, it’s an ongoing reminder [of Ezra’s death]” Bernon told the publication.
Blount’s father, Treston Blount, went further and took legal action against the Houston native. In a suit against Scott, Treston’s lawyer described the launch as a way to “gain goodwill and prejudice Blount.”
“Blount and the other plaintiffs herein do not have the high profile ability to sway public opinion as defendant Scott — an international music star — and his sophisticated media team do,” Blount’s lawyer, Robertt Hilliard, wrote in an emergency motion, suggesting that he was in violation of the gag order that was recently ordered.
“It is also disappointing that Mr. Hilliard would attack Project HEAL, a series of philanthropic gestures designed to give students and young people a leg up,” Scott’s representative Stephanie Rawlings Blake said in response to the suit. “Project HEAL is a continuation of Travis Scott’s longstanding work, including academic scholarships and creative design programs for underprivileged students.”