Organizers of ‘Storm Area 51’ Event in Legal Battle Over Potential “Humanitarian Disaster”

(TMU) — In late June, a college student named Matty Roberts created a Facebook event called “Storm Area 51: They Can’t Stop Us All,” after watching a Netflix documentary about the secret military base.

For some unknown reason, the event went viral and quickly gathered millions of followers, who spent half of the summer making jokes and sharing memes about invading Area 51. Roberts never actually had any intentions of risking his life or freedom to enter the top-secret facility and was forced to clarify that the whole thing was just a joke after multiple warnings from various government agencies.

Still, having the captive audience of millions of people on an event page is an opportunity that would be foolish to pass up, so Roberts decided to plan a festival, called Alienstock, in a nearby town instead. The event was scheduled to take place on September 20th—just a few days from now.

Roberts partnered with a number of other people and organizations to help make the event a success, including a nearby hotel, the Little A’Le’Inn.

Unfortunately, it seems that some of the organizers have had differing opinions on the details of the event and have now split and gone their separate ways.

Initially, the festival was scheduled to take place in Rachel, the town closest to Area 51, but there were some clear indications that the local community was less than happy about the idea. Most notably, a warning posted on Rachel’s town website said that the scene “could get ugly” if incoming curiosity seekers were to trespass on the property of local residents.

After these issues began to arise, the team had a difference of perspective about how to go about handling it. Roberts wanted to move the event to a safer location in Las Vegas, which has proper facilities for the 8,000 people expected to attend, while the owners of the Little A’Le’Inn wanted to keep the event at their location, insisting that they would be able to handle a large crowd.

A statement on the Alienstock website reads:

“Due to the lack of infrastructure, planning, and risk management, along with concerns raised for the safety of the expected 10,000+ attendees, we decided to transition Alienstock away from the Rachel festival towards a safer alternative. We are officially disconnecting from the Little A’LE’INN, Rachel NV, and AlienStock’s affiliation with them.

We will no longer offer our logo, social media, website or Matty Roberts likeness or scheduled appearance. In short, the relationship has ended permanently. AlienStock will be moving to a safe, clean secure area in Downtown Las Vegas as an alternative. We are not interested in, nor will we tolerate any involvement in a FYREFEST 2.0. We foresee a possible humanitarian disaster in the works, and we can’t participate in any capacity at this point.”

Soon after, the notice on the homepage of Rachel’s website clarified that Alienstock had been moved to Las Vegas because it was not properly organized. The notice suggested that curiosity seekers should avoid Rachel entirely, however, other organizers are insisting that an event will still take place at the original location in Rachel. They also claim that local residents are happy to have the visitors.

In a statement sent to the Mind Unleashed, the team representing the Little A’Le’Inn said, “Amidst false accusations and rumors, the residents of Rachel Nevada are excited to announce that Alienstock is, in fact, still happening at the Little A’Le’Inn on September 19 – 22nd. With thousands slated to attend and artists traveling in from all over the country, this is sure to be a once-in-this-universe experience.”

“Alienstock has been thoroughly planned, approved, and locally supported. All permits, permissions, and down-payments have been made and correctly filed,” the statement continued.

Earlier this week, two men were arrested near Area 51 while attempting to capture footage of the facility. The men were reportedly two Dutch YouTubers, who flew all the way from the Netherlands for the “Storm Area 51” gathering.

By John Vibes | Creative Commons | TheMindUnleashed.com