Creditors foreclose on Texas festival Day For Night following sexual assault allegations

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  • Two women have made accusations against Day For Night founder Omar Afra.
  • Creditors foreclose on Texas festival Day For Night following sexual assault allegations image
  • Houston, Texas festival Day For Night's creditors have cut all ties with the event's founder, Omar Afra, following multiple allegations of sexual misconduct. Day For Night posted a message to the festival's Facebook page stating that the festival's creditors "have deemed it appropriate to foreclose on the entity which owns the festival, effectively removing Omar Afra from any ownership or involvement in Day For Night from this day forward... out of respect for these alleged victims." Two women, Veronica Ramos and Phoenix Hamilton, accused Afra of assault in respective Facebook posts, according to the Houston Chronicle and CultureMap Houston. Pitchfork reports that Ramos, a photographer, says Afra forcibly kissed and groped her after she shot a concert at a venue he owned, Fitzgerald's. "I gave up on my passion for photography. My career and personal life completely changed. I moved across the world to Africa to get as far away as possible," she writes on the incident, which she alleges took place in October of 2017. Hamilton shared a similar story, saying Afra forcibly kissed her after a conversation about a potential job opportunity at Day For Night. Afra denies the allegations, referring to them as a "coordinated attempt." While he calls the accounts "lies and fabrications," he also adds, "In the recent years I have veered away from what I knew was right and caused pain to those around me including family and friends. I am most sorry to Andrea, a woman that has stood by me for 20 years now. Because of this, I have been in therapy for over a year and have been doing some real work on myself and trying to get back on the path of focusing on the real me; a man who loves his family and wants to do right by people." Day For Night gained widespread attention for hosting Aphex Twin's first US performance in eight years at its 2016 edition. The 2017 festival included artists like James Blake, Nina Kraviz, Wolfgang Voigt's GAS and Thom Yorke.

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