What is the Moechella event? Go-Go music meaning explained as shooting occurs during Juneteenth celebratory festival 

During Sunday's Moechella event in Washington, DC, a 15-year-old kid was killed along with three other people, including a police officer who was injured. According to Metropolitan Chief Robert J. Contee III, the injured officer and two other individuals are recuperating at a local hospital.

Several hundred people gathered for the Juneteenth advocacy and music festival known as Moechella, where a fight broke out, resulting in numerous injuries, according to reports.

Contee stated in his statement that the event was "unpermitted" and that police officers had to shut it down when a fight broke out during the festival. Several people were trampled and hurt, according to him. Shots were fired into the crowd as the attendees dispersed.

Law enforcement announced that they have recovered several firearms in the festival area. Contee also mentioned that more than 100 officers were assigned to 14th and U streets Northwest where the Moechella event took place.

Information regarding the suspect behind the shootings has not been made available. Speaking about the incident, Contee said:

“We certainly want to make sure people are held accountable when they hold unpermitted events in our city. This is one of the reasons why we don't want unpermitted events taking place in our city. Unfortunately, things like this can happen when you have the wrong mix of people or people who introduce firearms into a situation.”

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What is Moechella?

The Moechella fests often take place during the Juneteenth holiday. The latter celebrates the emancipation of slaves in the US after the Civil War. The name Moechella is a combination of the popular music festival Coachella and Washington DC's slang word for "friend" which is "moe." According to the Washington City Paper, a resident of a high-rise building tried for decades to hush the go-go music that had been playing near a Black-owned shop. Many musical rallies were held at the Metro PCS store in Washington DC when Black residents were made aware of this. This led to Black Washington DC-natives demanding respect for music created by them.

Following the incident, localities in Washington have been committed to preserving go-go music. This was also the driving cause behind Moechella's creation. Justin Johnson, popularly known as Yaddiya, also hosts a different iteration of the festival. He is a notable artist, activist and a prominent figure in the go-go community. Last year, he helped in publishing the Long Live GoGo: The Movement photo book as a celebration of the rhythmic sound.

The book clarifies that the festival is more than just playing go-go music in public spaces. In reality, it is an amalgamation of political activism and go-go culture. Speaking about the need to make the Washington-native music more popular, Yaddiya said in the book:

“I realized how the Go-Go culture was starting to become less prevalent and pushed out of the city due to gentrification, lack of resources/opportunity, and the lingering stigma of violence that haunted it for years.”

In the book, he adds:

“This book depicts the pride of D.C. culture and what I call the new generation of Black activism, so it’s historical, for sure.”

According to Britannica, go-go music originated in the city in the late 1970s. It was known for its heavy bass and percussion. The genre of music was pioneered by Chuck Brown and the Soul Searchers.

Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser called for accountability in a press conference following Sunday's shooting. He said:

“We have a child who was killed today at an event that did not have any proper planning.”

According to NBC, Justin “Yaddiya” Johnson has not put out a statement following the shocking incident.