41°53′21″N87°38′22″W / 41.889076°N 87.639371°W /41.889076; -87.639371
On August 8, 2004, atour bus belonging to the American rock groupDave Matthews Band dumped an estimated 800 pounds (360 kg) ofhuman waste from the bus'sblackwater tank through theKinzie Street Bridge inChicago onto an open-toppassenger sightseeing boat sailing in theChicago River below. The incident became popularly known as theDave Matthews Band incident[1] orPoopgate.[2]
The members of Dave Matthews Band were not on or near the bus during the incident.[3][4] The band's bus driver, Stefan Wohl, initially denied dumping the waste, and was supported by the band. However, he was later determined to be the only person on the bus during the incident; in April 2005, he pleaded guilty to the dumping, and the band fired him without pay.[5]
As part of the band's 2005 legal settlement with the state ofIllinois, in exchange for the band not admitting guilt to the incident in court, its members agreed to pay a $200,000 fine to fund environmental protection efforts and other related causes. They also donated $100,000 to two groups that protect the river and the surrounding area.[4][3]
Dave Matthews Band had booked rooms at thePeninsula Hotel on 108 E. Superior Street for a two-night show atAlpine Valley Music Theatre inEast Troy, Wisconsin.[6] The incident occurred between the first and second night of the concert. The band booked five buses for its show; Stefan Wohl drove the bus of the band's violinistBoyd Tinsley.
During warm months, theChicago Architecture Center offers a boat tour of buildings along the Chicago River.[7] The boats have open-roof seating, where passengers sit during the tour.
Most of Chicago's bridges featurewelded grating, which is used for its strength and anti-slip properties.[8] Welded grating allows rain, snow and other liquids to pass through, removing the need for complicated drainage systems or tosalt the bridge deck during snow, and assuring it does not ice over in wintry weather.
On August 8, 2004,[9] Wohl was alone in Tinsley's bus and driving to a downtown hotel when he emptied the bus's blackwater tank as it crossed the metal grates of theKinzie Street Bridge.[10]
Passenger boatChicago's Little Lady was hosting the 1:00 PM Chicago Architecture Foundation tour of theChicago River. While passing under the bridge, the boat received the full contents of the tank on the seats of its open-roof terrace. Roughly two-thirds of the 120 passengers aboard the tour boat were soaked.[11] The boat immediately returned to its dock, where all passengers were issued refunds. Five passengers were taken toNorthwestern Memorial Hospital for testing. According to theIllinois Attorney General, passengers aboard included people with disabilities, the elderly, a pregnant woman, a small child, and an infant. The filing describes the incident:
The liquid waste was brownish yellow in color, and had a foul, offensive odor. The liquid human waste went into passengers' eyes, mouths, hair, and onto clothing and personal belongings, many of which were soaked. Some of the passengers suffered nausea and vomiting as a result of exposure to the human waste.[9]
The boat's deck was swabbed by its crew, and service was resumed for its scheduled 3:00 PM tour.[12]
Immediately following the incident, theChicago Police Department said it was investigating but did not yet consider the incident a crime. On August 9, theChicago Architecture Foundation stated that a witness had recorded license-plate information, which they submitted to the police as evidence.[12] On August 10, bus driver Jerry Fitzpatrick, who drove for the band, was identified as the owner of the bus's license plate. In a phone interview, Fitzpatrick denied to aChicago Tribune reporter that he dumped the waste, asserting that he was parked in front of the band's hotel at the time. A publicist for the Dave Matthews Band issued a statement saying the band's management had determined that all of its buses were parked at the time of the incident.[6]
Fitzpatrick, who was inEffingham, Illinois, at the time, instructed Sgt. Paul Gardner of the Effingham Police Department to inspect the bus's septic tank to prove that he could not have emptied it. Gardner reported to theChicago Tribune over Fitzpatrick's cell phone that he inspected the tank and it was nearly full.[6]
State prosecutors worked with nearby fitness gym the East Bank Club to identify the offending bus from the gym's security videotapes. On August 24, Illinois Attorney GeneralLisa Madigan filed a $70,000 lawsuit against Stefan Wohl, alleging that he was responsible for the dumping. Wohl denied dumping the waste, and was supported by the band.[13][11] On August 25,Mayor Richard M. Daley held a press conference in which he released the videotape used as evidence.[11] Daley, himself a fan of the band, expressed his belief that the dumping was "absolutely unacceptable".[11]
In March 2005, Wohl pleaded guilty to reckless conduct and discharging contaminants to causewater pollution.[5] He was sentenced to 150 hours of community service, fined $10,000 to be paid toFriends of the Chicago River, an environmental organization, and received 18 months probation. The Dave Matthews Band donated $50,000 to theChicago Park District, $50,000 to Friends of the Chicago River and paid the State of Illinois a settlement of $200,000.[5] The Dave Matthews Band agreed to keep a log of when its buses empty their septic tanks.[3]
No passenger suffered long-lasting physical health effects from having the waste dumped on them.[14] In a 2009 interview withWTMX,Dave Matthews said that he'd "apologize for [the incident] as long as [he has] to".[15] Satirical websiteThe Onion published an article about the incident in 2018 containing an edited image supposedly depicting it.[16] On August 8, 2023, theRiot Fest Historical Society attached a plaque to the Kinzie Street Bridge commemorating the 19th anniversary of the incident.[17]
On August 7, 2024, in anticipation of the incident's 20th anniversary, many previously unknown passengers and crew from the incident spoke publicly about their experience, including the captain ofChicago's Little Lady, Sonja Lund.[18] Most passengers reported that, though originally disgusted and upset by their experience, they began to find it humorous over time.On August 8, 2024, a documentary film entitledThe Crappening was announced with the goal of finding and recording first-hand witness accounts of the event.[19]
