So the big question is: What's ComFest going to be like this year? After the "incident" that occurred last year, which resulted in the death of a young man from self-inflicted stab wounds (who was reportedly under the influence of LSD and marijuana at the time), there have been all kinds of rumors that Columbus law enforcement will be cracking down this year, there are fifty less bands playing, and perhaps the event will simply be cancelled before it can take place.

Several reports have confirmed that events and stages are going to be shut down earlier each night this year with longer set changes between the bands (which will result in a major decrease in the amount of live groups) but it seems pretty unlikely that the event will be cancelled. There are just too many people that look forward to ComFest every year and too much work that goes into its preparation and execution. So that leaves the question of the police presence and even more important, their tolerance or lack thereof.

There will be more officers around at ComFest this year, but many of those are at the request of ComFest organizers because the event continues to grow and thus, a need for more officers is the subsequent and expected result. In the past, there have been lots of turned heads and blind eyes in regard to some of the mild drug and alcohol violations that occur pretty much openly all over the park every year. The level of legal leniency (that's a tongue-twister) seems to be the number one topic of both concern and contention.

It's impossible to know what's going to happen but it's likely the City of Columbus understands that for the size, length, and location of an event like ComFest, it goes very smooth every year with virtually no trace of its existence a day or two after it has ended. A noticeable change in the leniency might only aggravate what is normally a very peaceful, happy-go-lucky crowd and situation. Or perhaps the attendance will be so dramatically decreased at ComFest this year because of all the rumors and reports, that it won't matter anyway.

Both arguments over the subject of leniency have some validity. Yes, there are laws being broken and it's not like law enforcement is doing anything other than their jobs by enforcing those laws. But on the other hand, these violations have been minor enough in previous years that they deemed it acceptable to not overtly punish the offenders. And when it boils down to it, the "offenses" are the same as they were last year, carry the same criminal ramifications, and aren't any more or less illegal. If law enforcement wants to step it up this year at ComFest, it needs to be done in the name of the law and nothing else. Doing it to somehow justify or negate an unfortunate loss due to a stupid act by one individual to and from himself is not a good enough reason to upset and disturb something that has become such a regularly peaceful and successful event year in and year out.

People don't show up at ComFest just to do drugs and drink beer. Those who are doing drugs and drinking beer at ComFest would likely be doing the same drugs and drinking a similar alcoholic beverage at home or elsewhere if ComFest weren't going on. What happened last year is not the fault of ComFest. It's not the fault of the Columbus Police. It's not anyone's fault. It's life and as we all know, shit happens. You cannot change the past by trying to avoid the future. Learn a lesson if you can and move on with life. And if there's one lesson I've learned, it's that ComFest does not need changing.

Let ComFest be.