Craigslist is fighting scalpers after tickets for Nipsey Hussle's memorial service at the Staples Center sold out. According to TMZ, the online classifieds site began to pull ads selling tickets to the late rapper's service after prices for second-hand tickets skyrocketed to $500 a piece.
While organizers did their best to ensure that only interested parties got a hold of the free tickets —they limited the tickets to California residents and only allowed 4 tickets per group— the tickets quickly sold out and scalping on platforms like Craigslist was reportedly rampant. The tickets were handled by AXS which told TMZ that the event sold out within minutes of tickets becoming available Tuesday. Beyond the general ickiness of scalping tickets to a memorial service that is relatively open to the public, AXS pointed out that the tickets would not actually be transferable from scalper to buyer. They said that the tickets were distributed exclusively via an app.
Because the tickets could not actually be sold, Craigslist started to flag and remove posts attempting to move the free tickets at high prices.
For those who do attend the event, they are sure to find a joyous celebration of the man that Nipsey Hussle was. Hussle's fans will be allowed to watch a ceremony celebrating his life before his casket is paraded through Los Angeles in a funeral procession. If you need any indication of what the energy of the gathering will be, look no further than the words of Nipsey's own mother, who shared an uplifting message.
"I have perfect peace, and I have strength, and I want to lift you up," she said in a video shared to Facebook. "Please do not stay down, do not stay stuck, do not mourn. Because Nipsey is great [...] and now he's even greater because he has no bounds and limits. His energy is everywhere. He's there with you now and he's here with me now. And please be encouraged."
The memorial service will take place on Thursday, April 11.
