Security at MP is pretty bad with the Giants in town?

[zingsheim]

s44.photobucket.com/album...CN1870.jpg

 

These guys were asked to leave by the Miller Park Ushers and when the didn't the Police returned and said either you leave or we''ll arrest you. Seems very petty to me.

[PKBadger]

zingsheim, when I click the link it just takes me to photobucket's home page.

[berniebrewer4life]

Yea pic doesn't work.

[zingsheim]

New link, don't know what happened.

[pretendastronaut]

Do we know the whole story? Did you witness it or just get their version? Personally I don't think the sign is worthy of being kicked out of the game for, and I'm not sure what they could be arrested for. Trespassing I guess maybe, if they were told to leave? Regardless I'd have to guess there's more to the story than that.

[zingsheim]

That's what I thought might be the case because they were in the parking lot stating thier case against the Event Services and the Police.

[homer]

'Queen' can be considered a slur against gays. I can see why they got tossed.

[Invader3K]

Yeah, you aren't going to get away with that in 2007.

[Kurt]

gotta go with security on this one.

[jason21nl]

they could have been asked to get rid of the sign and not kicked out of the game. In the picture, barry himself is dressed like a woman. Kicking them out of the game is a bit much here.

[TCSM]

i also think getting kicked out, even threatened to be arrested was going wayyyy to far in this situation. looks like security wanted to create a scene over this or something.

[Paul77]

I agree that you can't bring a sign that has an obvious slur on it and expect to hang around very long. I would have expected the sign to be taken away, but kicked out? arrested? Hmmm, I guess it depends on how they reacted and handled the situation. Which brings me to my own story from last night.

 

I got to the park 90 min.'s early trying to catch an autograph. I entered near fridays and was going to walk around the bleachers towards right field when an usher and a MP security person stopped me (and my son) and told me I wasn't allowed near the bleachers without a SRO ticket or a bleacher ticket.

 

I understood that, no problem. I asked, "is it possible to escort us through, we're trying to get in line for autographs". This is where it turned ugly fast. The security person, a lady, says, "Sir, where is your ticket? Only SRO tickets can stand back here." I said, I know I was just trying to take a shortcut."

 

That would have been the end of it but she kept insisting to see my ticket. I said "look I'm trying to take my son for autographs, thats it."

 

By now my son has started to run back the way we came hoping to get in a different autograph line. So he's 50+ feet in the other direction, running, so I turn around to go after him. I take one step and she stops me and says, sir I need to see your ticket". I said "no you don't. I'm not trying to sit or stand somewhere I'm not supposed to. I asked you a question. Now you are wasting my "gosh darn" time, why?. My son is running through the stadium by himself, and you want to stand here and harass me. Screw that" And I started to walk away. She says, "Sir I'm going to have you arrested." and she gets on her walkie talkie and starts giving my description.

 

I just turned and walked away. As I passed by Fridays, I saw two officers walking towards where I had just come from. I was like "Was she really going to have me arrested for that?". I guess I was lucky that I was just one of about 30,000 young males wearing a brewers jersey last night.

 

Anyhow, I found my son in line for an autograph and we enjoyed the rest of the night.

 

I could not believe that. I wasn't drunk - I didn't even have a single beer. I wasn't screaming. There were only like 3 other people standing near us, so it's not like I was creating a huge scene. I was just floored. I understand the Brewers don't have much experience handling large crowds on a daily basis, but things are getting really bad this year. Ushers on huge power trips, and it seems like common sense is being lost. I had noticed it happening as the season progressed but until last night it never affected me.

[berniebrewer4life]

That sign should have never made it into the stadium in the first place. Ticket takers are supposed to check every sign before it makes it into the stadium. Somebody didn't do their job.

[jlau20]

20fry that's just ridiculous especially when you agreed not to go through that way. Honestly, when it got to the point where she still was asking for your ticket even though your kid took off the other way and you had to go catch up to him that's almost to the point where it would be worthwhile to call in to complain about that usher if you got her name.

 

Odds are it wouldn't result in anything, but if it did, she would have it coming.

[dadofandrew]

You lose your right to free speech when you enter Miller Park with a derogatory sign of any kind, never mind one that includes a slur against gays.

[jason21nl]

20fry, I have noticed that too this year. Where were your tickets for that game? I'm going to go out on a limb and say that you spent more money on your tickets than SRO tickets cost. Which is funny, why can't you stand in SRO when you paid for a ticket? I don't get that.

[hawing]

It would be interesting to be a fly on the wall at MP this week as the staff prepared for the SF circus series. Barry's home run pursuit, like it or not, is both high-profile and controversial - surely more than anything else that has happened in Miller Park.

 

Hank Aaron got death threats as he approached 715. I imagine the same has happened to Barry. In that context, MP employees have probably received very specific instructions on what to enforce this weekend (beyond the usual). We don't know what instructions they got on *how* to enforce.

 

It sounds like 20fry had to deal with an overly rigid employee, or else someone who was instructed to be overly rigid. I'd say your request to be escorted through was not unreasonable, and for them to threaten arrest when you didn't actually bolt through or anything sounds like an overreaction. Signage in that area, or some kind of advance word, saying that only bleacher/SRO ticketholders are allowed to even walk through might be useful. If it's that big a concern 90 minutes prior to the game, on an autograph night that you know is going to draw fans to the field level early, put up a barricade and station enough people to allow for ticket checking.

 

That poster should not have been allowed in the park to begin with. It crosses the heckling line.

[WarhawkJoe]

I had a similar experience last night in the right field corner, 2nd level. I didn't know that you needed SRO or a bleacher ticket to get in that area, and after the 8th inning we were trying to meet up with a friend at the concessions behind the bleachers. I walked in that area fine but my friend got stopped by the usher who asked for his ticket. While asking the usher if we could simply walk behind the bleachers to find our friend, a cop approached him from behind to tell him to leave. I asked the cop why we couldn't walk behind the bleachers, and his immediate reaction was to threaten to throw us out of the stadium. He repeated this threat 3-4 more times, and added another threat to have me banned from the stadium in the future after I asked again why we couldn't simply walk behind the bleachers.

 

Finally, after Bonds was taken out of the game, we returned to the corner and one usher I recognized calmly explained the situation and how we could get such access in the future. I told him (with the cop standing next to me) that I was extremely disappointed in the cop's attitude towards a paid ticket holder (season ticket holder no less), and I was also disappointed in the Brewers decision to allow access to SRO when many other fans paid more for their tickets than those and the stadium is usually open to walk around.

 

I plan on calling my ticket agent and possibly customer service about this event after the Giants series is over. I understand the safety concerns of fans trampling someone trying to catch a homerun ball, but that cop last night and the other stories posted here make me nervous about how things would be come playoff time. Hopefully other fans voice their concerns as well.

 

Go Brewers!

[homer]

I bet it has more to do with people loitering behind the right field bleachers waiting for a Bonds homer than just big crowds. My guess is that it probably won't be as big a deal after this series.

[MoneyballMan]

That's what's wrong with the world today - no sense of humor. That sign is great.

 

Now I'll probably be banned from BF for expressing my opinion.

[jlau20]

I wonder if he was from any other city if that sign would have been ok.

 

The fact that he's dressed like he is in that picture, to me atleast, would make it ok.

[MoneyballMan]

Nobody would give a damn if someone in another stadium dressed Fielder up like a fat, beer-swilling German American guy from Milwaukee.

 

Why shouldn't I be offended by that, though? Because I have a sense of humor and everyone is too uptight!!

[rluzinski]

Quote:

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While asking the usher if we could simply walk behind the bleachers to find our friend, a cop approached him from behind to tell him to leave. I asked the cop why we couldn't walk behind the bleachers

---

 

When they stopped me, I didn't question why because:

 

A. I thought it was pretty obvious why.

 

B. It made a lot of sense.

 

Earlier in the game, I was surprised to see it wasn't a madhouse in Right Center. It was good thinking on the Brewers' part to restrict access.

[temke]

Quote:

---

I bet it has more to do with people loitering behind the right field bleachers waiting for a Bonds homer than just big crowds. My guess is that it probably won't be as big a deal after this series.

---

 

all they are doing is avoiding a circus of people trying to catch HR balls. everything will be back to normal in two days i would think.

 

if they dont want you to go somewhere, i guess it is their right. once they let one person do it, the floodgates open. maybe people were meeting friends, taking shortcuts, etc., but once it happens once it will happen hundreds of times.

 

i think this falls into the fact that people (fans, ushers, everyone) arent used to having such a full stadium coupled with the bonds circus. many places will not let you into certain areas without a ticket. usually not the bleachers, but it is understandable.

 

im sure the ushers were instructed to be strict, and i am sure the ushers like their jobs...so they did.

 

as for the sign, i could see them taking it away. someone (dont know who) wasnt telling the whole story if it led to police threatening arrest.

[MoneyballMan]

When they stopped me, I didn't question why because:

 

A. I thought it was pretty obvious why.

 

B. It made a lot of sense.

 

Earlier in the game, I was surprised to see it wasn't a madhouse in Right Center. It was good thinking on the Brewers' part to restrict access.

 

May have been a good idea, but from the reports, they didn't do a very good job informing everyone. PA announcements? Signs? Ushers/cops who could very quickly explain the reason? Ushers in particular - you just love those cop wannabes.