What was with the Gestapo in the parking lot?

[tristarscoop]

It seems like most of the stories about the police hustling people came from the former-Giants/now-Molitor lot. I wonder if that has to do with it being in a neighborhood.

 

Additionally, we were in that lot after Saturday's game for about an hour and when we left, we got out with absolutely no issue. The lines were gone by that point.

 

While we were there someone injured themselves - we don't know how - and had to be removed via ambulance. I would assume those sorts of incidents will continue to increase the police presence.

 

I'd have to assume that much of the concern is about folks drinking post-game and then getting in the car and driving. They cut off drinks inside the stadium at the 7th innings to help with the sobering process.

 

I just think its extreme hyperbole to call $20 parking "price gouging." I'm pretty sure Marquee parking was $15 this season. $5 more dollars for the playoffs is not gouging.

 

The $75 they were charging downtown during the NCAA tournament was price gouging.

 

They didn't MAKE me pay ahead of time. I had the choice whether or not to buy parking in advance. In order to ensure that I had a space and to lock in the lower price, I chose to do it. It's useful for the Brewers to know how many cars are coming in advance and for the inconvenience of asking me to say whether or not I'll be one of those cars, I got a discount. Its a transaction.

[rluzinski]

Could someone please rename this thread, Things RockCoCougars doesn't like about going to Brewer Games"?

 

Don't get me started, I'd be typing all night. There are many reasons that I let my season tickets lapse about 10 years ago. As pertaining to the topic, I just think that it's somewhat hypocritical that they promote these games as a huge 'event' and price parking accordingly, but then they hustle everyone out of the parking lot when there is gridlock on the service roads, entrance ramps and freeway.

I can't speak for other areas but it was all cleared out when they gave us our first warning an hour after the game ended. I don't think they tried to make anyone leave until 1.5 hours after at the earliest. There was no traffic so you can stop saying that.

[owbc]

I think some of it comes from the Giants Stadium case from about 5 years ago. The beer vendor was found liable for $135 million after a drunk patron paralyzed a 2-year old on the way home.

 

Obviously that case was completely different and the vendor was clearly negligent, but needless to say, if someone sues the Milwaukee Brewers/stadium district for $135 million and wins, there will not be any more playoff games in Milwaukee for a long, long time.

 

It is unfortunate for those that follow the rules, but ultimately the owners of the parking lot need to close the lot at a designated time and clear everyone out. However, I am sure the strict enforcement will only be for the playoffs. There is a lot of media attention on Milwaukee and they are probably especially paranoid of an incident happening. The Brewers understand that the tailgating crowd is a big part of their business, especially when the team isn't winning, and I highly doubt they will do anything to severely upset that balance.

[RockCoCougars]

There was no traffic so you can stop saying that.

 

I was basing it off the original poster who described getting a bum rush by cops/rent-a-cops and Brewer employees on carts with traffic still backed up.

 

I think some of it comes from the Giants Stadium case from about 5 years ago. The beer vendor was found liable for $135 million after a drunk patron paralyzed a 2-year old on the way home.

 

I definitely think that this is mostly due to 'exposure' to a possible lawsuit. For all we know, some ambulance chaser made a killing on an incident out there that was never publicized.

[alwaysrocking]

The 2 days this weekend were awesome. I am so glad I went. Sure the roof should have been open, oh well if your gonna let all these little things bother you then stay home. WE had 44,000 plus each game that were rocking miller park. Playoffs are a rare things for the brewers I will enjoy every minute of it at Miller Park watching the brewers Win.

[brucrustu]

Since no one has weighed in from preferred parking, here is my tale.

 

We were parked in the preferred lot next to the sausage haus, right by the stairs that go up to the bridge. The line was long to get out and our group of 8 decided to hang out and wait for the line to go down. The lot was roughly 5% occupied but the line was still very long when a bike guy rolled up and politely asked us to get going. We asked him if the bathrooms in the haus were still open and he said yes. we told him we would use them and head out. He said thanks.

 

As we were standing near the haus waiting for everybody to wrap up their duties, several of us noticed a suv police vehicle parked next to a tailgate with his lights on. It doesn't matter but it was an escalade, one of those "we seized this from a drug dealer rigs" . The officer was outside the vehicle and in a heated argument with the tailgaters. One of the tailgaters with a clear head seperated his buddies and the officer and he got back in the escalade. The officer then rolled around the lot chirping his siren and barking on his P.A. that everyone had to leave.

 

At this point we were all walking back to our cars. Dude pulls INTO our path, facing us with the escalade, stops, hits his siren and barks over his loud speaker "you need to leave the lot NOW!" then he pulled out of our way. Just as we got to our cars we saw him literally drive into the middle of a baggo game, complete with a bag bouncing off his hood. We were climbing in our cars at that point so I didn't see the outcome of that situation. Once in our cars we joined the line, and yes there was still a line under the bridge to get out. We also chose to go South on Miller Parkway away from the stadium because you could see there was traffic problems going north to the freeway on miller parkway.

 

Moral of the story; bike guy was helpful and polite. Escalade officer was having a bad day and choosing to take a different approach.

[bullox]

I think he means that from an attendance perspective, there aren't really that many more people there this past Saturday than every other sell-out they had this year.

Sure, but the exposure league-wide is much higher now than in the regular season. And the stakes are much higher now than in the regular season. No one ever rioted and looted after regular season games. It's happened after playoff games. Not saying that it would happen in the Brewers parking lots, but I understand tightening up the ship as things get deeper.

[Bankjob]

A couple observations I had from Sunday's game. I parked in general, cannot remember the lot name, but it was right by the bridge. The police/security were cracking down on t shirt sellers. At one point (10) officers were next to my tailgate to boot a couple of guys out for selling t shirts. Although the number of officers may have been a little bit of overkill they were more than polite to the offenders explaining why what they are doing is wrong and kicking them out of the parking lot.

As for the pricing I paid $25 to tailgate from 12pm - 330pm and about 45 minutes after the game. I didn't see anyone being asked to leave and I say I got more than my money's worth. In comparison I paid $46 to park in a ramp by Solider field for the UW vs Northern Illinois football game a few weeks ago. I am fine with charging what the market will bear. And for kicking people out they could do it 5 minutes after the game if they wanted too, it is there lot! Business's change there hours and policies based on situation all the time.

Finally I saw a few people who were more drunk than I was during the pregame tailgate get into fights and get thrown out by the police/security. There were plenty of people giving the police/security a hard time about doing there job and booting the out of control drunks. This stuff really gets to me and comes off as incredibly juvenile. The lack of respect people give these officers/security personnel get for doing all of us a favor and getting rid of the undesirables is horrible. These people who are screaming are the same ones who like to complain whenever they are so called "disrespected by authority figures." I think if you are over the age of 23 and are having run ins with Security it is kind of pathetic and you are just not going to "get it" ever.

[tristarscoop]

One of the other things I keep forgetting to mention is that supposedly they were going to lose a lot of parking to TV trucks and press. I didn't remember to look to see if this was the case, but increased prices in tickets might have covered some of the lost revenue from all these spaces being taken by non-paying vehicles.

[tristarscoop]

I think if you are over the age of 23 and are having run ins with Security it is kind of pathetic and you are just not going to "get it" ever.

This is probably opening a whole new can of worms, but I absolutely don't understand the need or desire to get wasted before going into the game. In this same thread we've had people talking about the cost of the game. Why would you front that kind of money and then put yourself in a situation where you won't remember what happened or be able to fully experience it?

[RockCoCougars]

I think if you are over the age of 23 and are having run ins with Security it is kind of pathetic and you are just not going to "get it" ever.

This is probably opening a whole new can of worms, but I absolutely don't understand the need or desire to get wasted before going into the game. In this same thread we've had people talking about the cost of the game. Why would you front that kind of money and then put yourself in a situation where you won't remember what happened or be able to fully experience it?

Agreed there. While there has always been somewhat of a 'frat party' atmosphere at Brewers games, I've noticed over the past 5-10 years that it's gotten much worse since Brewer fandom is 'in' again. I've never understood this at rock concerts either. I do make the exception for Opening Day, but I'm not sloppy puking in the concourse or passing out in my seat.

 

As for the parking, I don't understand why they couldn't run a shuttle from State Fair Park. Let people park for five bucks or something and charge a few bucks for a round trip on the MTS. That pumpkin isn't that big, is it? This kinds of lends to my price gouging theory. If you want to go to the game, you don't have many options outside of prepaying or the alternative of riding a bar shuttle/walking, which may not be the best options for the young/old. I really don't believe that there would be that much space needed for media/broadcast trucks. This isn't the Super Bowl or anything. I will grant that there are likely less ticketholders per car and few if any large groups (buses, etc.) going to the game, so there probably is a shortage of parking. State Fair Park, and/or another park and ride location would alleviate that.

[tristarscoop]

The city bus pulls right in front of the stadium, near Helfaer Field. That would be the suggestion I'd give to anyone who isn't happy with parking or shuttles.

[AdvantageSchneider]

Well, I'm 35 year old, a CPA and my father was a city of Milwaukee police office for 30+ years and tonight was the first night I've ever been threatened to be thrown in jail. So I don't know what the Brewer's want to do with me. I spent the better part of an hour watching traffic try to get out of the Molitor lot. I thought we were doing every one else a favor by not trying to get out of the lot right away, but I guess Michael and his cop buddy on his bike didn't see it that way. They told us to "get out [expletive deleted] cleaned up and get out of the lot" or they would throw us in jail. Nice.

 

I called the brewers after game 2, but they are closed after 5PM. I'm calling tomorrow and if they aren't open tomorrow I'm calling on Monday at lunch. I see no reason to treat customers like they are treating them. Everything inside the stadium is A+, in the parking lot F-.

 

(edit: language --1992)