Yale stuns Harvard as protest draws national attention, dozens of arrests
By Jim Fuller and Dan Haar
Updated 11:27 pm EST, Saturday, November 23, 2019
NEW HAVEN — Spurred by a generational call to action on climate change, hundreds of spectators stormed the Yale Bowl field Saturday in protest, delaying by 40 minutes a Yale-Harvard football game that was momentous even without a collision of sports and political culture.
It was two historic events playing out in parallel. Yale’s double-overtime, comeback win over Harvard — a 50-43 stunner — instantly took on legendary status in the annals of one of college football’s most prestigious rivalries. And likewise, the climate protesters’ uprising at halftime showed the rising sense of urgency, led by students worldwide, that powerful institutions such as Harvard and Yale be forced to reckon with what they call the evils of fossil fuels.
The protesters – Yale Endowment Justice Coalition and Divest Harvard, listed on the pamphlet obtained by Hearst Connecticut Media – demanded with chants and unfurled signs that both universities clear their combined, $71 billion endowments of investments in corporations tied to oil, gas and coal. They also protested the schools’ holdings in Puerto Rico debt, seen as exploitation of a poor, besieged territory of the U.S.
https://www.nhregister.com/colleges/article/Protest-at-Yale-Harvard-delays-start-of-2nd-half-14857798.php
Gilroy Garlic Festival shooting survivors sue organizers of the event
Five people injured in a shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in July are suing the event’s organizers, saying negligent security contributed to the deadly encounter.
Randall Scarlett, an attorney representing the shooting survivors, filed a lawsuit in Santa Clara County Superior Court on Tuesday morning, four months after the shooting in Northern California that left three dead and more than a dozen injured. The suit says the Gilroy Garlic Festival Assn. and the security company working the event, First Alarm Security and Inc., should have been aware of the risk of a mass shooting, increased patrols and secured the perimeter at the event.
“They had an entire back area [that] had no monitoring whatsoever,” Scarlett said at a news conference. “What’s the price you’re willing to pay to say the risk is too great? Reasonable steps would have avoided this completely.”
The survivors are seeking an unspecified amount in compensation, partly to cover growing medical costs, according to Scarlett.
Thousands were in attendance at the popular food festival at the “Garlic Capital of the World” in Santa Clara County when a gunman later identified as Santino William Legan opened fire, authorities said. Police initially reported their officers shot Legan dead within minutes, but a coroner’s report revealed the shooter killed himself.
Chief Scot Smithee said the event, founded in 1979, had security checkpoints with metal detectors. But Legan was able to circumvent the festival’s security by entering from a creek area and cutting through a fence.
Scarlett said the area along the fence was not monitored and the barrier itself was an “inadequate, flimsy, low-height, unsupported chain link fence” that was easy to breach, making the wooded area essentially “an open door the length of a football field.”
The area also was surrounded by cars, box trucks and other obstructions, which provided additional cover for the shooter, according to the lawsuit.
“The security we now see at professional sporting events, music concerts and nearly every other organized large-scale public event that occurs daily has been stepped up to reflect our current threats,” the lawsuit states.
Scarlett cited 352 mass shootings this year and 337 in 2018 as evidence that festival organizers should have recognized the threat.
In an emailed statement, the Gilroy Garlic Festival Assn. said: “The lawsuit filed today stemming from a horrific act of domestic terrorism, is not unexpected, and we will respond through the appropriate legal channels. As a non-profit organization, we must remain focused on our mission: fundraising for the entire community of Gilroy and the more than 150 charities that rely on us.”
Security company representatives did not respond to a request for comment.
The famed fest was winding down when gunfire erupted at 5:30 p.m. July 28. Wendy Towner, one of the survivors named in suit, said she saw the shooter near the perimeter bordering Uvas Creek near an inflatable slide surrounded by children.
Towner yelled to divert the gunman’s attention away from the children. At that point, the lawsuit states, Legan shot at her and Francisco Aguilera, another plaintiff.
Towner still seeks medical treatment from the gunshot wound to her leg. Aguilera’s femoral artery was perforated, and he was unconscious when he fell to the ground, the lawsuit states.
As Towner lay on the ground next to Aguilera, Legan approached. He hovered over their prone bodies, changed gun magazines and asked in a cold and unsympathetic voice whether they were OK, according to the lawsuit.
“Had Wendy Towner uttered a word, it is certain the shooter would have shot them both dead,” the suit states.
Legan went on to shoot plaintiffs Nick McFarland, Justin Bates and Brynn Ota-Matthews, among others, the suit alleges.
At the news conference, Towner said she and her family have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
“My son’s scared of being out there,” Towner said of Christmas Hill Park, where the festival is held. “He’s only 3. To be honest with you, I myself have not returned to a big event yet. I haven’t been able to bring myself to it.”
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-11-12/gilroy-garlic-festival-shooting-survivors-sue-organizers-of-the-event
String of shootings at high school football games continues with 2 teens injured in Philadelphia
String of shootings at high school football games continues with 2 teens injured in Philadelphia
Sep 21, 2019
For at least the fifth week in a row, a shooting has taken place during a high school football game.
Two teens injured in Philadelphia are the latest victims in a string of shootings that have taken place at or near high school football games across the country.
A 15-year-old and a 14-year-old were shot Friday night during a football game at Philadelphia’s Simon Gratz High School, according to Philadelphia ABC station WPVI.
The sound of the gunshots sent people running across the field as the P.A. announcer called on spectators to evacuate.
“Security, could you please clear the stadium,” the announcer said as spectators sprinted across the field. “Everybody out.”
It was not immediately clear if the shots rang out inside or outside the stadium, but police said multiple shell casings were found outside, according to reports. The shooting halted the game in the second quarter.
Police said no arrests have been made, and a weapon has not been recovered.
“People at the stadium, both the security, the police officers, and those that were present, are all trying to be helpful, but I think it was just such mayhem when the shooting rang out that nobody saw anyone with a gun,” acting Philadelphia Police Commissioner Christine Coulter told WPVI.
The incident comes a week after two people were shot when gunfire erupted during a youth football game in Fort Worth, Texas, on Sept. 14.
After some parents at the game got into a dispute, the shooter opened fire from a small hill overlooking the field, police said.
A woman was struck in the leg and a girl was grazed in the back.
Police arrested Chanita Holly, 39, for making a terroristic threat after witnesses reported hearing her say, “We’re gonna spray this [expletive]” during the argument. Police said they believed Holly placed a call to her son, who later came to the scene to carry out the shooting.
The day before the Texas shooting, three teenagers were shot Sept. 13 after a high school football game in Newport News, Virginia.
The shooting occurred at the end of a game at John B. Todd Stadium, police said.
A 14-year-old victim was found shot in the stadium’s parking lot, and two 19-year-olds were found on a street near the stadium. The victims were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
“I thought it had to do with the two rival schools,” a fan at the game told TV station WTKR.
Authorities said that an investigation was underway and that they would beef up patrols at future games at the stadium.
One week before that, a man was fatally shot Sept. 6 during a high school football game near Pittsburgh.
Dameian Williams, 48, of Jeannette, Pennsylvania, was shot during a verbal altercation outside Jeannette High School’s McKee Stadium.
The field and the stadium were evacuated with four minutes left in the game, Jeannette’s athletic director told Pittsburgh ABC affiliate WTAE.
Williams was pronounced dead after being taken to a hospital.
A suspect identified as 40-year-old Greg Harper, of Jeannette, told police that Williams struck him twice in the head, which knocked him to the ground, and he then shot Williams once in the torso. Harper was arrested on homicide and reckless endangerment charges, according to WTAE.
In the aftermath of the shooting, Jeannette City School District Superintendent Matthew Jones called for increased police presence at the school, WTAE reported.
Another shooting incident took place on the same night at a high school football game across the state.
Police said shots were fired after a football game at Morrisville High School in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
Authorities told WPVI that a shooter in a car after the game fired three shots into another car.
A girl suffered what was described as a “scratch” to her leg in the incident, according to reports. No suspects were identified and no arrests were made in the aftermath of the incident.
A week prior, on Aug. 31, police said 10 people were shot following a high school football game in Mobile, Alabama.
The victims in the shooting ranged in age from 15 to 18. They were rushed to area hospitals, officials said.
Deangelo Parnell, 17, was arrested and charged with nine counts of attempted murder, Mobile Police Department spokesman Laderrick Dubose told ABC News.
Mobile Police Chief Lawrence Battiste admonished young people for “bringing their beefs that they have with each other in their neighborhoods” into public settings and “putting people in harm’s way.”
The incident “may have been a directed threat at one or two individuals and other people just happened to fall prey to their carelessness,” Battiste said.
A week before that, on Aug. 24, police responded to reports of a gunshot during a football game at Parkway North High School near St. Louis. Missouri.
Authorities said they believed the gunshot was fired when a series of fights broke out outside the school. Witnesses said a panic started after someone yelled “he has a gun,” according to TV station KMOV.
“Somebody pulled out their gun and then everybody started running because everybody got scared and didn’t know what to do,” one student told the station.
The game, part of a multi-school jamboree, was canceled following the incident.
The school superintendent announced that counseling would be providing to students on the Monday following the shooting.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/string-shootings-high-school-football-games-continues-teens/story?id=65764590&utm_source=Main+Mailing+List&utm_campaign=a80e589662-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_01_18_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_4eada278ac-a80e589662-295136453
Bills will increase police and security presence for home opener to contain unruly fans
- Shanna McCarriston
- Sep 19, 2019
Buffalo Bills fans are known for their wild tailgates, but for this season’s home opener they may be stopped from throwing each other off tables and lighting things on fire. With the Bills off to a 2-0 start, officials in the area are worried the scene may be even crazier than normal and are taking precautions at New Era Field. For Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals, the stadium will be equipped with 300 law enforcement personnel and 300 private security personal in an attempt to contain the crazy.
The Orchard Park area, where the stadium sits, is also planning to increase patrols on the road for the game.
Bills vice president of operations and guest experience Andy Major says that the efforts to control the fans and increase stadium safety is getting better, but there is room for improvement.
“Not that long ago, we averaged 30 (in-stadium) arrests per game and 140 ejections a game,” he told The Buffalo News. “Last year we averaged three arrests and 46 ejections a game. We’re not perfect. We know that.
Local police do not believe the majority of fans cause a disturbance, but that rather a small population tends to get out of hand.
“A small amount of fans will be irresponsible and drink too much. There’s always a few knuckleheads out there who will make it bad for the families,” Erie County Sheriff Timothy B. Howard said.
Bills officials met up with Howard and Orchard Park Police Chief E. Joseph Wehrfritz and decided on a few stadium policy changes. The changes include enforcing the open container laws on roads surrounding the stadium and a loaning a SkyWatch surveillance tower system to the stadium, courtesy of the Buffalo Police Department.
They will be paying particularly close attention to the bus lots, because that is the main spot for fans to jump off vehicles and onto tables that are set on fire. Videos of Bills fans doing stunts like that frequently go viral.
The Bills are increasing the permits for bus and limousine parking and any vehicle that shows up without a permit will be turned away. Stadium lots hold 10,000 vehicles but most fans have pregame celebrations on private lots and in other neighborhoods.
The main message for fans is, according to Major, is this:
“We want fans to have fun and to be safe. Don’t do silly things in the stadium – making the experience for others fans a negative one – or you will be ejected.”
Alabama school system strengthens security for sports events
9/6/19
MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama school district is ramping up security at future sporting events in response to a shooting at a high school football game.
News outlets report spectators at Mobile County high school games will encounter new security protocols on Friday, including metal detectors and a requirement that any bags be made of clear plastic.
The security upgrade comes after at least 10 people were injured in a shooting at Ladd-Peebles Stadium, including six people who were directly shot. A 17-year-old student was arrested.
The new security protocols include increasing the number of police and adding metal detectors to every stadium.
https://apnews.com/c27e2ca7ba954233a263f1b70bfad449?utm_source=Main+Mailing+List&utm_campaign=1718d15f36-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_01_18_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_4eada278ac-1718d15f36-295136453
Man killed outside Pa. stadium during high school football game, prompting evacuation
9/7/19
JEANNETTE, Pa. — A man was shot and killed outside of a Pennsylvania stadium during the final minutes of a high school football game, prompting evacuation of the stadium, authorities said.
The shooting was reported at 9:20 p.m. Friday outside the Park Street gate of McKee Stadium in Jeannette, where Jeannette and Imani Christian were playing, police said.
Dameian Williams, 48, was shot after a verbal altercation with another person and pronounced dead at Excela Westmoreland’s emergency department, the Westmoreland County coroner’s office said.
City police took Greg Harper, 40, of Jeannette, into custody, and he was arraigned on charges of homicide and reckless endangerment.
Police said in a criminal complaint that Harper said Williams approached him to talk outside the stadium, then hit him twice in the head, knocking him to the ground, after which he drew a weapon and fired. Court documents don’t list a defense attorney; messages were left at numbers listed for Harper.
The game between Jeanette High School and Imani Christian was called with under 4 minutes left in the game and Jeanette leading 48-0. Fans in the stadium were evacuated on the opposite side of the facility from the shooting, with no injuries reported.
The Jeannette City School District said in a statement that when the shooting was reported, city police, stadium security and district administrators took immediate action to secure the area and relocate players, coaches, band and cheerleaders to a safe location. Counseling services were to be made available to students and staff.
“The terrible events of last evening do not reflect the heart of our community, its citizens and certainly not our beloved school district,” the district said in a message posted on its Facebook page.
https://www.pennlive.com/news/2019/09/man-killed-outside-pa-stadium-during-high-school-football-game-prompting-evacuation.html?utm_source=Main+Mailing+List&utm_campaign=1718d15f36-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_01_18_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_4eada278ac-1718d15f36-295136453
Shooting at Rose Bowl Parking Lot Leaves 18-Year-Old Dead, Man Wounded in Pasadena
September 15, 2019
A shooting in the parking lot of the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena left an 18-year-old dead and a 51-year-old man wounded late Saturday night, authorities said.
Officers responded to the area of Arroyo Blvd and Seco Street at about 11:22 p.m. about shots fired and a “physical altercation,” according to the Pasadena Police Department.
Police investigate the scene of a deadly shooting at the parking lot of the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena on Sept. 14, 2019. (Credit: RMGNews)
Kamryn Stone of Los Angeles was taken to a nearby hospital in grave condition but later pronounced dead, police said. The other victim has been listed in stable condition.
The shooting was reported near the stadium the same night UCLA lost to the Oklahoma Sooners there 48-14. But a spokeswoman for the city of Pasadena said the game was over long before shots were fired.
“The Rose Bowl Stadium and parking lots were cleared of patrons and vehicles from the UCLA game several hours earlier,” spokeswoman Lisa Derderian wrote in an email to KTLA.
A possible motive remains under investigation and police have yet to release details about a possible suspect.
https://ktla.com/2019/09/15/shooting-at-rose-bowl-parking-lot-leaves-18-year-old-dead-man-wounded-in-pasadena/?utm_source=Main+Mailing+List&utm_campaign=1718d15f36-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_01_18_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_4eada278ac-1718d15f36-295136453
Fire breaks out on field before Colts-Titans game
Mike Organ, Nashville Tennessean Published 1:18 p.m. ET Sept. 15, 2019
The action started early at Nissan Stadium Sunday before the Tennessee Titans-Indianapolis Colts game when a fire broke out next to the field.
A piece of equipment after a pyro launch erupted in flames on the sidelines near the 5-yard line next to the tunnel where the Titans enter the field.
The fire began less than 10 minutes before the noon central game time. The fire was quickly extinguished by a stadium employee.
The national anthem was performed as soon as the fire was put out. The game start time was unaffected by the fire, with kickoff being held as scheduled.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/titans/2019/09/15/tennessee-titans-fire-indianapolis-colts-nfl-week-2/2334887001/?utm_source=Main+Mailing+List&utm_campaign=1718d15f36-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_01_18_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_4eada278ac-1718d15f36-295136453
Washington incident: County decides to cancel game; police determine cause of disturbance
BRIAN ACHATZ, Pensacola News Journal Published 3:16 p.m. CT Aug. 25, 2019
Pine Forest will not have to forfeit its game to Washington after leaving the field Friday night due to a disturbance in the stands, Escambia County Superintendent Malcolm Thomas said.
School officials from Pine Forest and Washington had the option to reschedule the game, which was tied 0-0 in the third quarter at Washington, but elected not to.
“It can be difficult trying to fit another game into a season,” Thomas said. “Not to mention, the expenses to hire referees and law enforcement for an additional night….the principals and athletic directors (from Pine Forest and Washington) said let’s leave things here and move on.”
According to a spokesperson for the Pensacola Police Department, an officer working security at the game was alerted that a physical altercation was brewing behind the stadium. The officer went to investigate and found a large group of teenagers gathered, but the group dispersed and ran away as the officer approached.
Someone in the crowd claimed someone in the group had a handgun, causing a panic in the crowd. Officers did not see or locate a weapon, and the members of the group were not identified.
The initial group that ran kick-started the disturbance on the south side of Washington’s stadium which eventually caused hundreds to run away from the section.
Across the field, visiting fans and the Pine Forest band began to rush out of the seating area.
The game was scoreless at the time of the incident.
Pine Forest players and the game’s referees ran off the field, and the white hat referee ruled a 1-0 victory for Washington, saying Pine Forest was disqualified for leaving the field.
https://www.pnj.com/story/sports/high-school/football/2019/08/25/washington-incident-what-caused-disturbance-football-game/2115974001/?utm_source=Main+Mailing+List&utm_campaign=d9bf91f3c8-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_01_18_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_4eada278ac-d9bf91f3c8-295136453
Dynamo fans ejected from Toyota Stadium Sunday, clubs and fans respond
By Dan Crooke
12:35 PM on Aug 28, 2019
While the Houston Dynamo caused few problems for FC Dallas on the pitch on Sunday night, Toyota Stadium security had their hands full with several incidents that culminated in the mass removal of the visiting supporters’ section with around 15 minutes of the game left to play.
This was the scene as security staff, as well as Frisco PD officers, requested that Dynamo fans retreat to their chartered buses which were parked a short distance from the east gate, close to the section.
This is highly unusual, typically away fans are held in the stadium to allow home fans to disperse.
There have been several incidents in Texas Derby games held at Toyota Stadium in recent years. Two years ago Houston fans set off three pyrotechnic devices within an exclusion zone surrounding an egress point, as defined by the Frisco fire marshal. This action by the El Batallon group saw both they and Texian Army sanctioned as Houston’s two recognized Supporters’ Groups. Houston fans have been both ejected and arrested for their part in physical confrontations during games, and this happened again. Public records from the City of Frisco indicate at least one arrest made during the second half of Sunday’s game, while fan accounts point to at least five incidents in addition to beer cups being thrown from the visiting supporters’ section.
With these in mind a decision was made between Toyota Stadium security, as well as the Houston Dynamo’s supporter liaison at the game, to prevent further escalation. A number of things are taken into consideration including the presence of an official mode of transport in the chartered buses, and the point in the game where the result was effectively secure. Houston fans were told they were being removed for their safety, with fans threatened with arrest if they did not comply.
https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/fc-dallas/2019/08/28/dynamo-fans-ejected-from-toyota-stadium-sunday-clubs-and-fans-respond/?utm_source=Main+Mailing+List&utm_campaign=d9bf91f3c8-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_01_18_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_4eada278ac-d9bf91f3c8-295136453