Arrests at PNC

So, as I do year after year, I got really excited about The Pirates opening day again this year. Our first away series was a rousing success leading to yet another year of banding together with friends in pubs for chants of "this is our year" and "let's go bucs!"

Then, home came the buccos for the home opener, and a weekend that saw my friends and I attending more game than, than those we would watch at home in HD. OF the games I attended we split 1-1. Friday's game was a nail-biter that went into 14 innings, and we lost Saturday.

But what was more interesting than the game Saturday were the now-famous arrests below the grandstand. I witnessed both in person, and I've never been so scared in my life as when I saw a police officer fire a tazer at the man being arrested, only to see him stand his ground, un-phased by the tazer. (I found out later one of the cords (terminology?) hadn't connected with the suspect, and thus, didn't complete the circuit (or whatever it takes for those things to work). Still, I was frightened.

We had become friends with the usher in our section, as we were trying to get a wave going in the staadium... i mean, what else were we supposed to do with the Pirates struggling so? As I returned to my seat from watching the first fan get taken down, and escorted out of the stadium the usher said to me "You guys keep away from that stuff... I don't want to see you get in trouble."

His concern was appreciated, if a little strange. I wasn't sure how being a spectator, and in no way hindering the police or encouraging the suspect, could warrant getting in trouble. A few moments later nature made her call, and I jogged up to the restroom. When I emerged, immediately in front of me (and with no crowd having formed yet) was the second suspect, handcuffed and sitting on the ground, seemingly refusing to get up and leave with the police. A crowd quickly formed around her in front of me, and I had to do my best Lynn Swann impression in order to see over the crowd.

I watched a few moments and elected to return to my seat to see if the Pirates were going to pull this one out.

Here is what I don't understand: people were so divided on the issue of why these people were being arrested. One guy in the crowd told me "i don't know why they are arresting him... i don't think he did anything at all."

Really? We are going to speculate and assume that the fan is completely in the right here? All I know is that I saw a fan (who looked pretty angry to me) being escorted down the stairs fromt he GA Bleachers by police, who then struck a park employee, and refused to cooperate with the police. People were calling out "Police Brutality" but this guy was HUGE, and he hit a park employee while being uncooperative.

Now, I had an incident with the police once where I felt i was not treated great: I was speeding (admittedly) and one of PA's finest pulled out behind me (as I slowed to the speed limit) and he followed me for a mile and half before putting his lights on, as which point I pulled over, turned on the dome lights (at 2pm on a sunny summer afternoon), rolled down my window, and placed my hands where they were visible, at "!0" and "2" on the steering wheel. When the officer got to my window, I was polite, cooperative, and apologetic. He, on the other hand, acted as if he had just nabbed Capone personally with a shipment of hooch from Canada. He yelled and chastised me as only one could who was once passed over for the position of "Hall Monitor" and had worked his life to become some sort of authority figure and put the jocks in their place. I was a little unhappy about this, because while I had certainly been in the wrong, I was now being as cooperative as possible and didn't feel my actions warranted the attitude I was receiving.

In his defense, however, he was much more calm and professional at the appeal hearing, and the charges were graciously dismissed.

So, back to the arrests at PNC Park, I can sympathize with not always feeling a sense of due process in the moment of police intervention, but when one is resisting arrest, and assaulting park staff it seems that one has become more of a threat to the general population. And this guy was big... like I said, I was a little afraid he was going to "get loose," as it were, and do God-only-knows what to the people around him. I won't lie... I quickly analyzed where I would run to avoid the wrath of the angered bull-man. So, when the police attempted to taze the man, and then hit him repeatedly with night sticks, I was shocked, yes, but also a little relieved to see that something was being done.

I don't care what you did, you have to cooperate with the authorities... especially in a setting like that. resisting arrest isn't going to get you anything but bruises and more charges. I know from my days as an RD in college... I HATED to have to confront residents for violations (especially alcohol related ones). And I was always able to be more lenient and gracious if they just complied and were cooperative. There were even incidents where I found underage kids drinking in the public lounges, and if they agreed to dispose of their beers, and go somewhere else I wouldn't do anything. You know they are just going to go drink elsewhere, and writing them up for a judicial review isn't going to change the culture of a college campus. In fact, these guys, aside from drinking underage, were often drinking pretty responsibly, i.e. they weren't plastered, they weren't chugging beers, and they weren't playing games or anything... just enjoying a couple of brew against the rules. I'd rather they go drink responsibly where it wasn't my problem. The moral, just cooperate.

So, in all the controversy surrounding the arrests, I can say from a first-hand perspective that I was ok with what happened from the police's angle. I wish it hadn't come to that but I felt safer.

now... if they just would have kicked out that annoying woman in the pink Penn State hoodie who felt it was her job to point out to the ushers all the people she felt were being obnoxious. She should have been kicked out simply for missing the irony of how obnoxious she was.