Trouble at Gate 1

[John from Riverside]

Because they got to go backstage while you were stuck in the crowd?

 

No....nice try though...

[clumping platelets]

http://www.billszone.com/fanzone/showthread.php?t=165424

 

My friend is Eb (Ebenezer)

 

My response in the above thread

 

Eb and I got to Gate 1 at about 7:50pm. I finally made it to my seat with 10 mins left in the 1st Qtr after first trying Gate 2 and then finally going to Gate 3. I do not know what time it was but I told Frank, "let's go to another gate". It was so packed and people coming up the stairs behind us kept pushing that I then told him to "go with the flow" and the was to the left. I got pushed up against that metal fence. It was at this time that a single security guard came out and was trying to remove the 4 section metal fence/partition that to the best of my recollection has never been in place before. Mind you, each section of this fence was about 8 ft and linked to each other. It was also supported at the bottom by metal spikes in the ground. I was trying to help him, along with 2 or 3 others, to remove the fence. At some point, the security guard just abandoned that when people kept pushing towards the gate and he disappeared. They finally closed the gate and few people noticed it. I started yelling at people to go to other gates as I left to go to Gate 2 which was about 100 ft away. Unfortunately, everyone from Gate 1 went to gate 2 and tried to cut in front of everyone already at that Gate and again the same problem started happening. I then got over to gate 3. Once I got into Gate 3, I told a police officer what was going on and he just looked at me with a "donut eating" smile. I wanted to end his existence. It was like the situation just amused him. I wish I had his name

 

After action: Traffic through Gate 1 was non-existent. I suspect only about 15-20 people per minute were getting through. When you have about 1000 people and growing, that's a major problem. Eb said only 2 or 3 screeners were there. Normally on game day (Sunday 1pm), they have 5-7. The metal partition was in place to have women go to the left of it and men to the right. Normally, there are 2 lines for women and 4 or 5 for men and it is a straight line into the gate. Once I got to Gates 2 & 3, it was normal set up. There clearly was a problem that incompetence of the security staff couldn't handle. No communication. Couldn't they just get on a radio and get more help? Couldn't they use a bullhorn to direct traffic and get people to stop pushing? How about using a bullhorn to tell people in the back to go to another Gate? How about just leaving traffic on a normal pattern like Sunday 1pm games? How many more questions can be asked? endless

 

I'm working on a letter to the Bills organization but we all know that it will go nowhere.....but there are other means of getting attention.

 

My final analysis, the director of security should be fired. Kiss Ass in charge Russ Brandon should be required to explain the incompetence of this security plan. BTW: I've had riot and crowd control training so I fully understand what the problem was and that was a violation of a basic tenet........communication. There was NONE

 

 

Nothing on the news that I've seen

[Chalkie Gerzowski]

Since they act like they have to defend against a terrorist attack with draconian measures...

 

For the Frisco game...give security what they want...storm the f****** gates like William Wallace and his band of renowned merrymen...and have those trashy, donut eating, slack-jawed jacka$$e$ running into the concourse with their arms flailing.

[The_Philster]

damn...I usually go in through Gate 1 but was over in Lot C filming the Jills dance performances. Afterwards, I walked back to the stadium alongside the squad and went in at gate 4....with no line whatsoever

[macdaddy]

I was in the middle also. Realized just a little late that I was in trouble. Began knifing sideways and got out just before all hell broke loose.

I called today and they wouldn't pass me through to the next level. Spoke my piece to the order taker and hung up.

Let's keep an eye on this situation because it was utterly ridiculous.

[5 Wide]

The situation was ridiculous. It was just a massive wall of people. If you didn't keep your arms up, you were in trouble. My Girlfriend is 2 months off knee surgery, just got rid of the crutch last week and was really excited to be able to walk (albeit slowly) through the lot and into the game. We were both pinned in this mess, and we became separated as she tried to make her way to the Womans side. When I finally got though, she was leaning against the wall in a lot of pain b/c of the pressure of all the people pushing, and her leg being twisted awkwardly in the fray. Somebody needs to be held accountable for this. I have gone to 4 or 5 games a year for the last 11 years, after what happened with the gate, i'm content to watch it from the couch.

[Hammered a Lot]

WOW and I thought I had it bad taking care of a really drunk young man? who I saw having trouble walking around half time in my lot. After I calmed him down and let him rest in my shed he said thank you by showing me what he drank. It looked like cheery wine coooler. Luckly the guy had nothing to eat before hand. The Meds took 30 mins to show up and transported the 16 year old to a safer place!

 

I'd call the TV stations and report what happened to you. Write a letter to Ralph also.

[robkmil]

That's a frightening story. That happened to me once at a concert in Hershey, PA when the nimrods running the show decided to have only one entrance open. As soon as people heard the band warming up, they started to push everyone from behind.

 

I guess the geniuses at the Ralph don't remember what happened in Cincinnati at that Who concert.

 

I suggest you write a letter to the Bills about this. Hearing the words "potential lawsuit" will get their attention.

 

I called and emailed-i suggest everyone else does as well.

[robkmil]

WOW and I thought I had it bad taking care of a really drunk young man? who I saw having trouble walking around half time in my lot. After I calmed him down and let him rest in my shed he said thank you by showing me what he drank. It looked like cheery wine coooler. Luckly the guy had nothing to eat before hand. The Meds took 30 mins to show up and transported the 16 year old to a safer place!

 

I'd call the TV stations and report what happened to you. Write a letter to Ralph also.

I like the idea of calling a TV station.

[DonInBuffalo]

I like the idea of calling a TV station.

It would probably have to be Channel 2. Channel 4 probably wouldn't want to do it because Murph works there, and Channel 7 definitely wouldn't do it because they're "the official station of the Buffalo Bills".

[theesir]

Howard Simon just read a statement on the air from the Bills that basically blamed the fans for trying to get in late.

[Chandler#81]

It would probably have to be Channel 2. Channel 4 probably wouldn't want to do it because Murph works there, and Channel 7 definitely wouldn't do it because they're "the official station of the Buffalo Bills".

 

It definately sounds terrible but getting the TV stations involved will bring much more bad press about us and likely make it on the national sports networks. Not that something doesn't HAVE to be done to preclude anything similar in the future, but we're all likely to get a black eye if this goes national. Especially if the stadium takes the stance that it was a drunk and disorderly fandom. Could spell the end of MNF again for a long while, when it was their pizz-poor planning that caused it.

 

Dammit! Hope everyone is alright.

[billnutinphoenix]

sue the bills!!!

[cåblelady]

You should send a letter to the Buffalo News. That's just plain stupid and inexcusable.

As should I regarding the NON-EXISTENCE of sand trucks on the roads after the game. We go 20A (which has a detour to the 400 for awhile). Ice on the 400. Max speed 15-20 mph. Before the 400 (I believe) there was a hill our SUV almost didn't make it up......ice. Back on 20A. BLACK ICE. 22 miles from Warsaw traffic has come to a halt at the top of a hill. Cars turning around. Rolled down the window to find out what was happening. Kids (drinking beers) started "skating" on the road. Total ice. So.................back to....let's try the thruway! Ummm.......real bad decision. Got off and tried 20. Hmmmm.......fire trucks and emergency crews. Re-routed to Batavia.

 

There was one car on it's side on 20A. Just happened. Really scary sh*t. Cars in the median on the 400....and who knows what happened on 20.

 

All-in-all it took 5 hours to make a 2 hour drive.

 

Anybody else run into problems?

[R. Rich]

I've gone to almost every game for 20 years now, and I've seen it all.

 

But my overriding memory of last night's game wasn't one of yet another in a long list of last minute heart breakers. No, it was of a chaotic, potentially dangerous scene at the security checks to get into the stadium at Gate 1 (and I imagine elsewhere).

 

Some Bills security genius had made the decision to funnel the thousands of rowdy fans crowding gate 1 into only two security points set far apart, rather than the normal line of such points, side by side, stretched across the entire turnstile area.

 

So, in the dark, with no instructions to the crowd-many of whom were drunk-the entry routine for the last few years was just thrown out the window.

 

As the huge mass of people in the center reached the area where the pat down area normally is set up, all they found was a long steel gate and nowhere to go. Idiots behind us were yelling "PUSH, PUSH" and the crush started to get real bad and scary. Some folks were handing their young children over the the gate to police, who were trying to hold the gates up and screaming at fans not to cross.

 

I was right up against the gate and lifted right off my feet. The barricade started to tip and the cops kept yelling "PUSH BACK!"...yeah, right. Finally the gate fell and people rushed through, some falling. Punches were being thrown at each other and at the police. Fans ran to the turnstile and were let through, but just as I handed my over my ticket to be scanned, some cops decided to barricade the turnstiles. Now I was being pressed hard into the turnstile from behind and the cop on the other side kept yelling at me "you're not going through" and "push back".

 

Finally, after maybe five minutes they decided to just let people through...what could they do?

 

Yes, these were police officers, by and large, and not stadiums security people. Their actions were dangerously infective , at best, but I believe they were put into a very bad situation by a horrendous security scheme devised by who knows who for who knows what reason.

 

Really, I can take the losses, but the Mickey Mouse organization is really wearing thin with me. After 20 years, I'm finally considering not renewing the season tickets next year.

 

 

Yeah. Waiting to get into Gate 1, then having to be redirected down the hill, was pretty ridiculous. But, from what I gather, the drunk tards who love to "party" late before entering the game (since when is drinking beer "partying"?) made a mess of things once again. Shocking. Well, @ least I only missed the kickoff.

 

I just called and related my experience to Denise in season tickets. She was very sympathetic and said she'd make sure the complaint got to the right person's trash bin.

 

Yep.

[Hammered a Lot]

As should I regarding the NON-EXISTENCE of sand trucks on the roads after the game. We go 20A (which has a detour to the 400 for awhile). Ice on the 400. Max speed 15-20 mph. Before the 400 (I believe) there was a hill our SUV almost didn't make it up......ice. Back on 20A. BLACK ICE. 22 miles from Warsaw traffic has come to a halt at the top of a hill. Cars turning around. Rolled down the window to find out what was happening. Kids (drinking beers) started "skating" on the road. Total ice. So.................back to....let's try the thruway! Ummm.......real bad decision. Got off and tried 20. Hmmmm.......fire trucks and emergency crews. Re-routed to Batavia.

 

There was one car on it's side on 20A. Just happened. Really scary sh*t. Cars in the median on the 400....and who knows what happened on 20.

 

All-in-all it took 5 hours to make a 2 hour drive.

 

Anybody else run into problems?

Yep planned on being in bed by 2 am, got to bed 3am Dam drunks.

[cåblelady]

Yep planned on being in bed by 2 am, got to bed 3am Dam drunks.

[5 Wide]

Howard Simon just read a statement on the air from the Bills that basically blamed the fans for trying to get in late.

 

 

That's Horrible by the Bills, I got to the gate at 7:40

[DonInBuffalo]

The situation was ridiculous. It was just a massive wall of people. If you didn't keep your arms up, you were in trouble. My Girlfriend is 2 months off knee surgery, just got rid of the crutch last week and was really excited to be able to walk (albeit slowly) through the lot and into the game. We were both pinned in this mess, and we became separated as she tried to make her way to the Womans side. When I finally got though, she was leaning against the wall in a lot of pain b/c of the pressure of all the people pushing, and her leg being twisted awkwardly in the fray. Somebody needs to be held accountable for this. I have gone to 4 or 5 games a year for the last 11 years, after what happened with the gate, i'm content to watch it from the couch.

You could consider hiring an attorney. Regardless the ridiculous statement issued by the Bills that Howard Simon read, it seems obvious the Bills are at fault here based on the accounts I've read in this thread. You shouldn't have to pay a penny. Any reputable attorney would take a case like this on a contingency basis and tell you upfront what % of any settlement they would take as the fee. (There's no way the Bills would not settle. The embarrassment of having to defend themselves in court over something like this would cost them lots more than they would ever settle for.) Just ask around to find somebody reliable. (not somebody who advertises on TV all the time)

 

Here's a semi-related story: A friend of mine and his wife, who happen to both be attorneys, were invited to a Bills game by a friend of theirs. This friend went to use the bathroom at halftime, but never returned to his seat during the game. It turns out he was standing outside the bathroom, near a group of people who were smoking pot. Some overzealous security guard rounded up everyone, including him, and ejected them from the stadium. My friend wrote a letter to the Bills, and the matter got settled fairly quickly and very quietly, for IIRC about $3000.

[uticaclub]

stop being a p---- you went to a buffalo bills game not an off broadway performance of cats.