| Author |
Topic:
L.A. Convention Center Evacuated 5/25
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Phaedrus76
Registered:
Jul '01
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Date Posted:
5/29/07 6:39pm
Subject:
RE: L.A. Convention Center Evacuated 5/25
- Date Edited:
5/29/07 6:47pm (1 edits total)
Edited By:
Phaedrus76
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ScootyPuffJr posted:
JediBith posted:
And honestly, the LAPD were just doing their jobs. They are concerned with public safety, not your personal Star Wars con fun. Can you imagine the outcry if it had been a bomb, and they'd done nothing? Really folks, get a grip please!
(Yes, I was there when it happened, and am mature enough to take these things seriously.)
Right on. One of my coworkers was killed on Flight 11 on 9/11. I never give the TSA, cops, etc. a hard time. Those who complain about line lengths should get their keisters there earlier, not blame someone else for their woes. Stop whining because you didn't get a piece of what I am reliably told by many friends who did get in, was basically cardboard with frosting. You'd be a lot more upset if the suitcase had turned out to be something bad.
As for overbooking (?) of the con, I was there all day on a very crowded Saturday, and no line for me was longer than 20 minutes, and I always easily found a seat in every room (unlike the many, many times of SRO or turn-aways at Comic-con, with even as big a facility as the SD conv center is...).
Mary Thomson
It never ceases to amaze me that as soon as people question the actions of the police, military, or other authority figures, there is always someone ready with a knee-jerk accusation that the critical are somehow "un-serious" or "un-patriotic." Having a uniform on is no guarantee of correctness or intelligence. "Never giving [authority] a hard time" is exactly why "authority" keeps getting serious things wrong and why people are suffering for it.
Again- I have lived in NYC for over a decade, and was actually around both during the 9/11 attacks and for the aftermath. I too know people who died. I know people who are now suffering the health effects of the toxic spume from the disaster area. I know personally how different the city "works" and "feels" since that tragedy. Of course I take bomb threats seriously- that's precisely why the criticism of how this was handled is absolutely valid. It's not enough to identify a threat- legitimate, working plans to deal with the threat are absolutely necessary, too. If I say that 9/11 was handled atrociously (which just about every serious person in-the-know does), that doesn't mean I didn't "take it seriously." If I say the scare at C4 wasn't handled properly, that also does not mean I am un-serious.
If you'd actually take the time to read the points being made here, you'd see the vast majority of the "whiners" you refer to are not complaining about the length of the line, which was not entirely predictable (though having only one event scheduled pretty much guaranteed everyone would be in one place), but about how the line was handled, and how the bomb scare was handled afterwards. If there had been a bomb, you're damn right I would have been happy to be away from the Center. I certainly wouldn't be happy, though, that my friends inside the glass-enclosed, not-exactly-bomb-proof auditorium were dead. I also wouldn't be happy if one of my fellow evacuees had escaped the danger of a bomb only to be run down in traffic.
Even if there had been no threat, GenCon is ultimately responsible for the fact that the line was well in excess of the capacity of the theater. I know for a fact as a volunteer that crowd-counters were available. They were not used. I know for a fact as a participant that there were no alternate activities scheduled during the time of the ceremonies. Both of these circumstances created a situation that was untenable and could certainly have led to hazards on their own if it weren't for the fact that the fans are better-behaved than the average mob.
Since the day of the evac, I've learned more "inside" stuff that clears GenCon for some of the blame. In the first place, the Convention Center actually employs two separate security forces, (one for each building), with poor communication between the two. That's ridiculous, of course. Likewise, it was the Convention Center that was responsible for having a good evac plan in place in case of an emergency (whether it be from a bomb, or from an earthquake, which, guess what, often happens in LA.) They clearly did not.
The LAPD, in the meantime, should have had more of a presence outside of the convention center to assist people who had been separated from their cars, children, and public transportation. They did not.
At the very least, we should all be disturbed that, to this day, the only official acknowledgement that anything happened has been in Jay La'agaia's off-the cuff remarks, which were not heard by the majority of atendees. GenCon's apparent desire to ret-con the evacuation out of the official record does little to strengthen its own position, and much to lead to rumors, conspiracy theories, and amger. More than one upper-tier staffer told me that GenCon is not used to handling events this big, and that it was Lucasfilm's decision to hold the event in LA rather than in a smaller venue as has been done in the past. Rather than be honest with Lucas and admit that they hadn't the experience to work this properly, GenCon instead took the money with the attitude that "We'll get through it somehow" (an actual quote, btw.) This is unacceptable.
There are three separate organizations involved in this story, and not one of them deserves an "A" for the handling of this situation. My complaining does not make me "un-serious"- on the contrary, it makes me deadly serious about the whole thing, and your dismissive attitude is proof that simply "respecting authority" even when the authority is making a ****-up of things is leading to a nation of the blind leading the blind.
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Grand_Admiral_J-tal
Registered:
Jul '05
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Date Posted:
5/29/07 7:02pm
Subject:
RE: L.A. Convention Center Evacuated 5/25
- Date Edited:
5/29/07 7:09pm (2 edits total)
Edited By:
Grand_Admiral_J-tal
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I was one of the volunteers working crowd control the night of the evacuation. I was scheduled to work in the volunteer pool starting at 8:00. I arrived outside the convention center just as the LAPD arrived.
Curious, I walked up to one of the officers who was standing guard and asked what was going on. He said a suspicious package was found and they were treating it as a potential bomb threat, and that they were ordering the place to be evacuated. I was surprised he actually told me.
The police marked off a line and told security to make sure no one crossed it while they investigated things. Several of us volunteers were asked to form a human wall at the line. We held people back as best as we could. Many people were understandly upset; a few got really nasty with us. I can't blame them, I'd be ticked too if all I knew was that I was missing the opening ceremonies and no explanation was being given.
I spoke with a person working security later that evening who said Lucas had arrived on site and was on his way to make a surprise appearance at the opening ceremonies. She intercepted him and told him to leave.
Another security person said LAPD told him they decided the people inside the opening ceremonies were deemed to be OK because the location was away from the threat and since these people were already seated, they were unlikely to get up and wander into the danger area.
They were more concerened with everyone else who was milling about the center because they had the potential to accidentally meander into the danger area. They wanted to reduce this from happening so they needed to contain everyone in one area away from the site.
Not sure how you prepare for something like this, at least it was a false alarm. And yes, everyone could have handled this a little better.
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JediXtine
Registered:
Nov '06
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Date Posted:
5/29/07 8:49pm
Subject:
RE: L.A. Convention Center Evacuated 5/25
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I'm glad I was in the opening ceremonies and knew nothing of it at the time.
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PatttyB0123
Title: Latin America RSA
Registered:
Apr '03
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Date Posted:
5/29/07 10:04pm
Subject:
RE: L.A. Convention Center Evacuated 5/25
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Oh dear I did not know about the incident. 
I was outside waiting to see the ceremony. 
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starwarsagent
Registered:
Jul '04
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Date Posted:
5/30/07 5:27am
Subject:
RE: L.A. Convention Center Evacuated 5/25
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Never heard of it. I was probably passed out already.
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resnictem
Registered:
Jan '99
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Date Posted:
5/30/07 7:25am
Subject:
RE: L.A. Convention Center Evacuated 5/25
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So, if the con was evacuated and closed, did the party that was scheduled afterwards? Jay made mention at the Ray Park talk that disco and techno music was played, so I assume the party came off.
I, too, attended the OC, and was underwhelmed, to say the least. So, I left and was told how to leave the buiding. I crossed the street and and waited with everybody else. Luckily, one of the people I stood with was talking to one of the 501st that was working the OC, and could tell us what was going on.
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MrShiny
Registered:
Apr '02
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Date Posted:
5/30/07 1:57pm
Subject:
RE: L.A. Convention Center Evacuated 5/25
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The party was Saturday, and went off OK from what I heard.
For those complaining that a certain person was not there in the flesh, he was, from what I hear, but was removed from the building.
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ValedaKor
Title: C-IV RSA
Registered:
Oct '00
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Date Posted:
5/30/07 2:13pm
Subject:
RE: L.A. Convention Center Evacuated 5/25
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MrShiny posted:
For those complaining that a certain person was not there in the flesh, he was, from what I hear, but was removed from the building.
Not true, according to the OP folk.
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MrShiny
Registered:
Apr '02
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Date Posted:
5/31/07 8:35pm
Subject:
RE: L.A. Convention Center Evacuated 5/25
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I know the staff member who personally screamed in his face when they were heading out the wrong door. 
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carmenite
Registered:
Oct '02
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Date Posted:
5/31/07 9:12pm
Subject:
RE: L.A. Convention Center Evacuated 5/25
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ValedaKor posted:
Not true, according to the OP folk.
OP?
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Dark Lady Mara
Title: Manager Emeritus
Registered:
Jun '99
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Date Posted:
5/31/07 9:25pm
Subject:
RE: L.A. Convention Center Evacuated 5/25
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Official Pix, I guess?
Also, if it's not a huge secret, who exactly are we talking about here? It's news to me.
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Wilderness_Comedian
Registered:
Feb '05
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Date Posted:
5/31/07 9:27pm
Subject:
RE: L.A. Convention Center Evacuated 5/25
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What the heck are you guys talking about?
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rhonderoo
Title:
Former Head Admin
Registered:
Aug '02
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Date Posted:
5/31/07 9:29pm
Subject:
RE: L.A. Convention Center Evacuated 5/25
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There was a rumor going around that Lucas was there. But supposedly he was in London, too.
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Wilderness_Comedian
Registered:
Feb '05
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Date Posted:
6/1/07 12:22am
Subject:
RE: L.A. Convention Center Evacuated 5/25
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I think they would have announced on the P.A. if Lucas showed up.
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MrShiny
Registered:
Apr '02
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Date Posted:
6/1/07 2:39am
Subject:
RE: L.A. Convention Center Evacuated 5/25
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Gen Con staff was told there was a "special Humvee" on Friday. During the evac, he was moved out first (most likely to prevent any additional problems moving others out). He was absolutely there and was supposed to speak at the opening, but it was a very last minute thing that got ruined by the evacuation. I don't think he had any interaction with Offical Pix, nor anyone but the staff working right around the opening.
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