Steve Lopez: Who's to blame for problems at Dodger Stadium?

“I’m not into the finger-pointing thing,” Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said Friday morning with his buddy, Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, at his side in a downtown news conference.

Fortunately, I am in the finger-pointing business.

McCourt, who suddenly wants to scan license plates and hire everybody but the U.S. Marines and the National Guard to shut down violence and unruly behavior at Dodger Stadium, wouldn’t be in this mess if he’d given a hoot about fan complaints in the past.

Instead, he began this season without a permanent security chief in place, and the severe opening-day beating of a Giants fan on March 31 now has him in full PR swing.

Does McCourt really need ex-LAPD chief Bill Bratton and a New York-based security firm to tell him he’s got a bunch of drunken, unruly fans in the seats, in the parking lot and in the surrounding neighborhood, or did McCourt just figure there was mileage in using Bratton’s name?

Did he really need the beating in the parking lot to make him realize he ought to be working more closely with LAPD Chief Charlie Beck, who now promises a police-state environment at the stadium?

And if Villaraigosa is a guest of McCourt at so many Dodger games, why couldn’t the mayor see the problem himself? Was it because there’s not much violence in the most expensive seats in the park, which the mayor often got for free, or in the luxury boxes?

Beck said McCourt is going to pay the costs of the extra LAPD officers, as if anyone else should bear the responsibility. How long do you give him, though, before McCourt jacks up prices on concessions to cover the costs?

On a related point, McCourt actually said at Friday’s news conference that he’s been working with residents of surrounding neighborhoods on a “regular basis” since 2004 to address their concerns about litter, public urination and drinking on their streets. If that’s so, why do so many residents feel ignored, and why were they telling me earlier this week that their complaints have fallen on deaf ears ever since McCourt upped the parking fee to $15 and drove hooligans into the neighborhoods.

Asked what the Dodgers could do about alcohol-fueled rowdies, McCourt actually said, “I don’t think it’s the sale of beer that’s a problem, per se. It’s the abuse of that privilege.”

Thanks, inspector.

Then why not cut off the spigot a little earlier in the game, and why not do a better job of tossing the obvious drunks out of the park?

Instead, the Dodgers have several promotions on the calendar in which food and beverages will be half price. On the promotion, there’s an asterisk, and you figure that means alcohol will be excluded, right?

Nope.

The asterisk was used as an exclamation, as in “Including alcoholic beverages.”

I kid you not.

At the same news conference, Villaraigosa asked the assailants of the Giants fan to turn themselves in. If that goes well, maybe he can hold a press conference asking tax cheats to pay up and delinquents to immediately return to school.

One last bit of finger-pointing:  Looking at the Dodger lineup, this is a team that might end up driving a lot of people to drink. So can those of you who can’t control yourselves please stay home and punch the television instead of someone’s skull?

We’ve got a minor league businessman running a major league team, and it could be another long season.

-- Steve Lopez

Photo: Frank McCourt. L.A. Times file.

Comments

[SteveDio]

I completely agree with Joe Estez comments. The Dodgers have been marketing to the younger thugs in the way of "graffiti attire". I have been a Dodgers fan for decades, and I will continue to support the Dodgers through good and bad times. But, Dodger management needs to realize that marketing graffiti attire only attracts thug low-life animals to the games.

I hope that the end results in all this is:

Dodgers Stadium becomes more family friendly and safer place for all to attend.

And, on behalf of all true Baseball fans, hope that Byron Stow FULLY recovers from all his injuries.

[R]

(A bit out of the ordinary for me when it comes to agreeing with you, but ) I totally agree with you, Steve!

[Mark]

Thank you Steve, you stepped up to the plate and told it like it is. I echo your thoughts and comments.

You hit it out of the park on every point you made here.

Let's see if the Dodger organization steps up to the plate and walks the talk!

Thoughts and prayers to Bryan Stow and Family, God's speed!

[Laird Botnum]

I've lived in Echo Park for 10+ years and believe me, Buz is right when he says:

"The blame goes to the latino gang members and assorted wanna be (latino) tough guys who go to Dodger games and "represent."

This is a latino problem. Drunk, thug, gangster rap raised, uneducated, banger stereotypical shaved head "what you looking at" young male latinos.

Good luck reigning this crowd in.

[Gee]

We stop going to Dodgers games completely a couple years ago because the all the drunk and out of controls fans, We use to have season tickets for 5 straight years. 50% percent of dodgers fans are out of control. Fights seem to be a common occurence, Foul language is all over the place. Fans have no control. Dodger security really stinks they do nothing till after tempers boil over and people are fighting. I will never take my kids back to Dodger stadium.

Dodgers are to blame because they alow unruly fans do what ever they want

[Fed Up]

Why blame the residents who live in the Elysian Park area for living too close to the stadium. It was the Dodgers who inserted themselves into a neighborhood once known as Chavez Ravine. If Roski ever gets his stadium in Industry, I guess there will be the few who will blame Walnut and Diamond Bar residents for living too close to that venue.

And the Raider Nation attitude at Dodger Stadium has got to go. Ooops, did I just throw out the race card?

[Brett4]

Dear God, where do I begin. Excellent post by Buz. April 8th 2:03 pm. I have been to 15 Green Bay Packer football games since 1995. The Stadium holds 72,000 people. Again 72,000 people. Every game a sell-out. The Stadium is located right in the middle of the neighborhoods. Buzz is right it is the people. They don't have the problems that the Dodgers games have. REAL SIMPLE, the low life's, gang banger, thugs, drunks, are the one's causing the problems at Dodgers Stadium. Does McCourt need to step up, yes for sure. But come on people, face the facts. Our Elected City officials if they did their job like they should, McCourt would not have the problems he's having. CLEAN UP THE CRIME, CLEAN UP THE CITY, CLEAN UP THE GANGS, CLEAN UP THE GANG BANGERS, It is not the owner of the Dodgers to clean up crime. That job is for the Mayor and the Police Chief. I'm not going to hold my breath.

[LDT1966]

Steve you nailed it .

[John Schmidt]

How about the previous Director of Security Ray Maytorena who was responsible for eliminating the LAPD uniform officers from the stadium before he got fired?

[steve rodriguez]

Every time I go to a Dodger game I pray that I won't be sitting near Latino gang members!

[steve rodriguez]

Latino gangs!!!

[Angela Birch]

I have moved away from the area,but I still have friends down there that bled Dodger blue. I beleive the love affair slowed down when the Dodgers were sold. When the McCourts bought them it became according to several friends no longer as much fun. They gave up their season tickets they had owned for decades. Last year they oonly went a couple times. At the same time they went to a dozen Angel games. They say they wouldn't be going back to the Dodger stadiul, especially after the beating.

When I lived down there we used to go 5-6 times a year, not that big a fan, but it was always fun, the fans were good humored and you enjoyed the experience. Now I know no one who goes to Dodger satdium. Going there is now described as scary, grim, one fri3ens daid he was uncomfortable in the parking lot. I agree people are heading over toward the Angels.

[steve rodriguez]

LA City Council, Mayor Villar, Chief Beck and Steve Lopez for promoting LA as a third world city where gangs and illegal aliens receive safe haven!

[Don from Pasadena]

Schogolch: "Who's to blame is working class thugs."

As opposed to, say, the financial thugs who own the Dodgers, have been cheapskates on stadium security, leveraged that team into the ground to support their personal lifestyles, and don't pay any personal income taxes.

Yessirree, it's always gotta be the fault of working people - not that couple of obvious bad actors who attacked Mr. Stow in the Dodgers' parking lot, but the entire class of people, because scapegoating en masse is always easier than actually thinking analytically to solve problems.

By the way, the managing director's office in Beverly Hills called while you were on line. You apparently missed a spot when you were cleaning the gutters with your toothbrush, and it better not happen again - if you know what's good for you, bootlicker.

See, I can resort to stereotypes, too.

[Lily]

The problem is not with Dodger Stadium, it's with society in general. No one has any respect or consideration for anyone anymore. Period. But the day we see Los Dodgeros or however it's spelled is a sad day. If you can't even enforce the basic rule of speaking/learning/appreciating English in this country (and that goes for all foreigners) than what kind of society do we have? No one can even communicate. 150 years ago there were Native Americans roaming the country, now there aren't. 150 years from now nothing in society will be as it is now, that's just the way of the world... things change for the worse, people get more disconnected

[Don from Pasadena]

Joe: "Of course Lopez completely ignores the FACT that most troublemakers at Dodgers Stadium belong to a specific and easily recognizable demographic. The Dodgers don't need better security...THE UNITED STATES DOES!"

Thank you so much for sharing that bit of overt xenophobia withe the rest of us. I'm sure the U.S. does need additional border security. How else to explain how the likes of you got in?

[LostAnglrs]

You can argue and throw the ball around about security all you want. The real core of the problem here is an ever expanding culture that BREEDS these types of people. Generationally, passed on through their culture, whether directly or indirectly by turning away and letting thug/gangbanger culture continue and grow. Mexicans have to deal with that element in their culture. Thats the problem. Good luck changing, fixing that.

[Pete Helling]

The more I think about it, it occurs to me that our anger is misplaced. We are blaming the Dodgers for selling beer, for raising parking prices, for not having enough security, and for fostering or at least not preventing a culture of rowdiness, (complete with piling on the owners for having a messy divorce and for having a lousy team), and the LAPD for not doing enough, when actually, Dodger Stadium is simply a microcosm of our city. The only problem with Dodger Stadium is the people who go there. I am sure this isn't the first time these two suspects have beaten someone up. Short of moving Dodger Stadium to another city, I see no cure for our problem other than treating the whole patient (our city) instead of just one part (our stadium). As long as we have a prevailing and permeating culture of ignorance, violence, and inhumanity in so many of our neighborhoods, we will have it at Dodger Stadium as well.

[Brett4]

Wow Mayor, thanks for pointing out the real problem, those gosh darn Little League parents and the soccer moms!!!. I was at a game recently, and someone kept throwing things at me and talking a bunch of crap. Every time I turned around I saw, and I don't want to point fingers and label people, but since the Mayor did, I might as well. Any way when I turned around I saw shaved heads, mexican drunks, smart ass punks, all tatted up. I thought maybe those were the punks, causing the trouble, but then it hit me. I also saw a nice looking couple, and there they were, the little boy in a little league uniform, and the little girl in a soccer uniform. I figured it out, they were the culprits causing all the trouble. All these years, it's been "Those" people causing the problems. Well, I'm glad the mayor set us all straight. We need to watch out for those darn little league parents. I Cannot even believe the mayor would talk about what he talked about today in the news conference, and not even address the real problem, the riff-raff, gangs, gang bangers, that are not Dodgers fans and probably not even sports fans, just out drinking, partying, and looking to harrass and intimidate people. What an unblievable excuse for a mayor. I'm APPALLED!!!!!! He's a fake and a joke.

[todd]

I haven't been to a Dodger game in years for the same reason most of u all stated. The mexican scumbags have no respect for anyone. I went to my first game at Angels Stadium about 6 months ago and it was like night and day compared to Dodger Stadium. Nicer, cleaner, and i saw maybe 15 mexicans there. Wheather or not anyone wants to say it, but its 98% of problems are caused my hispanics. McCourt is to blame and his scumbag "homeboy" Villarigosa is to blame....Get them both out of here. Good story Steve

[lone wolf]

I have two sons and will not expose them to Dodger stadium.The last time I was at a game 7 years ago. I saw the atmosphere had changed.I felt I was at a Raider game and not a Dodger game .I want the Raiders to come back to Los Angeles so that they can have their fans back at the colesium. And then all good Dodger fans can return and enjoy a good baseball game with their sons or daughters.Until then attend at your own risk and don't bring your kids.Any long time Dodger fan can't deny this comment is a true statement.

[Bill]

Who is to blame? Mexican thugs. This is an indicator LA is going to turn into TJ and Nogales in a few years

[Bob Tussey]

I gave up on all professional and college sports years ago. No way on earth I will take my grand kids to a game the way my grand father took me. Just to many crazies there and the teams and colleges seem to take pride in it. Call it fan support. Are they crazy?
What I do know is that none are fit family entertainment anymore.

[Disgusted!]

Thank you for telling it like it is! I will NEVER go to another game! I do not feel like paying $$$ to hang out with drunks and jerks!

[Vincent]

Steve Lopez is right. The goofy dude running the Dodgers couldn't keep his wife happy and can't run a big league team. And is that a rug he's wearing?
McCourt's spent too much time with Roger Mahony. Tony V. is just a glorified gang-banger himself.