I was attending the Jim Jones concert presented by Fatman Scoob on Friday March 2nd in Albany, NY. It was held at UAlbany college where security was extremely tight. Over 5,000 people waited in line to get their tickets and go through metal detectors, etc. and then into a basketball gym with both bleachers and standing room only in front of the stage.
Well the warm-up show started and someone lit up a blunt and the fire alarm went off and everyone had to evacuate, which took over an hour, Campus Security and local police had to force everybody out of the building for firecrews to investigate. An hour later, everyone was crammed against the doors to get back in the building...we went back thru the metal dtectors and all kindsa shit...well lucky me...im one of the first ones back in, and i got to stand in the front row in front of the stage.
Well, within like 2 minutes, there were about 150 people back in the gym, when all of a sudden, the 3 girls that were standing next to me, from Albany, with their man, were confronted by a couple guys from Harlem, and told to move. Im not even sure what happened next, but they jumped this one guy, and i ended up getting elbowed in my face. I look up and all I see is a Cop with his taser-gun out and hes spraying one of the girls right in her face, well the next thing I know the cop is on the ground getting his ass beat by about 20 people. I see tons of security and police runnign down the bleachers, they were outside controlling the people getting back in. Well, about 6 or 7 cops/security got attacked, and then they just started hitting people with nightsticks and letting off teargas in the building. So the fire alarm goes off again, and no one wants to leave this time. So they call in the Riot Squad. You've got about 5-7,000 angry people who already paid their money for the show being told they have to leave the building for another hour.
Thats when the riot started. Police got everyone outside and locked the doors and said concerts closed, Jones left. Someone hurled a huge rock at a cop and hit him right in his face, and more people started throwing rocks and breaking windows. People were yelling "Burn this bitch, Fuck Tha Police, we want our refunds, y'all should know better than to let the hood up in here" It was nuts. The all-white police were going nuts on the black people, tackling them and beating them with their sticks and shooting them with tasers. But everytime theyd arrest someone, theyd get attacked by about 10 people. So I look over to my left, and I see about 50 cops running up the stairs in full riot gear: Helmets, Shields, Bats, and Rams. Well, the majority of the people backed up about 50 feet, but some of them thought they were going to take on the riot squad, and they ended up shooting more teargas outside.
All I heard for the next 2 hours was sirens and helicopters and ambulances. Even after everyone was confined to the parking lot and told to leave, there weere still police showing up. I was in the visitor parking, and I get to my car and the whole lot was blocked off with police tape. So i say "WTF? Im supposed to leave, but without my car? I dont think so" So I had to wait there foir another hour because a major fight broke out in the parking lot, and shots were fired. An ambulance came and picked up someone who was shot by a cop. I just watched for about 2 hours as they arrested at least 30 people. Finally, they let me leave, I walk over to my car, and their is blood all over the ground and the news are taking pics and shit.
but all in all, I cant believe that a major race riot like this, where the police were extremely brutal, didnt make the news, even though all the locals newsstations were there. Plenty of people took pics with their phones of cops beating black people, blood on the ground, etc. the girl with the taser in her face. Worst of all, there were no refunds, so UAlbany made off with about $160,000 in ticket sales, and these people are mad as fuck! Im expecting major bad press for UAlbany. There are going to be plenty of people calling up the newstations with pictures and video saying they were offended by the police brutality, etc. This was a major incident, they cant sweep this under the rug. The truth will get out.
Im just disappointed that a few crazy motherfuckers fucked it up for everyone else. Id say not even 10% of the audience were involved in the riot, so its unfair to the rest of us, who piad $30 to go wait in line for an hour, go through a metal detector, be told to evaucate the building for an hour, wait another 1/2 hour getting back in line to go thru metal detectors, then being told 5 minutes later they had to leave again because of a fight over seats. Then being told the shows cancelled, and have to stand and watch police use excessive force to control the crowd. Then be teargassed multiple times, and told to stand outside in the freezing rain for almost 2 hours before they were allowed to leave. Its bullshit, and I hope the police and security get major bad press, because theres no reason for that kind of excessive force, especially after someones facedown, handcuffed, and bleeding all over the ground, with a cop sitting on their back, beating them in the head with a nightstick.
The only article I found about this was here
http://www.wnyt.com/x12302.xml?ag=x156&sb=x183
Concert goers arrested after fight at U Albany arena
Fight broke out following fire alarm
ALBANY, March 2
By WNYT Staff
Campus police at the University at Albany broke up a major fight tonight at the SEFCU arena. The Chief of campus police tells us that the fight broke out following a fire alarm at the arena.
Fire crews were called to the arena for the fire alarm but no fire was found.
The students and other young people evacuated the building without incident.
As concert goers were heading back to their seats, campus police say a large fight broke out.
Campus police and security for the concert intervened and quickly stopped the fight. Police arrested several young people. We do not know the extent of any injuries.
Witnesses tell Newschannel 13 that police had handcuffed several students in a matter of minutes.
We will have more on this story Saturday morning on Weekend Today.
Well the warm-up show started and someone lit up a blunt and the fire alarm went off and everyone had to evacuate, which took over an hour, Campus Security and local police had to force everybody out of the building for firecrews to investigate. An hour later, everyone was crammed against the doors to get back in the building...we went back thru the metal dtectors and all kindsa shit...well lucky me...im one of the first ones back in, and i got to stand in the front row in front of the stage.
Well, within like 2 minutes, there were about 150 people back in the gym, when all of a sudden, the 3 girls that were standing next to me, from Albany, with their man, were confronted by a couple guys from Harlem, and told to move. Im not even sure what happened next, but they jumped this one guy, and i ended up getting elbowed in my face. I look up and all I see is a Cop with his taser-gun out and hes spraying one of the girls right in her face, well the next thing I know the cop is on the ground getting his ass beat by about 20 people. I see tons of security and police runnign down the bleachers, they were outside controlling the people getting back in. Well, about 6 or 7 cops/security got attacked, and then they just started hitting people with nightsticks and letting off teargas in the building. So the fire alarm goes off again, and no one wants to leave this time. So they call in the Riot Squad. You've got about 5-7,000 angry people who already paid their money for the show being told they have to leave the building for another hour.
Thats when the riot started. Police got everyone outside and locked the doors and said concerts closed, Jones left. Someone hurled a huge rock at a cop and hit him right in his face, and more people started throwing rocks and breaking windows. People were yelling "Burn this bitch, Fuck Tha Police, we want our refunds, y'all should know better than to let the hood up in here" It was nuts. The all-white police were going nuts on the black people, tackling them and beating them with their sticks and shooting them with tasers. But everytime theyd arrest someone, theyd get attacked by about 10 people. So I look over to my left, and I see about 50 cops running up the stairs in full riot gear: Helmets, Shields, Bats, and Rams. Well, the majority of the people backed up about 50 feet, but some of them thought they were going to take on the riot squad, and they ended up shooting more teargas outside.
All I heard for the next 2 hours was sirens and helicopters and ambulances. Even after everyone was confined to the parking lot and told to leave, there weere still police showing up. I was in the visitor parking, and I get to my car and the whole lot was blocked off with police tape. So i say "WTF? Im supposed to leave, but without my car? I dont think so" So I had to wait there foir another hour because a major fight broke out in the parking lot, and shots were fired. An ambulance came and picked up someone who was shot by a cop. I just watched for about 2 hours as they arrested at least 30 people. Finally, they let me leave, I walk over to my car, and their is blood all over the ground and the news are taking pics and shit.
but all in all, I cant believe that a major race riot like this, where the police were extremely brutal, didnt make the news, even though all the locals newsstations were there. Plenty of people took pics with their phones of cops beating black people, blood on the ground, etc. the girl with the taser in her face. Worst of all, there were no refunds, so UAlbany made off with about $160,000 in ticket sales, and these people are mad as fuck! Im expecting major bad press for UAlbany. There are going to be plenty of people calling up the newstations with pictures and video saying they were offended by the police brutality, etc. This was a major incident, they cant sweep this under the rug. The truth will get out.
Im just disappointed that a few crazy motherfuckers fucked it up for everyone else. Id say not even 10% of the audience were involved in the riot, so its unfair to the rest of us, who piad $30 to go wait in line for an hour, go through a metal detector, be told to evaucate the building for an hour, wait another 1/2 hour getting back in line to go thru metal detectors, then being told 5 minutes later they had to leave again because of a fight over seats. Then being told the shows cancelled, and have to stand and watch police use excessive force to control the crowd. Then be teargassed multiple times, and told to stand outside in the freezing rain for almost 2 hours before they were allowed to leave. Its bullshit, and I hope the police and security get major bad press, because theres no reason for that kind of excessive force, especially after someones facedown, handcuffed, and bleeding all over the ground, with a cop sitting on their back, beating them in the head with a nightstick.
The only article I found about this was here
http://www.wnyt.com/x12302.xml?ag=x156&sb=x183
Concert goers arrested after fight at U Albany arena
Fight broke out following fire alarm
ALBANY, March 2
By WNYT Staff
Campus police at the University at Albany broke up a major fight tonight at the SEFCU arena. The Chief of campus police tells us that the fight broke out following a fire alarm at the arena.
Fire crews were called to the arena for the fire alarm but no fire was found.
The students and other young people evacuated the building without incident.
As concert goers were heading back to their seats, campus police say a large fight broke out.
Campus police and security for the concert intervened and quickly stopped the fight. Police arrested several young people. We do not know the extent of any injuries.
Witnesses tell Newschannel 13 that police had handcuffed several students in a matter of minutes.
We will have more on this story Saturday morning on Weekend Today.
