1983_09 Insight September 1983

              Entertainment
September 21, 1983
Calm crowd defies neighborhood
ByRi
Insight Reportei
On Sunday, Sept. 11, the day of The Police
concert at Ratdiffe stadium, a calm engulfed
last July's Journey and Loverboy concerts.
While nearly 20,000 enthusiastic fans
stomped, swayed, and danced Ratcllffe
stadium into a virtual dust-bowl to the runes of
Tbe Police, many residents in the surrounding
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contrast to the locked doors and pulled shades
that accompamed tbe earlier concerts.
Tbe Police concert began at 4 p.m. and continued six hours into the night
Performing were the Thompson Twins,
Oingo Boingo, The Fixx, and The Police.
provoked both fear and anger from residents
living In the ra*igrihorhoods around tbe stadium.
Crowds at last July's Journey and Loverboy
concerts wrought havoc upon the neighborhood
with unruly and destructive behavior.
Angry residents expected tbe worst when
Fresm Gty College, sponsors of the concerts at
Ratdiffe, dedded to proceed with Tbe Police
But neighbors and even police patrolling at
the concert were in for a pleasant surprise. A
major improvement was evident over tbe
previous crowds, apparently due to a combination of factors induding the efforts of FCC, the
concert promoters, and extremely tight securi-
a were brought to Ratdiffe by
FCC as a way to raise money for tbe "Rally for
Ratdiffe" program. The college hopes to raise
$950,000 to be used to renovate the stadium and
put in an all-weather track and a new soccer
field.
In response to tbe complaints voiced by
residents, Offshore Productions, the promoters
of The Police concert, formed a group called the
Neighborhood Environmental Enforcement
Team. Members were stationed along residential streets and at street corners to distribute
fryers containing instructions outlining bow to
behave at a rock concert and rules of conduct to
observe while in the surrounding neighborhood.
Private security officers also patrolled tbe
neighborhood blocks, hired by Offshore
specifically to work during the concert
FCC responded to the complaints by assigning a total of 19 special event monitors and coordinators to specific areas of tbe neighborhood.
Between 30 to 40 monitors patrolled tbe area.
Their duties were to help direct traffic, control
litter, and back up the Fresno police officers
But in spite of these efforts, residents Karen
Chapa and John McKiWp-rnembers of the
newly formed committee "Neighbors Around
Ratdiffe Stadium" (NARS)-fed the college
does not have the right to bold such events in a
facility like Ratcllffe. They fed the stadium is
not designed or equipped to accommodate the
large crowds that attend tbe concerts.
"Tbe Fresno City College parking lot can
only bold 5,000 cars," said McKillip. "If you're
going to put 20,000 in there, where are you going
to park them?"
McKillip complained that although FCC
had agreed to try to sol ve tbe traffic problem
for The Police concert, tbe college charged a $2
fee for tbe use of the FCC lots. FCC spokes Mark
Aydelotte said the fee was only $1.
McKillip believes the fee deterred concert-
goers from using the lot and forced many to
resort to using nei^borhood streets.
"Fresno City College says they're willing to
help you, and they turn tbe other side of the
coin. Sell everything you can," said McKillip,
"They're trying to rip-off as much as tbey can
out of these things. It really irks me."
Daring the two concerts last July, Chapa
and McKillip described incidents where
concert-goers were urinating on sidewalks,
fences, in alleys, and on tbe street They
described cases where grocery sacks, filled
with empty beer bottles, were tossed onto
sidewalks from tbe open windows of cars cruising up and down their residential street.
Alcohol was not allowed in the stadium during the earlier concerts, and according to
McKillip. this created problems.
"Kids around 14 or 16-years-oid gulped
The loud music, heavy traffic, and the concert
goers themselves are among the complaints by
residents neighboring Ratdiffe Stadium. Karen
Chaps and John Mekilllp are leading the campaign to stop the use of Ratcllffe Stadium for concert purposes.
Photos by Al Grillo
On the last stop of their North American Tour,
the concert that almost wasn't due to resident
protest. The Police drew over 20.000 fans at
Ratdiffe Stadium. Some ticket holders waited in
line over six hours before the gates opened up.
down most ot their beer, threw the empty bottles onto the lawns and in tbe streets," said
McKillip. "Then they staggered into the concert"
However, Chapa said that with The Police
concert, she "didn't see as much trash on the
streets."
Fresno Police Lt Ted Large was assigned
to the area surrounding the stadium the night of
The Police concert and also noticed an improvement.
According to Chapa and McKillip, the open
use of drugs was rampant at last July's concerts, with many people becoming so intoxicated they required the aid of friends to help
carry them into the stadium.
Large said about the same number of arrests occurred at The Police concert as at tbe
Journey concert. Most arrests were for traffic
violations, public intoxication, small disturbances and minors in possession of alcohol.
But Large feels this concert's crowd was
more cooperative than past crowds.
Inside the stadium, campus police reported
a total of nine arrests, mostly alcohol and drug-
related.
McKillip described another case during an
earlier concert where a young man sat on a
neighbor's lawn fondling his girlfriend. According to McKillip, the neighbor has two young
"A neighbor said it's like being held
hostage," said Chapa. "You can't let children
play outside because of the people."
Traffic was also a major problem at past
concerts, according to Chapa and McKillip.
"The kids >jot out around 11:30 p.m to midnight" said Chapa. ""With radios blaring,
they'd go SO mph down the street."
Chapa said double and even triple parking
congested their street blocking corners, fire
hydrants, alleys, and made it impossible for
emergency vehicles to pass if the need had
arisen.
However, the visibility of Fresno policemen
on motorcycles appeared to deter The Police
concert-goers from illegal parking.
Lt. Large described the neighborhood parking situation as "tidier" than at past concerts.
Another problem plaguing past concerts.
according to Chapa and McKillip, was noise.
Chapa described the noise level as "house
shaking." She said even with the windows closed, the shades pulled, the "air conditioner running, and the stereo playing, sound could still be
beard.
Chapa said- that at The Police concert, the
noise was again "appalling."
"You couldn't go to sleep. I wanted to put
■my daughter to bed," said Chapa. "I ended up
putting her on the couch."
Lt Large agreed that noise was a problem
for residents and reported that Fresno Police
received over 100 noise-related complaints during The Police concert.
But Aydelotte said there is little that can be
done by FCC about the noise problem.
"There's not a lot the college canatrttaout
rock conert noise," said Aydelotte. "The way
the stadium is, it's got residential on one side
and industrial on the other. The majority of the
noise goes through the commercial section.
Anytime you're near a stadium, you take a
risk— like living near an airport."
An improvement over past concerts
reported by Chapa was the lack of "tail-gate"
parties—groups of concert-goers who gather to
socialize after the concert. Chapa said she saw
no one standing around the neighborhood after
the concert.
"We didn't have as many problems because
there were 10,000 less people>said Chapa.
Lt. Large said the improved situation could
possibly be attributed to the smaller turnout
than for past concerts and the late arrival of
many of the concert-goers.
But Large said credit should be given to the
crowd at the concert for their cooperation in a
situation he said "had great potential for
violence." ...
Chapa said even though there were some
improvements made at The Police concert, she,
and the committee will still push to stopjuture
concerts. She feels the extra security at The
Police concert was only a.tejanporary situation
in response to the complaints of area residents.
McKillip, Chapa and about 20 other
residents voiced their complaints earlier to the
State Center Community College Board of
Trustees, hoping to avoid more concerts after
the Journey concert.
In addition to discussing the issues of noise,
behavior problems, traffic, and litter, residents
were hoping to have an environmental assessment made of their neighborhood to offer proof
of the damage and potential property value loss
that could be incurred from future concerts.
Chapa claims an unusual number of "For
Sale" signs have appeared throughout the
neighborhood surrounding the stadium. She
said she felt the concert threat may have been a
factor.
But Aydelotte said college officials claimed
exemption from an environmental assessment,
stating the stadium is a pumic tacuity, and as
such, is excluded from such a requirement.
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McKillip said FCC claimed'the concerts
were "experimental" and the outcome of this
summer's concerts would determine If any
more would be held in the future. But McKillip
and Chapa feel the college "just doesn't care"
about damage done to their neighborhood.
"They're making money, so it doesn't matter," said Chapa. "If they were really concerned, they would do someUung about it."
But Aydelotte said the college is making an
dfort to help residents and concerts at Ratdiffe
are experimental.
"The college has been really^pen in trying
to solve the problems," said Ayddotte. "We've
never had the experience ot holding a concert
that big. If it turns out to be too much of a hassle
and disruption to the neighborhood, they dtaatt_)
college) will forget it."
Part of this effort was apparent at the
September n concert. As concert-goers ldt the
stadium, a voice over the loudspeaker urged
them to please show consideration for the
neighborhood or else rock concerts would no
longer be held at the stadium.
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