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Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Heard in the Hall

Councilman on Tasergate: Suburbanites making city look bad

Philadelphia City Hall and political coverage from the Philadelphia Inquirer City Hall bureau.

172 comments

Councilman on Tasergate: Suburbanites making city look bad

POSTED: Tuesday, May 4, 2010, 1:03 PM

Jeff Shields

Mayor Nutter is standing by the police officer who Tasered the teen-ager trespassing in center field at Monday night's Phillies game, but it was South Philadelphia City Councilman Jim Kenney on Tuesday who had the strongest words yet for the behavior that precipitated the incident.

Mayoral spokesman Doug Oliver said Nutter "fully supports" Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey, who defended the police officer who used a Taser gun to stun and subdue 17-year-old Steve Consalvi of Boyertown, in Berks County. "He strongly discourages fans from running on the field during the game, or without permission," said Oliver. Nutter is at a meeting in Washington, D.C., and could not be reached immediately for comment.

Kenney defended not just the police but also city sports fans, and complained that suburbanites were giving the city a bad rap.

"It seems to me that people from the suburbs think, when they come into the city, they can act like idiots," said Kenney, who is meeting with police and team officials next week about security policies at the stadiums. "A lot of them come in and disrespect Philadelphia, then complain how bad Philadelphia is."

Kenney noted that neither Monday's episode nor the infamous "Pukeymon" incident last month -- in which 21-year-old Matthew Clemmens of Cherry Hill allegedly purposefully vomited on an 11-year-old girl at a Phillies game -- involved a Philadelphian.

Kenney praised the Phillies for their efforts to control unruly fans, including ejecting three "drunken idiots" who sat behind him a Phillies-Dodgers playoff game in October and chanted "F-- You, Manny."

Kenney wants anyone escorted out of the sports facilities to face, arrest, prosecution, a fine and/or community service. He was a backer of the famous "Eagles Court" presided over by now-Supreme Court Justice Seamus McCaffery, and suggested that a police wagon* should be stationed outside each game, if necessary, to take unruly fans away.

"I do think it does damage further the reputation of this town and its sports fans.," Kenney said. Kenney said while the use of a stun-gun appears "shocking," it was also hazardous for police officers to have to chase and/or wrestle people tot he ground. "Anything can happen when you have to physically subdue someone. The bottom line: no one has an issue if the goofball doesn’t run on the field."

"You can’t just allow them just go home or go to the next bar and brag about how fun it was to get thrown out of the stadium," Kenney said.

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*NOTE: The author of this blog post may have slurred his own Irish ancestry in the original version by using the term "paddy wagon." While the origin of the term is disputed -- either referrding to the Irish "Paddies" thrown into the wagon, or the Irish policemen doing the throwing -- we get that it can be offensive. Kenney did not use this term.

Click here for Philly.com's politics page.

172 comments

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Comments (172)

Comment removed.

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 1:45 PM, 05/04/2010

If it wasn't for those suburbanites Philadelphia wouldn't have any of the 4 major sports teams you idiot! City goverment is what makes this city look bad! Those 3 stooges that killed that guy after a Phillies game were home grown or did we forget! Toolbag!

— hexyscores

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 1:46 PM, 05/04/2010

smarterthanyou- so by your rationale, if 99% of ticketholders at Philly sporting events are from the 'burbs, and philly fans are known for boorish behavior, then the suburbs is 99% responsible? They suburbanites have certainly ruined the nightlife in old city and they're working on rittenhouse and north liberties next. They are still about 3 years away from the bars on east passyunk aveneue yet.

— phila215

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 1:50 PM, 05/04/2010

It is council that makes Philly look stupid.

— ALJ

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 1:51 PM, 05/04/2010

Counsilman please get a mirrow!

— supermanpjs

Comment removed.

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 1:57 PM, 05/04/2010

kenney represents the whole city, not just south

— scrayne.

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 1:57 PM, 05/04/2010

When suburbanites come to town to beat on innocents they'd better have wealthy, GOP-connected uncles or its off to jail.

— yawns

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 1:58 PM, 05/04/2010

Many of these SUBURBANITES wanna come back to Philly since THE GREAT RECESSION beause they are tired of HIGH PROPERTY TAXES, LONG COMMUTES and MORTGAGES that they can barely pay so for all of you trying to DOG Philly KILL THE NOISE HATERS!!!! There are a lot of "SUBURBANITES" trickling back to the hood and don't think people don't notice it.

— phillygtown

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 1:59 PM, 05/04/2010

Kenney is 100% right. Suburbanites come to the games to act up, and the city is left with the tarnished image. Then the suburbanites complain about Philadelphia as if it has substantially more problems than any other major city. Give me a break.

— Noonan

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 2:01 PM, 05/04/2010

hexyscores, very good points, I couldn't have put it better. The city government themselves look bad just for being morons. Somehow I feel they don't appreciate the revenue brought in from suburbia, DE, and Jersey.

— unclejed

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 2:03 PM, 05/04/2010

This is what happen when you have low standards and low class individuals roaming the city. When I drive my new Lexus around town locals I don't see these types of things happened but once I interact with people from outside the city stuff hits the fan. We are good people who like true and wholesome people like Kolb and not the wannabe's who are uncivilized like McNabb. McNabb never addressed the behavoir of fans and that's why fans did anything to him and this city like beating up other fans and pouring beer on McNabb. Kolb is a true All-American and a natural born leader and will demand the respect of not just his team but of the paying patrons and the rest of the city and surrounding areas. That's how far "REAL" leadership can travel.

— lonewolf 10

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 2:05 PM, 05/04/2010

Here's an idea: stop pushing beer at sporting events. Presto, no more drunken idiots.

— mlith35

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 2:06 PM, 05/04/2010

The councilman should be thanking every suburbanite who comes in the city to spend money. But first he should be down in Suburban Station thanking every suburbanite who pays the excessive city wage tax that supports his bloated salary and staff. Maybe they and their jobs should just stay out of the city since he doesn't want them.

— Jets