Friday, June 4, 2010
News Violence halts Screen on the Green
Posted by Andisheh Nouraee on Fri, Jun 4, 2010 at 1:12 PM
From the AJC's What The Hell Is Wrong With Some People Department:
Thursday night's "Screen on the Green" movie at Piedmont Park ended early after a large fight broke out in the crowd and was followed by gunshots, according to audience members who lit up Twitter after the event.
Notably, two witnesses interviewed by the AJC complain there were no police near by.
As Thomas Wheatley might say if he were writing this post, this is why we can't have nice things, Atlanta.
UPDATE, 11:31 a.m.: Peachtree TV, the event's sponsor, released this statement to the AJC:
"Thursday night’s Screen on the Green event in Piedmont Park was ended early due to safety concerns. Event sponsor Peachtree TV – in consultation with the Atlanta Police Department, private security and the company that operates the event – stopped the movie 20 minutes early and worked with the Piedmont Park Conservancy and APD to safely vacate the area. Last night’s events are currently under review by APD, Peachtree TV, the City of Atlanta Parks Department and the Conservancy."
Comments (152)
Showing 1-50 of 152
I was there last week and similar events happened then as well. I felt like I was at Greenbrier mall on the Saturday before school starts.
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This is what happens when you show movies like 'Transformers'. I am guessing that if TCM still sponsored the event, you wouldn't have any shooting at 'The Wizard of Oz' and 'Viva Las Vegas'
Yeah, showing a bombastic, CGI 'splosion fest like Transformers is a weird move. I just looked up the lineup for Washington DC's Screen on the Green and it's all classic movies from the 1960s. I doubt they'll get the same crowd with old movies that Piedmont got last night with Transformers. Step 1: know your audience.
The movie choice had ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with it. The fight broke out well out of viewing range of the movie in the upper part of the park. There were literally thousands of younger people that were there only to loiter and mingle and had no interest in the film.
Let's blame the movie, CGI special effects, security, the company hosting the FREE event, year the movie was made, etc. Blame anyone or anything except the people who are actually fighting, shooting, throwing rocks at cars in a crowded event without any regard for anyone but themselves. The people creating the violence must be the real victims here. Apparently they can't control themselves and it's everyone elses fault. PEOPLE WISE UP!
I live in the neighborhood. It was awful. Droves of thug kids. I say cancel the whole series!
This is why the city needs to spend $3 million this year to open all the rec centers and pools.
I was there last night and last Thursday. As a person that is basically the same age as the people causing all of the problems, I am ashamed of my generation. My group of friends have been going to Screen on the Green for while now, and we've NEVER seen anything like what we've seen during these last two showings. It's ridiculous. The demographic has changed drastically. The security sucks. My friends and I had to flag down a random police officer in his cruiser and the street and tell him there was a fight in the park. They need to shut down Screen on the Green or move it back to Centennial.
@S. Dekalb Voter...you mean if the city spent $3 million on rec centers and pools this year this wouldn't happen? Ummm...yeah.
I was at the Screen on the Green last night. I saw the large crowds of teenagers who didn't seem interested in anything other than starting trouble. They gathered along the outsides of the main crowd, who were trying to watch the movie, and talked loudly and would often walk through the crowds of moviegoers, perhaps looking for anything they could steal. At the top of the hill near the portapotties the crowd started growing even larger and louder. Apparently a fight borke out and someone started shooting. There were screams and people started running. The crowd mentality set in. After the shooting, most people started leaving who weren't even nearby, some stayed. As I drove my car away I saw two Atlanta cops sitting far away from the action on the corner of Monroe and 10th Street. They seemed to be cowering under the shadows of the treeline. Wow! This is what our tax dollars go towards? thanks for the "protection."
me and 3 of my friends went screen on the green......we did not even know there was a fight or gunshots, but when we were waiting for our ride we saw ppl walkin in the middle of the street and doing other things......all i can say is that i am ashamed of my age group and even my race right now, because everyone knows it was mainly black ppl:( ,but screen on the green should not be cancelled, all it needs is better security to control the crowds.
Is the Piedmont Park Conservancy doing anything to improve security in the Park? Wasn't there a murder and some muggings in the Park in 2009? Is the Piedmont Park Consrvancy going to allow a tragedy to occur before acting?
I was there last night and there was no security of police anywhere around. It is a movie and all those there to hang out should be escorted out (or to another area for those who think they have the "right" to loiter). The seating area should be roped off and no one allowed to walk around. I left before the movie was ended because I feared something happening to my children. We were all in the back along the walkway and witnessed three arguments, guys running on people's blankets, pot smoking, etc. Once again, there was no police presence. STOP it before it starts. Don't allow those not interested in the movie to hang out there. It may be a public park but it is a planned event that can be controlled.
start with more security, including horse-mounted officers. also consider rules similiar to those enacted by atlanta station recently to cut down on the number of thugs loitering: no baggy pants, no large white tees, etc. and definitely get a better lineup of movies in the future, even if it means finding a new sponsor.
oooops. that should read "atlantic station", not "atlanta station". the "atlanta" pool at white water is thug free, as far as i know.
While blaming teenagers is tempting (and blaming police is just plain fun), maybe we should all realize we live in a major city that doesn't provide many outlets for the under 21 crowd and basically nothing for free. With those powers combined events like this are bound to draw some rabble-rousers. The city knows that. So how about some reinforcements of the badge variety guys.
Just for the record, I was joking about the rec centers. That campaign promise is a total joke.
shasha, "they" will have to do until the shooters/thugs identify themselves. unless u want to tell us the names of your friends yourself.
wesleywhatwhat, Wow! Your comment was completely uncalled for. Your attitude is the reason why Atlanta is so divided at times. We already know what group you're referring to, and as a black person, I'm completely offended. I have a very diverse group of friends, and we were just as offended as any other movie goer. Stereotyping is just flat out ignorant.
smh, reread my comments. no stereotyping whatsoever. i guess some people just want to bring up the "stereotyping" card when this is about people acting inappropriately in public. sounds like you're part of the problem.
This was a dreadful sight. People were being hit while sitting in their vehicles and sucker punch as they walked to their cars on the sidewalk. I can not believe that young ladies were acting like pure wanna be thugs. Lack of respect is unbelievable. I also cannot believe that police did not see a mob of 50 walking down the street assaulting innocent people. But i get a ticket 2 blocks away for a blown brakelight... way to go APD
This is clearly the effect Megan Fox has on our adolescent boys. It's not their fault! Please don't blame them. They had no choice but to behave like this. Damn you Ms. Fox!
It's very hard NOT to stereotype when the stereotypes are the ones ruining the show for the non-stereotypes.
For those of you that were there, did any of you call the police or see anyone call the police when the problems started?
Well SMH... I was there and I did not see any white kids going nuts. I am sick of the black community in this city -- my home - getting so easily offended when we call out your kids for committing crimes and creating situations just like this. There I said it... and I am sick of it. CONTROL YOUR KIDS.
I was there. I am older in my fourties. The back of park was the problem. Yes, indeed the problem were the young group approx. 19 even younger in big crowds starting trouble not interested in the movie harassing females and any other person they like. Yes, I am embarassed.. WE all saw who they were..this comes from no home training, no jobs and most of all no respect for themselves or any other group. and dont give me that sh;; about growing up in poverished area. I grew up in one of the most deprived areas in Oakland ca where shootings were like drinking water. I graduated from a ivy league college,walked to high and middle school as people sold drugs on the street. Its about home training.
smh why do you think there are stereotypes of people in general? do you need the definition?
Last summer there was a movie screening in Washington Park (an over 90% BLACK neighorhood) and there were absolutely no problems. So don't blame it on the "hood." This was some flukey flash mob gone awry and it hasn't been issue in the past so everyone calm the heck down!! I know a lot of you jump at any chance you get to rag on Black people but let it go. Proper security is required for any major event.
Let's face it. Every person causing a disturbance both on the green during the movie that I saw was black. Every person kicking cars, breaking windows and running in the middle of the street like a rabid animal was black. Every person who was hanging on the white guy in the jeeps car assaulting him and his passengers was black. It's not a stereotype. It's math. 100%. We didn't need security in prior screen on the greens when there were ... drumroll ... no young black people! When 2,000 tax paying white people get together it's amazing how tranquil things are. Swap out the white jeep driver for a black family, now surround his jeep wth 8 unruly white redneck teens spitting and punching them. What do you think would be the front page of the newspaper? Hate crime, this, Al Sharpton that, racism this. I'm sick of this cities leadership who is unwilling to point the finger directly at the people who are 100% responsible for the problems in this city.
First of all, it is not offensive to state an observation. My observation, both weeks, was that the young African American youth were the problem. No common decency what so ever!!! As for living in a city without any outlets. What about books, music, athletics, etc.? Unfortunately it seems like the thug atmosphere is once again ruining a great event in "The A". Both weeks were terrible. For the record, I am not a redneck from the burbs, I live and work within miles of Piedmont Park and am sick of feeling unsafe on Marta, downtown, and at events like this.
The whole scene was something out of Blackhawk down ... it's not Atlanta it's freaking Somalia.
DeeLovely: As a point of fact, similar things happened the week before at screen on the green, just not to this extent. And it was the same crowd. So your "fluke" event myth is busted. I am sure in Washington Park, parents and respected community members were there to set an example and put the kids in there place. If a white guy in a polo shirt would try to put one of those kids in his/her place...it would have most certainly been a fight. The problem is the culture of that group of young adults wanting to be hardcore gangsta's. Someone should tell them that the true measure of one's self is self improvement and knowledge...not how hard you can hit someone or how loud you can yell or cuss.
This blog is starting to remind me of the ajc blogs. There goes to neighborhood.
Right on the money, @Sick of it. If the races were reversed you know the cries of racism would be heard round the world by now. We cant ask for equality and if we're not gonna ACT like equals. dont get defensive, OWN IT. once we own the problem we can fix it. continue to throw it off to others and we're powerless. we got a problem. this was black kids this time, harassing just for the sake of causing trouble and hurting people. that is NOT something i get behind. if youre defending them, youre not helping fix the problem. step UP.
@unreal and sickofitall...I consider myself very liberal and progressive. Until recently I would have considered your comments thinly veiled redneck racism. But you are right about the facts. If the races were reversed last night, this would be front page news across the globe. Kudos to all members of the community that aren't making excuses and demanding that everyone behaves appropriately. Everyone making excuses for their behavior (ie -they don't have anything else to do) is implicated in their actions.
the guy in the jeep who was assaulted by the mob says it was a hate crime. investigation to follow?
In response to Sickofitall: You are right. I am black and I agree. Tell the truth and nothing but the truth. I was there and it wass all black young thugs. As I stated before: NO HOME TRAINING
Another option is to simply charge $5.00. Put the money towards paying off duty cops to keep 10th street from turning into Mogadishu.
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