Headline News
Police Battle Punk Fans At California Concert
The Associated Press has issued the following report:
Rioting broke out Saturday night (March 4) at British punk band concert in San Bernardino, California, injuring several people and destroying two police cars, officials said.
Some in the crowd of about 1,500 at the "British Invasion 2K6" show pelted police with rocks and bottles, forcing the officers to withdraw, police spokesman Sgt. Rick Lindsey said.
Two concertgoers were hospitalized with serious injuries, and two officers suffered minor injuries, he said.
The rioting began when police responded to a report of a stabbing at the National Orange Show Events Center concert. When officers arrived, the crowd became agitated and several fights broke out, forcing the officers to back off, Lindsey said.
After backup arrived, the officers went in again and extracted the stabbing victim and another person who was beaten, Lindsey said. But the violent crowd forced officers to withdraw again.
With additional backup, including Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies and Fontana police, officers lined up in phalanx formation to clear the streets and they fired pepper balls and tear gas to move the crowd, Lindsey said.
As the crowd dispersed they destroyed two police cars and vandalized area businesses, Lindsey said. A trash bin was set on fire (photo) and storefront windows were smashed.
The all-day concert was scheduled to feature 22 punk rock bands, including G.B.H. and THE ADICTS.
Source: Blabbermouth
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57 Comments on "Police Battle Punk Fans At California Concert"
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22. writes:
a few bad apples doesn't make a whole basket.
I grew up on punk/crossover music right along side of metal
to me metal heads and punks go hand in hand in my book a lot of punk music
influenced a lot of your music today ask ppl what do they think of bands like
Discharge, The Misfits, GBH and Black Flag esp. folks like Superjoint Ritual, Crowbar,
Anthrax and so on and they are going to point out that punk rock had a heavy influence
on their sound. BTW I dont agree with those kids rioting it was clearly the venue's
fault they should of had better security to avoid that unfortunate stabbing.
23. writes:
f***in' punks, and what the f*** is with post 3? Cops deserve getting beaten and hated by people who make rash assumptions? For what, trying to make your life and mine a little safer. Those punks who buy into the anarchic, anti-authoritarian bullsh** typically hate all cops and think they're all the same eg "conformists". Little do they realize that rash generalization is a conformist. Behaviour. And yes, I realize that I just made a generalzation against people making generalization. But then again I can because I also have the f***ing guts to not lie to my self and admit that conformity is impossible to avoid.
24. writes:
I have only two questions maybe somebody can answer, since I wasn't there but my 16-yr-old daughter was almost gassed to death... Did security or anybody ever make an announcement asking the kids to cool out when things started getting chaotic, and did anybody - security, the Police or anyone make any attempt/announcement asking folks to leave peacefully before they started bombing the place with tear-gas? The media reporting on this is so lame I can't believe it, compared with what the folks experienced first-hand.
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28. writes:
"f***in' punks, and what the f*** is with post 3? Cops deserve getting beaten and hated by people who make rash assumptions? For what, trying to make your life and mine a little safer. Those punks who buy into the anarchic, anti-authoritarian bullsh** typically hate all cops and think they're all the same eg "conformists". Little do they realize that rash generalization is a conformist. Behaviour. And yes, I realize that I just made a generalzation against people making generalization. But then again I can because I also have the f***ing guts to not lie to my self and admit that conformity is impossible to avoid."
those punks probably pray everyday that the goverment doesnt collapse, they'll be the first one's scaired sh**.
Supporter
30. writes:
To answer cyberbs’s question: I’m 43 and was there with my 14-year-old niece inside the Orange Pavilion, sitting in the back as Broken Bones played. There was no announcement that there was trouble outside. If they made any announcements outside, we didn’t hear it. We had no idea anything was wrong until kids and tear gas streamed inside. We made it out the opposite side doors and saw a police helicopter overhead. By then, things were so bad that the police wouldn’t let us back to my car; we had to walk far away from the chaos to a place where we called for a ride home..
31. writes:
#25 - I'd say that security has a huge tendency to drop-off once all seems cool... for instance - I went to see Devildriver and In Flames not long ago. I was patted down on only ONE side of my body... k, what'd if I'd been packin' heat? Well, the first person I'd thank would be the dumb-ass at the door.
#23 / #28 - I agree with you. The pigs are an invaluable part of society in regards to keeping some order. Most certainly I don't agree with all the policies instutied by the government, but that's not the fault of the PO's. I think that alot of people point the finger in the wrong direction (should they even be pointing it at all due to the fact that retarded bastard-children who can't follow or establish a simple moral code and think anarchy is the sh**...), instead of pointing it at the cops why don't you point it at our f***ed up system of government?
Democracy my ass. Tax cuts for the wealthy, while the lowest class is continually bilked. "Operation Blood for Oil", a moron in office... if we're going to uncover what's wrong with this place I think it best to take a top down approach. The whole influences its parts in this case. The police are a part, but they're just taking orders from higher-ups.
And if some "punk" hadn't flipped out ("You call my mohawk stupit?" - sic) none of this garbage would have happened.
#19 - that's how it happens man... 95% of people minding their business, the other 5 or so trying to start sh** for ridiculous reasons like ego-trips, to impress their ugly-assed-horse-faced-girlfriends-who-lack-personality-and-probably-aren't-even-a -good-f***.
Punk-machismo... if such a thing exists.
So damn stupid the things we do to each other.
The amount of unthinkingness... *shakes head* pathetic.
If you ever wonder why I'm a misanthropist - this would be a place to consider.
Member
34. writes:
fck the police, if they werent so abusive with their power and killing young children because they pulled out a water gun people wouldnt hate them som much. i didnt even realize real punk existed anymore, but then again im not sixteen anymore and dont have a pin peirced thru my cheek.
DIME R.I.P 666
35. writes:
yeah, u may not like punks but DAMN arent we all in against the f***en police? i mean look at that.....they didnt even warn them about that tear gas crap.....n f***in pepper balls??? thats ridiculous!! now matter how bad they were, even if it was all of them or not, they should have been the superior badasses they say are n handled it better. cops are f***in ridiculous.......and hey there is nothing wrong with punks, im not sayin that i am one, im just more open minded.....i think of it as we all came from the same roots of music n juss branched off yah know.....its like yer all rascist...but with music, i mean isnt that why were all here? FOR THE LOVE OF MUSIC, METAL, PUNK, ROCK...WHATEVER!! THAT IS WHY WERE HERE!
36. writes:
Thank you #30 & #35, you pretty much corroborated what I've heard from others who were there... The concert was 'crashed' by NeoNazi Skinhead punks shouting White Power slogans who started up with the kids (Punks or whatever) there trying to have a good time, one of the Nazi's gets stabbed, and in the midst of thousands of people, this melee in one area not known immediately to the rest of the crowd. Nobody comes on stage or on the PA to announce anything or warn anyone to mellow out or shutting down the show... The fighting moves outside... The cops responding to the 911 call encounter the worst of the scuffers outside and call in the riot squad to do what? Pelt everyone back inside the place with the rubber bullets etc. and then, having pushed people back inside (later saying they were trying to get to the location of the distressed person or the fighting), fire tear gas cannisters into a crowd of over a thousand people most teenagers and kids... and when they all start trying to get out of there - innocent kids still get attacked, clubbed and gassed as if they were the rowdy ones... If that ain't profiling, what is? I'm usually all for the Police and appreciate the great services they usually provide - but this was totally uncalled for excessive use of force. Not just business owners but the innocent concertgoers should also be suing the Orange Events facility and the City. If the final analysis, if the skinheads didn't go in there looking for trouble, it would have been an uneventful evening. After the Police overreacted the rowdier elements of the Punk crowd also overreacted with their stupid behavior, but they were worked up by the violence of both the skinheads and the cops. The media isn't telling the story of the thousands of innocent victims of the evening... they are talking only of how punks attacked the cops and businesses. The truth needs to be told.
Supporter
38. writes:
GOD I HATE SKINHEAD'S !
Nothing but trouble....All they are good for is pointless bovine caca.In France & Germany they are not allowed in public places.I would hate to suggest that one of the basic American freedom's be taken from any American person but those a$$holes tend to abuse it.
Supporter
42. writes:
thanx cyberbs.. i guess....you know i bet the cops only overreacted because of how they look...which is really f***ed up....i mean if there was a riot a.....f***en.....britney spears concert, they would be totally fine with it....they wouldnt teargas the dumbass blonde preppy girls, theyd juss overlook it or tell em to stop.....i HATE cops.....but its funny cuz the ones here (i live in a REAL small town) cant do sh**, i mean i started smokin bout a year ago.....so i was bout 13....yeah n i still havent got caught...hell i dealed out in the middle of the street, literally....cuz there was no cars yah know, during broad daylight! it was kinda funney really...but anyway, back on topic, yeah so umm die cops die! long live weed! and...uh LICK ASS! no i jokes ; )
43. writes:
I'll probably get booted out for this and I'm no preacher but Don't Smoke, anything! Life is too short and already too polluted by forces you can't control, why give it up to forces you Can control?? Find what you are great at and enjoy and put the energy there, get high doing those things... End of preachy irritating sermon. Sorry folks, just seen to many lose their grip from this stuff.. It ain't worth it in the end, trust me on that.
Member
Supporter
51. writes:
A kinda similar thing happened by me where there were punk and metal bands playing and a punk band and a metal band got into a fight. One of the guys in the punk band stabbed a guy in the metal band. I'm not sure if he lived or died but punk band are not allowed at the venue anymore!!! So it took something horrible to make something awesome! \m/
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1. rising end writes:
hahaha silly punk kids.