43 comment posts
Last Reply: 10/18/2008 10:24 PM
Woman Tasered at Badger game
(10/18/2008 10:24 PM)
dh says:
This article has nothing to do with restaurants or last names, so "Sick of it" keep his comments to himself.
This only has to do with an upset Badger fan and UW-Badger security.
(10/16/2008 3:12 PM)
AN INSIDER says:
If you were at the game, thank-you for your comments, for those of you who were not, what's with the horribly crude, angry and vulgar comments, your opinions are useless and irrelavent. You simply do not have any idea of what you are talking about, unless you believe the lies and one sided reports from the police. Shame on you!
The people in the immediate are, on their own, passed around a sheet of paper and gave their name and phone number, willing to testify (31 people). It's amazing to me how people will spread innacurate, distorted and complete lies about a specific situation they know nothing about. Keep your "opinions" to yourself!
And a fact everyone should know about. The victim has had 2 total knee replacements & a bad back from previous injury. She explained this to the female officer and that is why she could not occupy the empty seat in the next row 8 seats in from the isle, but the officer was unimpressed. Once the people in her isle finally moved down, she was able to get in her seat. By the time all the other police officers had shown up, they were pulling her hair & dragging her down the stairs and she kicked them because they were twisting her knees sideways and she was terrified they would damage the artaficial joints and she would need additional surgury.
All in all, do you really feel the police had to take things this far? To taser her? She was not threatening to anybody, just mouthy and standing up to what she believed were her rights, and yes, she shouldn't have done that. But once she was in her seat, which was her's which she paid for, the officer should just dropped it because the crowd was at that point getting very upset, but the officer just wouldn't let it go. And the additional police officers got into the frey and made it much worse. The police are getting too comfortable with using a taser and not using diplomacy and crowd control measures they supposedly were taught. All this because of someone sitting in the isle at a Badger game???
UNBELIEVABLE!!
(10/15/2008 9:35 AM)
uw alum says:
So my question now becomes, what will happen in a few weeks at the next home game? Everyone going to race to the stadium and get there 2 hours early to get "squatters" rights on their seats?
Based on apost below that finally a couple moved. If they could have moved earlier why didn't they? As stated earlier, the space provided for the average butt on the bleachers make work for students, but not for the average fan. They really need to relook at their seating and figure out a way to allow a game to be watched in comfort. After all we are paying a lot to go.
(10/15/2008 7:43 AM)
shapechanger says:
This is crazy. I can't believe the sheep-mentality of some of you people. "Mess with the bull and get the horns??" "Fans don't have the right to disobey officers??" "Comply??" It's mindless sheep like you that are the real problem. It would probably never occur to you that you might actually have MORE rights than any cops. Question authority or submit and be absorbed. The weak will choose the latter.
(10/14/2008 7:29 PM)
PA says:
I was sitting in front 1 row and could not believe what was going on. The "rent a campus cop" blew this one. She did ask her to move out of the aisle and the lady kept telling her she has a ticket for this seat but no one would move down. The big bad rent-a-cop said well it looks like you need to go and tried to pull her arm to move her. The lady pulled her arm back and then that's when the rent-a-cop started yelling at her and pulled the mace out and stuck it in her face.
When that did not work she called for back-up. The lady was able to get in her seat when a couple moved down into are row. The real cops arrived but by this time the lady was in tears and was curled up in her husbands arms. I think she was in shock and was not going to go anywhere with the cops. Then the 8 to 10 cops said it was show time and attacked the lady. I wish the woman rent-a-cop would have tried that in the student section......she would have been taken out on a stretcher.
(10/14/2008 3:38 PM)
boz says:
I was not anywhere near the incident. Lets me be objective, just the facts man. 56 year old woman, should I assume she was a bit distraught. Was the other person a trained professional, UW-Police.
Who was trained to problem solve the situation. Possibly if the officer had begun to make room in the stands for this individual she would have felt someone was assisting her.
Or was it like listen lady, all I know is that your in the aisle, tough toenails there is no seat for you.
I am so glad I grew out of the UW games after 15 years here.
The police's job is to turn everyone into a criminal, so good job, that is probably the training they receive. We are just supposed to think they are trained professionals.
The 'old' people who are the ticket helpers are helpless, did we not learn that in the stampede(my last game). The university needs to actually 'pay' professional staff to deal with these situations.
Enjoy the rest of the season, you have no more worries, after that game the stands should be emptying out.
(10/14/2008 3:03 PM)
A Sad Fan says:
The initial officer yelled down the row, "Move over! Move over! This woman is sitting in the step and she's not going to like it if she gets hauled out of here." Shortly after that, she had the mace dispenser in the woman's face, threatening to spray her. Of course, the woman should have complied with police requests, but the initial officer's grandiose posturing contributed to the escalation. Her actions need to be scrutinized.
(10/13/2008 11:54 PM)
JK says:
I witnessed this spectacle from a few rows down. It appeared to me that the police tried to pacifically take her out to the upper concourse to discuss the matter without bothering other fans. I feel like if the police ask you to do something, you comply if you want any chance of having yourself be heard. She reacted in a completely irrational way that suggested that she might be less than stable. You don't self-righteously push the officer away even if you believe yourself to be in the right because then you instantly lose credibility. I was awestruck at her defiance, and the way she was kicking around and freaking out and endangering herslef and the officers on those steep stairs, I'd've tased her too.
(10/13/2008 11:35 PM)
DaveTheLoveSlave says:
I was three rows back from this confrontation and saw the whole thing. The main problem is the seating at Camp Randall is a complete joke. I'm 6'1" 195, not a very big guy, but big enough to feel like a Sardine in these seats. If your over 220 pounds (and that's about 20,000 of you) you may just want to tailgate or stay at home. With the way they are playing that may be good advice.
(10/13/2008 10:40 PM)
Brian says:
Let's just not forget that November 4th, is Erection Day!! I'm want all strippers to 'hit' the poles! Then again, I'm for strippers becoming pole takers, too.
(10/13/2008 10:24 PM)
aanon says:
Screw this lady. The cops put themselves in harms way every day, if you present a threat you should get tasered.
(10/13/2008 9:27 PM)
Amazed Fan says:
Having had a front row seat to events on Saturday evening, the situation wasn't the result of people in the wrong seats rather "BIG" people in multiple seats. When the request was made for everybody to move down so the woman could have her seat, there was truly no place to move. This wasn't her fault. The original female police officer could clearly have handled the issue better as could the woman. The second officer to arrive really tried to de-escalate the situation and I thought he handled it very well. Unfortunately, the woman refused to cooperate when he repeatedly asked her to go with him in order to take a statement, etc. There were no winners Saturday night that was for sure.
(10/13/2008 9:26 PM)
a fellow U-pper says:
I too was in section U.
The cops [ultimately there were 7 or more] spent at least 15 minutes trying to reason with this woman. If she had a ticket to sit there, she apparently did not produce it.
If she simply would have walked up to the upper concourse with the cops this could have been resolved peacefully.
She was stubborn to the point of lunacy.
She looked ridiculous. So did her companion?
Mess with the bull and you get the horns.
(10/13/2008 8:26 PM)
Clint E. says:
I am so upset over this. I was there, saw the whole thing. Why did the cops use such restraint? This obnoxious, offensive, combative woman deserved much more than a little taser. A few smacks in her head with their clubs would have solved the situation much more effectively.
(10/13/2008 8:20 PM)
zamman says:
Sit in your seat or get kicked out. Thats the rule.
(10/13/2008 7:29 PM)
6 seats away says:
She could not sit her seat because the seats themselves are too narrow. All the people in that row had a ticket, but 10 20 inch rears can't fit in 10 15 inch seats. I hope she sues the university. The orig female officer could have handled the situation so much better. At one point there were prob 10 officers there. I can't believe that some "higher ranking" officer did not take control of the situation and settle the matter diplomatically. The whole scene was a joke and every officer there that watched this entire situation blow up without thinking that there could be a better was to do this should quit and look for some mall security job.
(10/13/2008 7:12 PM)
Section Gmaster says:
This is hard to believe happened. They had tickets for the seats so why didn't "Security" or the Police remove the people who didn't belong in the seats.
We've had seats in Section G and the crowd control is a joke. The "Security Officer" is a nice 80 some year old man who can barely get down the stairs. People sneaking into seats goes on all the time and he is totally ineffective in removing them and ends up calling down the police to sort it out.
What could be simpler? You don't have tickets for the seats? Get out of them!! Eventually you will find the people who don't belong.
The University and the police owe an apology to these people. If it were me who experienced this treatment, I'd be talking to an attorney---about suing somebody!!
(10/13/2008 6:49 PM)
Cindy Benson says:
Actually, Laura Berman, I was there too and your account of what happened is incorrect... If you are going to take the time to comment, be serious and be VERY careful with telling stories that aren't true.
(10/13/2008 6:43 PM)
Josh Brawley says:
Ha-ha! I love it when women get tasered. I goes to show they are not above the law just because they're women.
(10/13/2008 4:45 PM)
laura berman says:
this article is completely biased and incorrect. i sat directly behind the woman, and the cop became immediately confrontational and pulling out a can of mace to act as a threat. this fact was noticeably ommitted from your article, and obviously caused the woman to become upset. after 8 more useless cops gathered around, she was literally dragged from her seat, and her husband, who was defending her, was dragged right behind her. yes, she had a seat by this time because her row had finally decided to move down. the cops dragged her to the floor and within seconds, tasered her. this article was blatantly incorrect, and it's clear that your reporter only talked to the cops, who were the problem in the first place!
(10/13/2008 4:37 PM)
Eric says:
I kind of get sick of hearing people talk bad about the cops. I used to do it myself, then I rode along with one. You get to see a very different side, they have to balance doing their job, enforcing the law, with not ticking the public off. Its not easy.
Look at it this way, had they stayed their and asked everyone for tickets, and had it taken too long, people would be mad because they were in the way of the game. It seems to me that the officers were trying to keep the public safe(by keeping the aisles clear) while trying to resolve the conflict quickly so that people could watch the game.
Its not easy trying to keep people happy, and safe at the same time. Just look at both sides before you jump on the cops.
(10/13/2008 4:36 PM)
Josh B. says:
I was in the row behind about 10 seats over and I heard and saw everything. As they were taking her away everyone was booing so loud it seemed like the whole game stopped and was looking over at them. They had like 1 cops for just that one innocent lady who was doing nothing. They should have asked for the tickets of everyone in the row because I heard that they have been season ticket holders for years and this is just so unacceptable. Especially when I heard and saw the taser. She was totally knocked out and they had to call a wheelchair just to move her. There were many people getting video and pictures and also everyone around the area was signing a petition to have the woman cop who started its' badge taken away. This made me sad to see our own cities law enforcement screw up this bad...
(10/13/2008 4:18 PM)
shapechanger says:
mike roder says:
Fire away! Fans don't have the right to disobey officers and make a hissy fix in public. If tasers is what it takes, so be it. Stop all the lib slacking off!
Is it possible that the officers were in the wrong?? Just because something is "illegal" doesn't mean it is wrong. And just because a group of cops thinks something is wrong doesn't mean they are right.
(10/13/2008 4:11 PM)
shapechanger says:
This is pretty funny. What a bunch of sissy cops. They have to taser a 54 year-old woman?? LOL. Cops will be cops, won't they? Power tripping freaks ... go pick on someone your own size. I'm guessing that the Hiebing broad was freaking out because she genuinely felt that she was being wronged.
Also, I totally miss the Brat N Brau. Went to homecoming in 87 at the east side Brau. Oh, the memories!
Lastly, the Hiebing agency has some extremely talented folks. I'm not sure if Roman is even involved with the agency anymore.
(10/13/2008 3:39 PM)
Dude says:
What in gods green earth made that woman feel so compeled to even want to stay and watch the wretched scene on the field that night is beyond me.
Although in her defense, it never fails every time I go in that stadium, the fattest person in the whole place is sitting right next to me.
However, you gotta sit on a seat, period, in the aisle is a hazard...so for that, she's a moron. Get an usher if you cant get in your butt space.
(10/13/2008 3:35 PM)
TJF says:
Someone sitting in your seat doesn't give you the right to just sit where ever you want, nor the authority to decide that everyone else's right to safety is subordinate to your desire to plant yourself in a public accessway and block traffic. Decorum, tact, class and consideration for those around her played themselves out long before the police arrived on that scene!
(10/13/2008 3:24 PM)
badgerblues says:
Seriously, a taser was needed to control a 54 year old woman? Police should only use necessary measures. If it was really that bad I could see excessive force used to control this lady but a taser. I think someone got caught up in the drama here and should spend a bit more time on learning how to diffuse a situation.
(10/13/2008 3:24 PM)
badgerblues says:
Seriously, a taser was needed to control a 54 year old woman? If it was really that bad I could see excessive force used to control this lady but a taser. I think someone got caught up in the drama here and should spend a bit more time on learning how to diffuse a situation.
(10/13/2008 2:49 PM)
Rico says:
The full story will come out. When the police can't take the time to allow guest services to correct the problem they are the problem. How is it that a person with a valid ticket in the right section and row is not given the common courtesy of a reasonable solution. Security tapes will show that no attempt was made to help, the police took the attitude that it was not their problem that she had no place to sit. It is unbelievable that a simple issue about seat space was escalated into a major police action.
(10/13/2008 2:37 PM)
midwest88 says:
I am relieved to know that the police don't care whether you're black, white, old, young, rich or poor. Maybe in a few years they will even tase you for not having totalitarian thoughts. The future looks bright!
(10/13/2008 2:29 PM)
jumpinjackflash says:
good god, settle down and don't get your panties in a wad.....
What I find disturbing is that a 56 yo woman got belligerent to the point that she had to be tased in order to get her to behave. Those two things, for starters, are pretty disturbing and I have to say that if I had witnessed the scene I would have walk away in a disturbed state.
THERE, IS THAT PLAIN ENOUGH ENGLISH FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE TRYING TO READ SOMETHING INTO MY POST THAT ISN'T THERE!!!!!!???????
(10/13/2008 2:23 PM)
Homes says:
At least there was some entertainment in Section U. I had to sit on the other side of the stadium and watch the whole debacle with nothing to distract me.
(10/13/2008 2:04 PM)
me says:
It sounds like the police and the couple were not thinking. The couple should have produced their tickets and asked the officers to see the tickets of those who were actually sitting in the couple's seats. The police should have thought to do a ticket check in the first place. Sounds like they should all give themselves a big dope slap.
(10/13/2008 1:51 PM)
PR & Marketing Major says:
I think the UW-Madison police can most assuredly expect a lawsuit. Hiebing is a big name in both Madison social circles and on the national PR & Marketing scene. One of the first rules of public relations is that when your name gets dragged through the mud, you counter-attack.
(10/13/2008 1:51 PM)
PR & Marketing Major says:
I think the UW-Madison police can most assuredly expect a lawsuit. Hiebing is a big name in both Madison social circles and on the national PR & Marketing scene. One of the first rules of public relations is that when your name gets dragged through the mud, you counter-attack.
(10/13/2008 1:47 PM)
kravitz says:
One would think someone involved in public relations would do a better job of public relations.
(10/13/2008 1:45 PM)
Sick of it says:
Hahaha, too funny. The fact that your husband founded the Brat -n- Brau doesn't make you above the law. The real question is whether or not someone made a video of this for youtube.
(10/13/2008 1:40 PM)
Stephanie says:
Seriously? What person in their right mind kicks and screams in public when confronted about breaking rules in a public venue? Sounds to me like the cops pulled out all the stops and tried reason -- didn't work. And what is "lib slacking off" comment? As far as I can tell, this incident has nothing to do with politics, but rather crowd control at Camp Randall. If there is any place that needs crowd control, it is definitely Camp Randall.
(10/13/2008 1:36 PM)
uw alum says:
Was at the Packer game two weeks ago and similar thing happened, well not the tasering at least. People sitting in seats refused to move, finally usher came down and did a ticket check. Go figure nice couple was in wrong section. Point is: Why wasn't this resolved peacefully? Was her ticket in that row or elsewhere? While the average wisconsin butt is larger than the space given for a seat at Camp Randall or lambeau, peopel make it work. Sounds like security staff and police failed miserably here.
Eliminate 1 seat from every row in the stadium so people can have an extra inch. They will raise ticket prices regardless of performance so at least give people some comfort.
(10/13/2008 1:29 PM)
thelma says:
We sit in row 68 and saw the whole incident. The police never went down the row to check people's tickets to see why she had no seat. She has paid a big price for her seats and does deserve to sit in her own seat.Yes she was kicking as they tried to carry her out, but there also were 5 male and 1 female police officer there arresting her. This incident could have been avoided and I was totally surprised and upset that she was tassered.
It definitely needs to be reviewed as well as the tightness of the seating at Camp Randall. We too sometimes have difficulty fitting into our seat area and it only gets worse as the cold weather comes.
(10/13/2008 1:04 PM)
mike roder says:
Fire away! Fans don't have the right to disobey officers and make a hissy fix in public. If tasers is what it takes, so be it. Stop all the lib slacking off!
(10/13/2008 12:47 PM)
CJ says:
Is anybody greatly surprised the police took the path of least resistance. Why work harder for a more equitable, or at least a less violent, outcome when you can just zap them with one of your cool toys...sigh.
(10/13/2008 12:38 PM)
aaron says:
I heard from friends that were in the section that the fans wouldn't move down, and that there was no room for her to take her seat. Also I feel that the cops should have asked for the people in the row to show their tickets, and then this could have been avoided. I think the cops acted out of line.