Justin Bieber escapes Barclays Center without incident, thanks to new strategy, but hysteria takes a while to abate
Well, cops and Barclays Center officials last night wanted to avoid a repeat of the chaos--fans chasing and trying to surround a tour bus on residential Dean Street, east of Sixth Avenue--after the Bieber concert last fall.
And they managed to do so, with what seemed to be some ad hoc strategy, involving a big truck extending from the Dean Street loading dock to the curb, blocking fans from walking along that north sidewalk and blocking the views of those in the designated waiting area nearby, at the northwest corner of Dean and Sixth, site of the bike parking.
Officials also created an ad hoc waiting area, with barriers, on the south side of Dean, and as the first video below shows, some of the fans were very upset at that.
The arrangements allowed Bieber's bus, with vehicle escorts, to exit from the loading dock rapidly, with a relatively small number of fans trying to chase it down Dean.
But the continuing hysteria from some of the 300-400 fans, albeit mostly confined to the corner of Dean and Sixth, meant for some volatile situations. The chanting/shouting surely disturbed residential neighbors--and when a tower is built at that bike parking area, everything will get more complicated. The police and security officials won't be able to operate as freely if there are even more residents.
The Bieber exit, view from south side of Dean
The Bieber exit, view from northwest corner of Dean
A few fans fruitlessly chase the vehicles.
Later
Other vehicles exit, and a few fans chase them down residential Dean Street.
A bus comes down Sixth Avenue, turns left into Dean, then backs past Sixth to the loading dock. Fans mill about the south side of Dean Street as well as in the holding pen, some screaming. A couple of bikes glide past.
The bus escapes, though not without some screaming.
Later, another bus comes down Sixth Avenue, turns left into Dean, then backs past Sixth to the loading dock, as skateboarders, bicyclists and some screaming fans intersect.
And they managed to do so, with what seemed to be some ad hoc strategy, involving a big truck extending from the Dean Street loading dock to the curb, blocking fans from walking along that north sidewalk and blocking the views of those in the designated waiting area nearby, at the northwest corner of Dean and Sixth, site of the bike parking.
Officials also created an ad hoc waiting area, with barriers, on the south side of Dean, and as the first video below shows, some of the fans were very upset at that.
The arrangements allowed Bieber's bus, with vehicle escorts, to exit from the loading dock rapidly, with a relatively small number of fans trying to chase it down Dean.
But the continuing hysteria from some of the 300-400 fans, albeit mostly confined to the corner of Dean and Sixth, meant for some volatile situations. The chanting/shouting surely disturbed residential neighbors--and when a tower is built at that bike parking area, everything will get more complicated. The police and security officials won't be able to operate as freely if there are even more residents.
The Bieber exit, view from south side of Dean
The Bieber exit, view from northwest corner of Dean
A few fans fruitlessly chase the vehicles.
Later
Other vehicles exit, and a few fans chase them down residential Dean Street.
A bus comes down Sixth Avenue, turns left into Dean, then backs past Sixth to the loading dock. Fans mill about the south side of Dean Street as well as in the holding pen, some screaming. A couple of bikes glide past.
The bus escapes, though not without some screaming.
Later, another bus comes down Sixth Avenue, turns left into Dean, then backs past Sixth to the loading dock, as skateboarders, bicyclists and some screaming fans intersect.
New York City zoning regulations were overridden to enable Barclays Center to be placed within 200 feet of a residential district -- exactly the area all of this is unfolding in.
ReplyDeleteDouble paned windows don't come near blocking this level of screaming. And where will the fans be accommodated when the arena is surrounded by buildings? Will it be the arena block sidewalks, the sidewalks in front of homes, or the public streets?
There needs to be a better plan and adequate mitigations.
We live right by that corner - we can see loading the pad from our bedroom window. After the chaos last time Bieber was in town we got a hotel for the night last night since we weren't willing to deal all the craziness a second time. And yet still no compensation of any form has come to us, ever.
ReplyDelete