Re Philadelphia smears Crisco on lampposts to deter Super Bowl fans. How did we come to this? | Cities | The Guardian

["Dave Farber" <dave () farber net>]

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Jeremy Epstein <jeremy.j.epstein () gmail com>
Date: Fri, Feb 2, 2018 at 10:09 AM
Subject: Re: [IP] Philadelphia smears Crisco on lampposts to deter Super
Bowl fans. How did we come to this? | Cities | The Guardian
To: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>
CC: ip <ip () listbox com>


(For IP if desired)

Except that Crisco is vegetable shortening, not "commercial lard" as stated
in the first sentence (lard is pig fat).

On Fri, Feb 2, 2018 at 8:41 AM, Dave Farber <farber () gmail com> wrote:

> https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/feb/01/super-bowl-sunday-fans-attack-cities-minneapolis-philadelphia-eagles-patriots-nfl-football?utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=GU+Today+main+NEW+H+categories&utm_term=262610&subid=3180097&CMP=EMCNEWEML6619I2
>
> Philadelphia smears Crisco on lampposts to deter Super Bowl fans. How did
> we come to this?From the City of Brotherly Love’s ‘lamp-post challenge’
> to Auckland’s street riots, passionate sport fans don’t always behave – so
> how do cities keep them in check?
> DJ Gallo <https://www.theguardian.com/profile/dj-gallo>Thu 1 Feb 2018
> 07.30 EST
> [image: A fan yells during a riot in Vancouver after the Canucks lost the
> 2011 Stanley Cup final to the Boston Bruins.]
>
> Two Sundays ago, Philadelphia police district captains were granted an
> unusual expansion to their powers: they were allowed to smear Crisco –
> commercial lard used for cooking – on streetlights. The idea was to prevent Philadelphia
> Eagles <https://www.theguardian.com/sport/philadelphia-eagles> fans
> celebrating their team’s victory in the NFC Championship Game from climbing
> the poles – as Eagles fans traditionally tend to do – risking injury and
> damage to public property. But lard wasn’t enough to stop them.
>
> Some of the estimated 12,000 fans who filled the streets following the
> Eagles’ victory over the Minnesota Vikings scaled the greased poles anyway,
> achieving viral video fame in the process. There was even the suggestion
> that police had goaded them into trying.
>
> The grease didn’t work.
> — Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) 10:20 PM - Jan 21, 2018
> <https://twitter.com/MattGelb/status/955278989643472896>
>
> “The fact that we were greasing [the streetlights] doesn’t mean we were
> daring people to climb them,” Sgt Eric Gripp, police spokesman, told the
> Philadelphia Inquirer
> <http://www.philly.com/philly/super-bowl-lii/greased-poles-philadelphia-police-fans-crisco-super-bowl-20180131.html>.
> “It’s the exact opposite ... Unfortunately it became a thing ahead of time
> so people thought we were daring them to topple the grease.”
>
> Police are being more circumspect about their contingency plans for an
> Eagles victory against the New England Patriots at the Super Bowl in
> Minneapolis this weekend
> <https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/jan/21/philadelphia-eagles-minnesota-vikings-nfc-championship-game-nfl>.
> At a press conference on Tuesday, Philadelphia police commissioner Richard
> Ross said Crisco would not be employed again because it wasn’t slick
> enough, adding: “We will be doing some other things relative to keeping
> fans off certain objects.”
>
> But as the Inquirer’s Stephanie Farr observed
> <http://www.philly.com/archive/stephanie_farr/greased-poles-philadelphia-police-fans-crisco-super-bowl-20180131.html>,
> “in a city that’s famous for rebellion and has a well-established
> greased-pole climbing competition, protecting Philly fans from themselves
> is far from a piece of cake, even if you have all the Crisco in the world”.
>
> Philadelphia’s light pole challenge is a reminder that mayhem is as much a
> part of team sports as trophy presentations and parades, and one city
> officials dutifully prepare to manage. When the final seconds tick down at
> the Super Bowl, chaos from thousands of fans celebrating victory or lashing
> out over defeat will hit the streets not just of Minneapolis, but the homes
> of both teams.
>
> The Philadelphia <https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/philadelphia>
> Eagles have never won a Super Bowl in the 52-year history of the game –
> they haven’t even taken part since 2005. It has only fuelled the enthusiasm
> of a fanbase desperate to celebrate its first championship.
>
> If the Eagles win, city police expect the number of fans in the streets to
> dwarf the 12,000 of two weeks ago. They also say they’ll be ready for
> anything, implementing checkpoints to inspect fans for weapons and bottles.
> “We will be ready. We will be out there with a sizeable contingent of
> offices,” said commissioner Ross, refusing to give a specific number. “We
> will make every effort to show that we are about business, but we are also
> in the business of allowing people to celebrate – as long as it’s done
> peacefully.”
> [image: A greased street light in South Philadelphia ahead of the NFL game
> between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Minnesota Vikings on 21 January.]
> A greased street light in South Philadelphia ahead of the NFL game between
> the Philadelphia Eagles and the Minnesota Vikings on 21 January.
> Photograph: Tim Tai/AP
>
> Philadelphia’s preparations pale in comparison with those under way in
> Minneapolis. When the city was selected as the host of Super Bowl LII
> <https://www.theguardian.com/sport/super-bowl-lii>, all the way back in
> May 2014, officials began an exhaustive process of preparing for the crush
> of fans due to hit the area. Representatives from the Minneapolis police
> department were sent to Arizona for the Super Bowl in 2015, Santa Clara in
> 2016 and then to Houston last year to shadow and learn from the efforts
> there. Minneapolis plans to meld Santa Clara’s strategy of a highly visible
> police presence with the less intrusive methods adopted in Houston 12
> months ago.
>
> The plan utilises a “joint powers agreement” facilitating the cooperation
> of 59 local law enforcement agencies, including public safety officials at
> state and federal levels. Dogs, cameras and even some police officers
> wearing Swat gear will be visible as other officers work the crowds
> undercover. Minneapolis police spokesperson Sgt Darcy Horn said there would
> be more emergency call responders rostered on and that they, “along with
> 10,000 volunteers, will be visible at the Super Bowl events throughout the
> metro area and around downtown Minneapolis”.
>
> Philadelphia Police (@PhillyPolice)
>
> Now comes the time in the night where we must warn everyone about the
> dangers of Saturated Fats. Cheers for #Foles
> <https://twitter.com/hashtag/Foles?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>! Jeers
> for #Poles
> <https://twitter.com/hashtag/Poles?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>! It's a
> long way down, baby. Celebrate responsibly! pic.twitter.com/mES5MpPTY4
> <https://t.co/mES5MpPTY4>
> January 22, 2018
> <https://twitter.com/PhillyPolice/status/955258377088757760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>
>
> Horn would not say whether there were intentions to grease streetlights in
> Minneapolis in preparation for the influx of Eagles supporters, saying only
> that police’s “contingency plans encompass a wide variety of factors,
> including zealous die-hard fans”.
>
> The reality of hosting large sporting events is that lives can be at
> stake. Following the Detroit Tigers’ World Series baseball victory in 1984,
> some fans looted buildings and burned police cars; the opposing team, the
> San Diego Padres, needed a police escort to escape the area unscathed. Six
> years later, after the Detroit Pistons’ NBA Finals win, seven people were
> killed during the resulting violence. More than 30 years later, Detroit
> <https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/detroit> is still cited as a
> cautionary tale of what can happen when cities aren’t prepared for fans’
> celebratory chaos.
>
> Vancouver’s image took a similar hit due to the riot that followed ice
> hockey side the Canucks losing in the 2011 Stanley Cup final. Though there
> was no loss of life, rioters caused extensive damage throughout the city,
> with costs estimated to have exceeded $4m. Some 140 people, including
> several police officers, were injured; there were four stabbings, fires
> were started, and more than 300 people were eventually charged.
>
> These types of incidents are by no means confined to North America. Last
> November, celebrations in the Auckland suburb of Otahuhu got out of hand
> after Tonga beat the Kiwis in the Rugby League World Cup. Fireworks were
> set off near a gasoline station and objects were hurled at police,
> resulting in 53 arrests.
>
> In Colombia in 2013, 40 fan fatalities linked to football-related violence
> were recorded; 18 died the same year in Argentina, prompting Lionel Messi
> to release an anti-violence video. Even the gentleman’s game is not
> excepted: a controversial umpiring decision in a cricket match between New
> South Wales and an English team in the late 19th century prompted the Sydney
> riot of 1879 <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Riot_of_1879>, in
> which enraged fans stormed the pitch and attacked both the umpire and the
> English players.
>
> But in present day Boston <https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/boston>,
> at least, they are quietly confident ahead of the Super Bowl LII – both in
> their preparations for Sunday’s crowds and of the Patriots’ chances for a
> record-tying sixth title. It will be the Patriots’ eighth Super Bowl
> appearance in the past 17 years, while Boston’s professional baseball,
> basketball and hockey teams have made several championship round
> appearances over the same period.
>
> Dealing with the influx of hundreds of thousands of people for
> championship parades is business as usual for the city, but officials take
> it no less seriously. Officer Rachel McGuire gave a clear nod to the city’s
> run of sporting successes in her emailed response to questions about
> police’s preparations for Super Bowl Sunday: “We do anticipate the plan
> being very similar to those of the past (SEVERAL) years.”
>
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