The Interpreter Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 Very interesting article about park security at SFGAm: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-09-02/news/ct-met-banned-for-life-great-america-20110902_1_great-america-security-guard-park-policy A list: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-09-02/news/banned-for-life-graphic-20110902_1_vertical-velocity-park-three-weeks-great-america Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shark6495 Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 I dont see a negative here... I hate to say it but they brought onto themselves. In the list of people who were banned it seemed like it was their "second" strike.... and to the guy who reentered on his motorcycle... seriously? he shouldnt be upset with the park but with himself... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkiboy Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 I will be at Great America on Monday for the good bye party of Iron Wolf!! yes i have ridden this coaster many of times stll OUCH!! plus they are running the Eagle Backwards so I get to ride a racing wooden coaster backwards havent done that in years some park in Ohio did that hmmmm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkroz Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 Wait... So, he entered without paying for parking, and thus is not welcome to ever return, ever? Am I misunderstanding? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frisbeefan Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 Good for Great America and Six Flags. It's good to see the park take action against guests who don't follow rules. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcgoble3 Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 Wait... So, he entered without paying for parking, and thus is not welcome to ever return, ever? Am I misunderstanding? Not quite. If you read the end of the second page of the first article linked in the OP, that incident only got him banned for the rest of the season. It was trying to re-enter in violation of that ban that got him banned for life (as well as arrested for trespassing). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coney Islander Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 This seems like it would be a hard thing to enforce. Does Six Flags Great America take the name of every person who enters the park? Otherwise, it seems a 'banned' individual would be able to skirt the park's orders by paying with cash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkroz Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 Wait... So, he entered without paying for parking, and thus is not welcome to ever return, ever? Am I misunderstanding? Not quite. If you read the end of the second page of the first article linked in the OP, that incident only got him banned for the rest of the season. It was trying to re-enter in violation of that ban that got him banned for life (as well as arrested for trespassing). Ah, I see... The whole "news article on two pages" thing infuriates me like no other... It's a way to increase ad-space and nothing more. Still, it seems an extreme punishment. When he tried to re-enter, was he paying for parking and following all other rules and regulations? I've never seen a park come down so hard. Are folks ever banned from Kings Island for a season, or for life? As for tracing the violators, Islander, there must be a way if he was caught returning, and in the second article, it notes that one woman returned three times despite a lifetime ban by using fake names. When I went to Six Flags Great America this summer, each ticket required a first and last name to be inputted online, though no one checked any ID's or anything to verify. It seems very strange to me, but given the area Great America is in, perhaps it's a necessary evil. Still I think the process is being abused when not paying for parking gets you banned. Fined? Sure. But banned from the park? I don't think that's fair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coney Islander Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 This is a little off topic, but interesting nonetheless... Banned for life from America Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongliveKingsCobra Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 Oh. My. God. Haha that is epic getting kicked out of America for good. Now my question, if we did that here wouldn't that be covered under free speech, or is that hate speech? I don't think it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkroz Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 Oh. My. God. Haha that is epic getting kicked out of America for good. Now my question, if we did that here wouldn't that be covered under free speech, or is that hate speech? I don't think it is. The U.K. Human Rights Act affords freedom of expression in the U.K. too, and their speech laws are basically like the U.S.'s from what I have learned. And since his "punishment" was handed down by a government he isn't a citizen of, it makes little difference. The article mentioned that the email contained notes of a "threatening" nature. And it's not as though it was discovered by some Patriot-Act-esque search or anything - he sent an email, white intoxicated, to the White House. I would think that the government takes "threatening" messages directed at the president very seriously regardless of where the perpetrator lives, be it Ohio or the Congo. In a sense, you can say whatever you like, but there are consequences (and those consequences may remove you from a situation or place where you can say whatever you like). I suppose things like that can't necessarily be handled on a case-by-case basis though (since doing so might reveal that he's probably not a very dangerous young man). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalefan Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 Wait... So, he entered without paying for parking, and thus is not welcome to ever return, ever? Am I misunderstanding? Not quite. If you read the end of the second page of the first article linked in the OP, that incident only got him banned for the rest of the season. It was trying to re-enter in violation of that ban that got him banned for life (as well as arrested for trespassing). Ah, I see... The whole "news article on two pages" thing infuriates me like no other... It's a way to increase ad-space and nothing more. Still, it seems an extreme punishment. When he tried to re-enter, was he paying for parking and following all other rules and regulations? I've never seen a park come down so hard. Are folks ever banned from Kings Island for a season, or for life? As for tracing the violators, Islander, there must be a way if he was caught returning, and in the second article, it notes that one woman returned three times despite a lifetime ban by using fake names. When I went to Six Flags Great America this summer, each ticket required a first and last name to be inputted online, though no one checked any ID's or anything to verify. It seems very strange to me, but given the area Great America is in, perhaps it's a necessary evil. Still I think the process is being abused when not paying for parking gets you banned. Fined? Sure. But banned from the park? I don't think that's fair. Pictures of the people who have been banned more then likely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoddaH1994 Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 Looks like he thinks he's above the rules. I'm glad he's banned. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedarPointer Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 I wish KI would do this more. I know for a fact that there are people who are banned from KI for life, but you have to do something *really* bad for that to happen. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt Crunch Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 Hm, I think this is a bit over-the-top...the worst they could have done is just for a couple of years, not a whole life...I've seen much worse at Kings Island.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Browntggrr Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 It is funny how people believe they are above the rules and cannot be "banned" from a place like a park (or local watering hole) so they feel the need to push the envelope when confronted on their rulebreaking only to make it worse for themselves in the long run. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shark6495 Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 This seems like it would be a hard thing to enforce. Does Six Flags Great America take the name of every person who enters the park? Otherwise, it seems a 'banned' individual would be able to skirt the park's orders by paying with cash. it may be hard to enforce but if he does something to break the rules (in the future) and gets caught. They would take his name, find he was banned, then they can charge him with trespassing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted September 5, 2011 Author Share Posted September 5, 2011 Hm, I think this is a bit over-the-top...the worst they could have done is just for a couple of years, not a whole life...I've seen much worse at Kings Island.... Perhaps that would not be the case were Kings Island to more consistently and vigorously enforce its policies and regulations. It's called deterring those who fear being caught doing bad things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Browntggrr Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 Hm, I think this is a bit over-the-top...the worst they could have done is just for a couple of years, not a whole life...I've seen much worse at Kings Island.... Perhaps that would not be the case were Kings Island to more consistently and vigorously enforce its policies and regulations. How do you know KI does not? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarketingExpress Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 Still I think the process is being abused when not paying for parking gets you banned. Fined? Sure. But banned from the park? I don't think that's fair. Seems pretty fair to me. They originally banned him for the remainder of the season and asked him to leave the property. So what did he do, tried to re-enter despite the orders he was just given. Another example of someone who is trying to place blame elsewhere despite their own actions causing their misfortune. But that day Gill drove his motorcycle over a median in what a police report called an attempt to avoid paying a $20 parking fee. Gill said he did so at the direction of a customer service agent. Park security banned him for the rest of the season, and asked him to leave the property. Instead, he tried to re-enter the park. A police officer arrested him for criminal trespassing. That's when park officials told him never to return. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingsrattler Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 If you break rules and regulations, there are repercussions. If you don't like the procedures you can raise a concern, but you don't break the rule. You have the choice not to visit, it is not a God given right to be able to attend amusement parks. At least i don't remember that one being outlined in the Dec. of Independence. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkroz Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 Still I think the process is being abused when not paying for parking gets you banned. Fined? Sure. But banned from the park? I don't think that's fair. Seems pretty fair to me. They originally banned him for the remainder of the season and asked him to leave the property. So what did he do, tried to re-enter despite the orders he was just given. Another example of someone who is trying to place blame elsewhere despite their own actions causing their misfortune. But that day Gill drove his motorcycle over a median in what a police report called an attempt to avoid paying a $20 parking fee. Gill said he did so at the direction of a customer service agent. Park security banned him for the rest of the season, and asked him to leave the property. Instead, he tried to re-enter the park. A police officer arrested him for criminal trespassing. That's when park officials told him never to return. Right, but I'm asking for more information on his return. Was it a few months later, and did he pay for parking that time and follow all other rules? Perhaps I'm a fool, but I wouldn't take a slip of paper from a security guard at a theme park all that seriously, either. "You are hereby banned for _______________" with him having written in "the rest of the season" or whatever? Yeah, I'd probably be upset and then come back a few months later too, especially if I intended to follow all the rules this time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarketingExpress Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 ^My take on the comments in the article was that he immediately tried to re-enter the park after having been asked to leave...not months later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkroz Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 ^My take on the comments in the article was that he immediately tried to re-enter the park after having been asked to leave...not months later. And unfortunately, I don't think that was clarified... It makes a difference to me at least. Technically, he's breaking the same rule either way. But if you picture him as one of those "funny" dads who decided to come in the exit and sneak around a booth to find a parking space, only to be caught, reprimanded, and return a few weeks later - this time obeying the rules - it's one thing. On the other hand, if he was blatantly being an ass and was just too cool to pay for that and is one of those angry men, and he returned five minutes later trying to do the same thing... Well, that's different. Shouldn't be different. But it is... Hey, when it costs $20 to "reserve" a parking space for a couple hours, I can see why he felt the way he did. Multiply each car in that lot by 20, and you've arrived at the amount of money Six Flags has made for one day, pure income minus the pay rate for the parking lot attendants (and I'm sure the first dozen cars of the day covered their wages for a week). It's nearly criminal what that company charges to park, and if I were an innovative man, I'd buy a plot of land nearby, build a gravel lot, and charge $10 with a little pathway getting as close to the park as I could... And man, I bet people would pay for it. I would've walked 15 minutes extra to save $10.00! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingsrattler Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 If you don't pay for parking downtown on the private lots owned by American Parking Co., first day they give you a 25 dollar ticket, the second time, they tow your car. It doesn't matter if it was 1 day later or 4 months later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KI-ORIG-EMP Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 Lots of questions on how Kings Island can enforce the rule violation that has the person banned for life. Ever been to Vegas? When you first enter the casino, your mug is captured on several video cams and it checks your facial features with a facial recognitin software, You might try to change your appearance but it can not be fooled. I would bet it is the same with Kings Island and other venues where thousands of people go through the gate. It can have access to police and FBI databases and check it the person is a convicted sex offender or on a terrorist watch list. Or on the parks list of banned people. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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