Tanna Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 About which: http://m.gazette.net/article/20140930/NEWS/140939967/prince-george-x2019-s-parents-question-largo-amusement-park-safety&template=frontpageMobile "...when it gets dark, let's get out of the park..." Clueless Six Flags PR type: ...did not disrupt the park's Halloween celebration? Are you kidding me? Yes, it did affect the event. People will not attend in future, so yes, the Fright Night will be effected by lower ticket sales. Again, I'm amazed at the mother who instructs her children "To call if there is trouble"- Lady, BE THERE to see the trouble. There is nothing so important as to let your children go it alone in a potentially hazardous situation. Don't use the Drop Zone, attend the event with your kid. It's not cool at fifteen to be with your parent- too bad- when your forty you can be cool when you recount the great outing you had with your folks. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted October 5, 2014 Author Share Posted October 5, 2014 You've apparently not been to SFA. I'd not take a 15 year old to Fright Fest there. I'd not go myself. In fact, I haven't. And won't. The better advice is in that article. Get out of THAT park before dark. There's a reason IT and Kentucky Kingdom both close before dark in summer. Ponder. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
electricsun Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 How do these people drop off their kids and hope for the best? I may be a bit overprotective, but I wouldn't let my oldest nephew go to KI by himself for several more years, Haunt or not. He is 12 and was asking about Haunt and I just laughed and told him good luck with that until he is an adult. His mom isn't taking him and I don't do scary. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted October 5, 2014 Author Share Posted October 5, 2014 Kings Island is not located in an area that's, to be VERY polite, sketchy. It has a reputation as a very safe park. Neither of these things is true of Six Flags America. Parents who care even a little about their kid would never, ever drop their minor kid off at that park. And at night? Are you kidding me? I know several parents who talked their kids out of working there this week. Make no mistake about it. This brawl has hurt both SFA and Six Flags in general. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
electricsun Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 That is a very sad state for any business if the parents don't want their children working there. And if you are an adult and wouldn't go there after dark, why are parents letting their child go? I can't fathom that choice. I don't know much about that area but I'm curious as to what, if anything, Six Flags has done to help with safety for both potential and real issues. Is there anything they could do now to fix this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted October 5, 2014 Author Share Posted October 5, 2014 Not issuing statements claiming it was an isolated incident after first denying it happened at all would be a good start. The park has a serious location problem. That being the case, heavy, consistent, visible security, and honest, transparent, accurate statements about any incidents would be a good start. Now, even the trial lawyers gossip rag is picking up the story: http://www.justicenewsflash.com/2014/10/04/six-flags-adds-security-after-fright-fest-fight_20141004133031.html This is NOT a good thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanna Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 Kings Island is not located in an area that's, to be VERY polite, sketchy. It has a reputation as a very safe park. Neither of these things is true of Six Flags America. Parents who care even a little about their kid would never, ever drop their minor kid off at that park. And at night? Are you kidding me? I know several parents who talked their kids out of working there this week. Make no mistake about it. This brawl has hurt both SFA and Six Flags in general. My Midwesternism is showing. I can see a parent pulling their working kid out of a park that's that dangerous, but it's hard for me to wrap my head around a park being that dangerous. I recall Lesourdseville towards the end, but that's as sketchy as my imagination will allow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted October 5, 2014 Author Share Posted October 5, 2014 LoraX, as a Midwestern mom, would have a good perspective about this. She went to SFA on a multi-park trip last summer. I seem to recall she was not at ease in the park. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TTD-120-420 Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 The Coasterbuzz crowd is the only group of people who have said good things about the park. http://coasterbuzz.com/Forums/Topic/three-hurt-one-in-medically-induced-coma-after-fright-fest-fight-at-six-flags-america 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanna Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 There's a remark that says that SF is 25.00 to enter- that can't be right; is it? That sounds like a lot of the problem there, if that is the case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoddaH1994 Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 The Coasterbuzz crowd is the only group of people who have said good things about the park. http://coasterbuzz.com/Forums/Topic/three-hurt-one-in-medically-induced-coma-after-fright-fest-fight-at-six-flags-america There's a wonderful social experiment going on in that thread. People are saying that the park is riddled with "thugs" while others are subtly implying that the ones saying "thugs" are racist even though no one has made any indication of race. I've never been to SFA and probably never plan to go, but I'm willing to say that the "thug" comments are right. But then again, in today's world (at least to me) a "thug" is someone who presents themselves in a certain way and acts inappropriately in public. Not necessarily a person of any particular race. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted October 5, 2014 Author Share Posted October 5, 2014 Gate admission is more than $25. Parking is $20 online. Neither is part of the problem. A season pass can be as little as $49.99. Thugs? Hoodlums, hoods, roughnecks, gang members. Choose your own nominative. It's not so much a race problem (though racism and many whites' fears and prejudices don't help) as it is a class problem. And before someone says, "You live in DC and have been once and are part of the problem " know that I've been dozens of times in the past: A. It seems to have worsened as the Six Flags season pass price has declined in real dollars. B. I don't have as much park time as I once did. C. It takes little more time to be nearly half way to Dorney, Knoebels or Great Adventure than it does to get to Six Flags America for me. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoraX Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 For starters, I love amusement parks. I love coasters, rides, people watching, feel of an amusement park. Also, I am one who counts coasters and will ride coasters just for a coaster credit. Yep, I am that kinda girl. I have never genuinely feared for my safety at an amusement park until going to SFA. This includes a decade of being a season pass holder at Kentucky Kingdom. The main issue I had with KK is the amount of unsupervised youth running around the park. They were unruly and loud, but I was not fearing for my life. It was just annoying, but having lived in the inner-city of Indianapolis, it takes a lot to worry me too much with fearing people most of the time. The best example at SFA is a group of 3 people (2 males and a female) walked from the back of the line to the front, forcing people out of their way. Their presence alone brought silence into the station. My angel of a daughter started to loudly protest them cutting in line and I received looks of "shut your daughter up." I gathered by the whispers these people are known and no one messes with them. I told my little angel to shut up, it is our goal today to leave this park alive, not getting shot up or sliced up. I was not joking. I truly had concerns about something happening while we were there. The crowd is rough as are the employees. We left the park not riding all the coasters. I don't know if I could bring myself to return to the park even though there are coasters there that I really enjoyed like Wild One and Roar. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanna Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 Lorax, Thanks for the trip report- even though it wasn't a happy one. It gives perspective on why this park is so sketchy. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoraX Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 There is a more extensive trip report on the forum. That was the only bad experience we had in the 5 parks we visited: Six Flags America, Dorney, Six Flags Great Adventure, Kings Dominion and Carowinds. Also, Six Flags Great Adventure is an absolutely wonderful park. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopThrill Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 Back in 2005 was working in Action Zone that day, Timberwolf had an up-and-coming Hip Hop group Pretty Ricky preforming. After words a fight broke out infront of the Stunt Grill, today it's the Chicken Shack. Before it all started there was a lot of yelling and shouting. There might have more fights, don't remember. EMT's were called the area of the first fight. All I could find is the group took the stage at 7:30pm on June 25th. Was able to find this news story from 700WLW Security Review at PKIMonday, June 27, 2005 at 11:30amTHEY'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW SOMEONE GOT A GUN INTO KING'S ISLAND SATURDAY NIGHT. THE WEAPON WAS FOUND ON A JUVENILE AFTER POLICE BROKE UP FIGHTS AFTER THE "PRETTY RICKY" CONCERT. THE GUN WAS NOT USED DURING THOSE FIGHTS.OFF-DUTY POLICE OFFICERS WORKING SECURITY AT KING'S ISLAND HAD TO CALL FOR BACKUP BECAUSE OF THE FIGHTS.KING'S ISLAND SPOKESMAN JEFF SIEBERT SAYS THERE ARE METAL DETECTORS AT THE GATES OF THE PARK, AND THEY'RE ALWAYS ON. SIEBERT SAYS TODAY, THEY'RE REVIEWING SECURITY PROCEDURES.AROUND 10:45PM, A 16-YEAR-OLD EMPLOYEE TOLD A COWORKER HE WAS CARRYING THE .22 CALIBER HANDGUN. THE COWORKER CALLED POLICE, WHO ARRESTED THE 16-YEAR-OLD.ANOTHER 17-YEAR-OLD WAS ARRESTED FOR RESISTING ARREST, AND ASSAULTING A POLICE OFFICER. MICHAEL MORELLI HAD TO BE MACED. HE'S ACCUSED OF HEAD BUTTING AN OFFICER DURING THE ARREST.BOTH MORELLI AND THE OFFICER WERE TREATED AT BETHESDA NORTH.DURING THE SHOW, ENTHUSIASTIC FANS ALSO COLLAPSED A SECURITY FENCE. WITNESSES SAY THE CROWD CONSISTED MAINLY OF TEENAGED GIRLS. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted October 6, 2014 Author Share Posted October 6, 2014 And yet, just a year later Cedar Fair acquired Kings Island. And those always-on metal detectors? Gone. The SFA brawl was in the parking lot..... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shark6495 Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 So wait. The employee had the gun? And people wonder why there are not as many concerts at Timberwolf? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoddaH1994 Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 So wait. The employee had the gun? And people wonder why there are not as many concerts at Timberwolf? This has nothing to do with that. The truth is Timberwolf is a dumpy venue with a lot of competition. That's why there aren't shows there. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted October 6, 2014 Author Share Posted October 6, 2014 Other than Spirit Song.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoddaH1994 Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 Yeah, but much (if not all) of that tour is exclusive to theme parks. I think a lot of the allure of it is the fact that it's Spirit Song/Kings Island when you go. I think that was the intention of the concert going experience when it first opened. Of course, this was before The Madison, Bogarts (as we knew it in the earlier part of this century) and to a huge extend - PNC Pavilion. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
electricsun Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 Not issuing statements claiming it was an isolated incident after first denying it happened at all would be a good start. The park has a serious location problem. That being the case, heavy, consistent, visible security, and honest, transparent, accurate statements about any incidents would be a good start. Now, even the trial lawyers gossip rag is picking up the story: http://www.justicenewsflash.com/2014/10/04/six-flags-adds-security-after-fright-fest-fight_20141004133031.html This is NOT a good thing. Thank you for that. I can imagine that it is a delicate balance of responding to issues while not saying something that could open them up to litigation. And also giving enough information to answer questions but not scare potential customers away. Recent PR moves at KK and this situation have shown that it is easier said than done. If the park knows they have a consistent safety concern, why don't they address it? Not doing so seems to place them at a larger risk for liability than any PR statement. I read through the other responses and wow, that sounds like a park I should not add to my list to visit during my solo trips. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted October 6, 2014 Author Share Posted October 6, 2014 It's not a place I'd be after dark, even with a large group. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted October 9, 2014 Author Share Posted October 9, 2014 http://www.coaster-net.com/news/2508-teen-involved-in-sfa-brawl-had-been-banned-from-park/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldiesmann Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 "Safety is our number one concern.". And yet Fright Fest continues, albeit with supposedly increased security. The fact that this happened in the first place means that several people clearly didn't take security at the park seriously. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanna Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 Sometimes, with the best intentions, we let down our guard a little, and expect the best of everyone. If there were a mighty team of security there the night of the fight, people would have been up in arms because the park didn't trust them. Also, security costs money, so I suspect they didn't up the security until they needed it to assure the customers. The Saturday daytime KI event I attended, I began to see a lot of security, thought it odd, then boom, the fog machines turned on, and the warning announcements sounded. Then the crowd got increasingly sketchy as the fog thickened. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted October 15, 2014 Author Share Posted October 15, 2014 I take it you have not been to Six Flags America. The question of why Fright Fest continues at SFA now is a good one. By all accounts, attendance has been drastically affected. A park that closes before dark virtually all summer long (for what one can assume is good reason), stays open late into the night for Fright Fest. Then, when this incident occurred, PR's first response was to downplay it and try to say it was an isolated incident. A brawl of more than 2oo people in the parking lot is not a mere isolated incident. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted October 15, 2014 Author Share Posted October 15, 2014 Trial lawyers' publication weighs in: http://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/articles/amusement-park-accident/amusement-park-accident-lawsuit-theme-34-20172.html#.VD7wiMx5mc0 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted October 19, 2014 Author Share Posted October 19, 2014 And The Washington Times: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/oct/17/best-halloween-horror-attraction-six-flags-fright/ Note what they did about the pricing. Catty. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted October 23, 2014 Author Share Posted October 23, 2014 Principal, schools, park deal with no win situation. Rumors of huge gang-related fight at park this weekend: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/rumors-about-possible-violence-at-fright-fest-prompts-principal-to-send-warning/2014/10/22/c4ecfd56-5a23-11e4-bd61-346aee66ba29_story.html 2015: Will there BE a Fright Fest at Six Flags America? Frights by night, indeed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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