Another May fight and juvenile arrest

[disco2000]

This needs to stop and not become an annual tradition!

https://www.wlwt.com/article/female-juvenile-arrested-after-large-fight-breaks-out-at-kings-island/39938208

 

[Browntggrr]

KI needs the media to have a follow-up article that the individual(s) involved have received a lifetime ban to the park and have also been prosecuted to the fullest extent.

At some point people committing infractions (fighting, smoking, cell phones out on rides etc.) need to be held accountable and make it publicly known what the ramifications are.  The idea that parks sweeps this stuff under the rug & we never hear about it again could be hurting the park more than helping. 

It's terrible that parks get blamed for these things instead of the actual people committing them.

[disco2000]

^+1 above!!!

People can say all they want about Kentucky Kingdom, but when they put out a statement like this and gets media attention, it stops...Will we ever see CF post a pic of a banned person and say don't be like him LOL...

https://www.wave3.com/story/35658459/kentucky-kingdom-shares-photo-of-now-banned-coaster-rider-with-his-phone/

 

And they also need to improve their accountability.  A ban is useless if they allow anyone to purchase a pass and use a fake name...

https://www.wlwt.com/article/fake-name-on-gold-pass-leads-to-charges-being-dropped-in-kings-island-brawl/36623191#

[PKIVortex]

I was walking to the car when this happened, it's absolutely ridiculous. It's getting out of hand.

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

[BoddaH1994]

I had a ringside seat for this fight. This group was being loud and intrusive. They were casually leaning on the cop cars that were stationed at the front of the parking lot. You could tell something was up.

They don’t need to make a follow up. That’s not the media’s job. The proper course of action would be for the park to say that safety is a #1 priority and anyone involved with things like this will be prosecuted and banned from the park. Of course, the current PR is far more concerned with not responding. Even if they did, they’d probably try to just make the case that since it happened in the parking lot it technically didn’t happen in Kings Island, just like how Camp Cedar is “Kings Island Camp Cedar,” unless there’s a bad story in which they adamantly remind you that Camp Cedar is owned by a different company. 

[kissfan4]

It should be the same result for fighting, phones on the rides, line jumping. You get caught doing any of the above, and you are immediately escorted to the front gate, season pass revoked if applicable, then handed over to the police if the reason was for fighting/violence. The amount of line jumpers recently is absolutely ridiculous. Just about every time we are in line for Orion we have to report line jumpers. Two weeks ago in line for Banshee, a few teens jumped across 2 sections of queue to get to the bottom of the steps. We reported them immediately, and they were on the ride, and back off before we ever even saw security. I am not sure how KI and CF are currently handing out punishments, but they need to be much stricter. One more example, last year while riding The Racer, we were delayed dispatch due to teens in front of us having their phones out, ride operator told them the phones needed to be put away, they did so. We made it to the lift hill, only to be stopped again with the announcement about putting your phone away. Same teens took their phones out again, got back to the station and they didn't release the restraints, and the ride operator walked over and spoke to them about specifically telling them to put their phones away, and they took them back out. We were following the teens down the exit, and they were laughing and carrying on about what happened. In my opinion, the ride operator should have called security after having to stop the ride on the lift hill, and both of the teens should have been removed from the park, and passes revoked. No more "slap on the wrists"!!!

 

[KIEagle33]

Agreed. It's also hard to blame the park for slacking on security considering what's going on right now and everything.

[BoddaH1994]

11 minutes ago, KIEagle33 said:

Agreed. It's also hard to blame the park for slacking on security considering what's going on right now and everything.

The situation was handled just fine. The fight lasted maybe 15 seconds before the cops broke it up. Honestly, it’s more a matter of that it should not have happened in the first place. 

[DJSkyFoxx]

It’s a shame that this seems to be a common trend just about anywhere you go anymore. People can’t seems to go places without some ridiculous scene having to be made. And working in the law enforcement/security sector I see too much of this on the daily. I wish humans could get it together. 

[Dan]

3 hours ago, disco2000 said:

People can say all they want about Kentucky Kingdom, but when they put out a statement like this and gets media attention, it stops...Will we ever see CF post a pic of a banned person and say don't be like him LOL...

https://www.wave3.com/story/35658459/kentucky-kingdom-shares-photo-of-now-banned-coaster-rider-with-his-phone/

Lmao, "it stops"? the article you posted was from 2017. Here are articles from 2020 and 2021, what did "it stop"?

https://www.wlky.com/article/kentucky-kingdom-addresses-altercation-at-water-park-posted-to-social-media/33301932#

https://www.wave3.com/2021/05/16/fights-breaking-out-parking-lot-near-kentucky-kingdom-prompts-lmpd-response/

[KIEagle33]

2 hours ago, BoddaH1994 said:

The situation was handled just fine. The fight lasted maybe 15 seconds before the cops broke it up. Honestly, it’s more a matter of that it should not have happened in the first place. 

Agreed. I was just stating that for people who might think it was the security's fault.

[Browntggrr]

2 hours ago, DJSkyFoxx said:

It’s a shame that this seems to be a common trend just about anywhere you go anymore. People can’t seems to go places without some ridiculous scene having to be made. And working in the law enforcement/security sector I see too much of this on the daily. I wish humans could get it together. 

Too true & I thank you for your service as it is very underappreciated.

Our family has enjoyed going out to the movies the past couple weekends only to find that the arcade closes early due to some individuals not being able to be civil with each other.  Our Cinemark Tinseltown is located in the "tourist" area of Erie so location is not the issue.

[disco2000]

1 hour ago, Dan said:

Lmao, "it stops"? the article you posted was from 2017. Here are articles from 2020 and 2021, what did "it stop"?

https://www.wlky.com/article/kentucky-kingdom-addresses-altercation-at-water-park-posted-to-social-media/33301932#

https://www.wave3.com/2021/05/16/fights-breaking-out-parking-lot-near-kentucky-kingdom-prompts-lmpd-response/

 

Of course there is always a bad apple that doesn't care - look how many laws are broken daily!  Despite how stringent rules or laws or regulations are, there will always be that person that doesn't care.  

But as long as there is ZERO consequences, whether it be line jumping, smoking, fighting, it will continue to get worse.  Publicly announced consequences will be a deterrent to all but the worse offenders. 

Who knows how many more instances KK would have had without public shaming....

And as you point out, that article was in 2017 - so based on your analysis, it took 3 years for a serious enough incident to happen to make the news.... and most of us would file that under the results of the COVID shutdown and most of the population forgetting how to interact in public.

[FUN&ONLY!]

While it is still bad stuff like this is happening, the park has come a long way since last year. When large fights broke out last year, Kings Island could not keep it under control and had to shut the park down early. Now it seems like these fights are being put down quickly. Security has definitely improved dramatically over the past year, and it is noticeable. I commend Kings Island for that.

[Imperial79]

And if something does happen in the park, they are on it (not stuff like line jumping) very quick!  This happened in the parking lot, maybe they thought they could get away with fighting outside the park, but security was on it fast!  Anyone caught starting fights needs to have the maximum penalty!  

[BoddaH1994]

7 minutes ago, Imperial79 said:

And if something does happen in the park, they are on it (not stuff like line jumping) very quick!  This happened in the parking lot, maybe they thought they could get away with fighting outside the park, but security was on it fast!  Anyone caught starting fights needs to have the maximum penalty!  

They were literally barely inside the parking lot. At the top of the median at the entrance. Probably the worst part of the parking lot to try to “get away” with stuff. 

[disco2000]

Have you seen how many security and Mason and Warren county police are outside the entrance and in the lot at park close and yet it still happened, so of course they were on it fast. 

Folks don't care and figure nothing of significance will happen as a result of it. 

They were literally leaning on the police cars basically taunting them....

Let's see if these charges get dropped...

[IBEW_Sparky]

And until such time as this (and others, but most notably CF Chain) park shows it gives a Da mn about the people within the park and not just the green in their wallets (but, but, if we ban or hurt their wittle feelings by publicly outing them them we wont ever sell them another $5 Coke or $8 burger) then I will stand by and point to these issues as reason for making 2022 my last ever.  Ive been in the racing industry for decades, and I promise you my disdain for adolescents (actually people in general but they are definitely on the top of the list) did not come from that industry.  When someone acts like a moron at a track and it happens to be one that is nationally televised, the show the entire response ON national television so people can see that said moron(s) are dealt with then and there, and permanently.  Also, at most said racing events, if there is anyone mixing it up its usually two drivers or their crews, and again its isolated to them and dealt with.  Different demographic?  Well, thats a FACT, but thats not why things don't get stupid at tracks that are often as busy or moreso than you all have ever seen at KI except for the Knievel stunt, it's because it's dealt with in a way that matters.

[super7]

The pricing of Cedar Fair passes encourages quality of guests over quality of guests.    The major installations target this audience as well.   A park full of more family friendly attractions would be too boring for that crowd.     
 

It’s starting to backfire in a huge way.    Once a park gets a bad reputation for safety it’s hard to change that image. 
 

There was a LOT of security at my visit this year.   It has to be costing a fortune.   That amount of security really doesn’t make me feel any better, knowing the reason for it.   Its  like going to a store that has full time sexy at the checkout.  One knows it’s a bad place to be seeing that…..

 

[Snowball]

14 hours ago, super7 said:

Its  like going to a store that has full time sexy at the checkout.

What kind of grocery stores are you shopping at? 

[Browntggrr]

15 hours ago, super7 said:

The pricing of Cedar Fair passes encourages quality of guests over quality of guests.    The major installations target this audience as well.   A park full of more family friendly attractions would be too boring for that crowd.     

Uncivil people are everywhere today.  The cost of the event, or lack of cost of the event, is not the issue.  Park enthusiasts gripe about pass cost due to wait times.

My hometown park is Waldameer in Erie, PA and the majority of the rides are geared to families.  While the park is free to walk around a majority of the time, the holidays require all guests to pay for entry.  It's during these times when foolish & violent incidents happen.  Waldameer has eliminated fireworks to combat the unruliness and the crap still happens.

I personally point the finger at the fallout of social media.  Some people cannot differentiate between being able to say anything (which is interpreted as doing anything they want) they feel on social media (which has little to no repercussions) vs. being able to do anything when other physical people are involved.

[BB1]

So I'm probably going to sound extremely rude when I say this, but the clientele at Kings Island is just simply not the same as it was ten years ago. As someone from NKY, I have seen more people akin to my local KY Kroger at 3 AM at Kings Island than I have at Kroger at 3 AM, and that's saying something. Parents do not care about what their kids do anymore, and they let their kids go off in gangs accosting people. This season alone I have been bumped and talked to rudely by unaccompanied youth a couple of times for just a few trips to the park. When I'm in line for Orion and I'm worried about kids (boys)  getting way to close and constantly bumping my sister, that's where I draw the line. Which by the way, when you pass a certain point, it would be difficult for security to get back there.  Suffice to say that I am not surprised with what's going on today. Just in a span of what two weeks we had two violent escalations on park managed locations seriously makes me believe that Kings Island needs to make their punishments as public as possible. They need to show to the public if you do bad, you get thrown out. I am not an advocate for a chaperone policy as I was once a kid who went to the park solo and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I always made sure to be a decent human being and to appreciate the opportunity to be in the park. I refuse to be the one bad apple ruins the bunch but I am getting really tired of what the park is seeing. I think we should also mention that there needs to be accountability for the adult who is with the youth.

 I am not opposed to paying more for my pass, for better quality patrons. Currently I'm paying more for my UOAP than my CFP, which has a lot more parks. I am not afraid to spend a little extra for a better quality experience at the park.

I want to mention to that this is in no way a smack at the security team at KI. As someone who has friends who have worked in security, they really are some of the best and are really looking out for you. The response time on the incident shows that they are really on tact with what the park wants from their security team. 

[BoddaH1994]

1 hour ago, BB1 said:

So I'm probably going to sound extremely rude when I say this, but the clientele at Kings Island is just simply not the same as it was ten years ago. As someone from NKY, I have seen more people akin to my local KY Kroger at 3 AM at Kings Island than I have at Kroger at 3 AM, and that's saying something. Parents do not care about what their kids do anymore, and they let their kids go off in gangs accosting people. This season alone I have been bumped and talked to rudely by unaccompanied youth a couple of times for just a few trips to the park. When I'm in line for Orion and I'm worried about kids (boys)  getting way to close and constantly bumping my sister, that's where I draw the line. Which by the way, when you pass a certain point, it would be difficult for security to get back there.  Suffice to say that I am not surprised with what's going on today. Just in a span of what two weeks we had two violent escalations on park managed locations seriously makes me believe that Kings Island needs to make their punishments as public as possible. They need to show to the public if you do bad, you get thrown out. I am not an advocate for a chaperone policy as I was once a kid who went to the park solo and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I always made sure to be a decent human being and to appreciate the opportunity to be in the park. I refuse to be the one bad apple ruins the bunch but I am getting really tired of what the park is seeing. I think we should also mention that there needs to be accountability for the adult who is with the youth.

 I am not opposed to paying more for my pass, for better quality patrons. Currently I'm paying more for my UOAP than my CFP, which has a lot more parks. I am not afraid to spend a little extra for a better quality experience at the park.

I want to mention to that this is in no way a smack at the security team at KI. As someone who has friends who have worked in security, they really are some of the best and are really looking out for you. The response time on the incident shows that they are really on tact with what the park wants from their security team. 

I wouldn’t be opposed to paying paying more for a pass either, but if the future of marketing looks like the past then they’ll knee-jerk as soon as there is a resulting attendance dip and will bring back BAF for $9.99. There. You just doubled your cost for a worse experience. 

[Imperial79]

Hopefully charges are not dropped, and banned from the park for the maximum time. Since these troublemakers are hanging around in groups outside the park, the next step should be some management needs to be outside, and determine if they should be kicked off the property, if they think the group is just hanging around to cause trouble. These people doing this need to know, the park will not put up with none of their misbehavior, or taunts to security.  

[BB1]

1 hour ago, BoddaH1994 said:

I wouldn’t be opposed to paying paying more for a pass either, but if the future of marketing looks like the past then they’ll knee-jerk as soon as there is a resulting attendance dip and will bring back BAF for $9.99. There. You just doubled your cost for a worse experience. 

Exactly, which those are days that I just won't come to the park. Again, the park is not a babysitting service, which it is has been for years. This is only going to get worse throughout the year if they don't seriously crack down on it. The park has the literature, the park has the announcements, now follow through on it. 

[KIghostguy]

20 hours ago, super7 said:

The major installations target this audience as well.   A park full of more family friendly attractions would be too boring for that crowd. 

I don't think this is the case at all. Putting in exclusively family-friendly rides at Disneyland didn't stop two people from getting murdered there. Cedar Point didn't see an increase in violence when they closed the Pirate Ride and started almost exclusively building roller coasters. I don't think the types, or lack thereof, of attractions is what causes fights/brawls/violence.

[Oldschool75]

3 hours ago, KIghostguy said:

I don't think this is the case at all. Putting in exclusively family-friendly rides at Disneyland didn't stop two people from getting murdered there. Cedar Point didn't see an increase in violence when they closed the Pirate Ride and started almost exclusively building roller coasters. I don't think the types, or lack thereof, of attractions is what causes fights/brawls/violence.

I agree. Ride types don't matter. These people are really not here to enjoy the park. They are just there, and some seem to have an agenda to seek trouble. 

[KI Guy]

6 hours ago, BB1 said:

 Again, the park is not a babysitting service, which it is has been for years.

Yep, the vast majority of kids do okay with it, but some don't.

In recent years the park has almost certainly upped the baby sitting quotient with the addition of meal plans.

For around $200 (or $16 bucks a month) per kid you get access to a safe place to drop off your kids that entertains and feeds them all summer.

[FUN&ONLY!]

Who is actually just dropping their kids off at Kings Island everyday? I personally don’t know anyone. The people (kids included) that likely do frequent Kings Island weekly are generally fans of the park and actually care for the park. The vast majority of incidents appear to happen on Saturdays when the crowd consists of people that do not go to Kings Island very often.

I just don’t see why someone who goes to Kings Island daily would pick fights, line jump, and take their phones out on rides. They would know better than most the consequences of such actions. I don’t think we can blame the problem on Kings Island being used as a daycare because I don’t think it is being used in such a way.

[KI Guy]

^ 'Access to' as in ability to use it this way any day all summer.