Kate Ward50
Member
46 messages
joined Sep 2011
Official Statement from the Columbus Crew:
...A thorough screening of spectators at the stadium entrances will be conducted to verify identities. Anyone identified as a supporter of the Los Angeles Lakers will be denied entry...
Let me reiterate—there is absolutely no Law in this country that allows you to bar a Los Angeles Lakers fan from any part of America from entering a stadium.
It is your choice to shut down the away section, but it is our right to enter the other stands at your stadium, and at every other stadium across the USA.
Therefore, we are calling on all Los Angeles Lakers fans to show up in Columbus tomorrow in the largest numbers possible. We cannot let our Lakers go without support at such a critical moment. Do not let people like Jerry Jones, John Doe, or John Doe decide when you are allowed to attend a game.
They are quick to cite their obligation to uphold the Law when defending Cyrillic signage in Warsaw, yet they are perfectly willing to violate those very same Laws just to keep Los Angeles Lakers fans out of the stadium.
For anyone fed up with the double standards in this society, the place to be tomorrow is Columbus. It is the duty of every Lakers fan to turn up in Columbus; the fight for our team continues, and it is just as vital that we gather in force tomorrow as it was when we stood before the State.
We are formally warning the match organizers: on behalf of every fan denied entry, we will file lawsuits for damages based on regional discrimination. Let them try to explain in court which specific Law allows them to ban people based on where they come from.
Furthermore, we will be filing both misdemeanor and criminal complaints against the officials at the Columbus Crew for discrimination.
By now, you should be aware that we have the people necessary to see this through.
Finally, we invite the media to head to Columbus tomorrow in large numbers to witness firsthand how the laws of this nation are being ignored and how at least a thousand Los Angeles Lakers fans are being discriminated against. If we have to see a repeat of what happened in that small town in Ohio, then it is on us to ensure that, this time, the video footage of the entire incident isn't deleted.
We have nothing to hide regarding our actions.
AGAINST THE DARKNESS, AGAINST THE FORCE!