Last Thursday, Bryan Stow a paramedic for AMR up in Santa Clara county Ca, and two companions decided to travel down to L.A. and catch the opening day ceremonies as the L.A. Dodgers played the San Fransisco Giants. Being Giant fans, Bryan and his friends were wearing Giants apparel in support of their team. While leaving the stadium, they ran into some stereotypical Dodger fans and an altercation ensued.
Photo Courtesy of AMR Santa Clara County
According to news reports, verbal sparring escalated into Bryan and his companions being assaulted. Bryan's friends escaped with minor injuries, Bryan was not so lucky. He was struck in the head and fell to the ground, smacking his head on the pavement. He was then repeatedly kicked while laying there, unconscious. The two assailants fled the scene, Bryan is now laying comatose in a Los Angeles area hospital.
Bryan suffered a major brain injury, is in an induced coma and on a ventilator. All because some thugs were angry about some fans wearing Giants Jerseys. When this first story first broke, other Dodger fans were interviewed regarding the attack. One fan said something along the lines of "this is L.A, you have to expect this." Brilliant words from yet another thug Dodger Fan.
Come on you turdballs, is your loyalty to a sports team worth killing someone for? Apparently, in your warped world, it is.
I grew up a Dodger fan and attended games as a kid. At some point, the Dodgers became the team of choice for the L.A. thug sub-culture. While alcohol and some rowdiness has always been an issue at Dodger games, the fan base has shifted and many of the cheaper seating sections have taken on a less gentile atmosphere. It is like there are two separate stadiums, the one where the celebrities and the business people sit and the one where the thugs sit. As I can't afford to sit or park with the celebrities, I don't go to Dodger Stadium.
Yeah, I know most of the fans sitting in the seats at Dodger Stadium are not a threat to anyone and just want to have a good time. However, the presence of an ever increasing number of people who have no regard for others are becoming more of an issue as time rolls on. As the "thugification" of our culture continues, incidents as this will become more common and people like Bryan, and us, will be the victims.
What happened to Bryan, shouldn't happen to anyone. Bryan and his family are in for a hard time as he recovers from his injuries. You can help out by visiting this link to find out how to donate to a fund that has been set up for them.
Despite this unnecessary tragedy, I am glad the season has started, though I fear this may not be the Cub's year. So what else is new? Through it all, I will do my best and keep in mind that it is just a freakin' game.
Thanks for reading,
Schmoe
Wow...... I'm stunned.
ReplyDeleteSchmoe, thank you for posting this. Here is some info from the San Francisco Paramedics' Association:
ReplyDeleteURGENT MESSAGE FROM the BAY AREA EMS COMMUNITY
Paramedic Bryan Stow was severely injured during an altercation at the San Francisco Giants vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Game on Thursday, March 31st. He is in the Intensive Care Unit in L.A. and has two young boys.
A Fundraiser is being held on Wednesday April 6 from noon to 8pm, at
AMR Headquarters [Next to SJFD Station 34] @1670 Las Plumas Ave, San Jose
Funds will be placed in a Trust for the children and to assist with his family's bills for accommodations and food while they are with him in L.A.
You can also donate via the following methods:
1) Donate directly to his Fundraising Account at Commonwealth Central Credit Union Account #118881. You can do this by contacting any credit union.
2) Via your PayPal account. Go to www.PayPal.com Send funds to: StowDonations@gmail.com
Hydrant Girl - For me angry and disgusted yes, stunned no. I am not surprised, alcohol enhanced machismo runs rampant at those games and it was sadly predictable. I hope Bryan has a speedy recovery.
ReplyDeleteAnon - Thanks for the info, that is basically the same sources on the link in the post.
Thanks for the comments.
Capt Schmoe, thanks for posting this. Truly a sad story. As a new father, my heart breaks thinking of his wife and kids going through this for....what??
ReplyDeleteThis is a sad story, one of millions played out around the world every day. I know I can't solve them all, but for the cost of a pizza night at home, I hope my contribution will show Bryans children that the scumbags who did this are the exception, not the rule.
This is a terrible story. It has given LA a national black eye. We in Kansas City know that if you go to the black hole of Oakland to follow the Chiefs, you leave the red and gold at home. It's a sorry thing to see that the same thug mentality has come to the baseball venue.
ReplyDeleteIt is unbelievable to me that the Dodgers' parking area in this day and age didn't have good video cameras--there is no excuse for that. Meantime, I suspect the thug community has swallowed up the miscreants in a sea of "don't snitch." If they are illegals, they are probably in Mexico.
My prayers for paramedic Stow and his family. While AMR is a national company, each branch is valuable to each community and each trained worker an asset. (We have one in Independence, MO.)
Observer - It appears that many local Dodger fans are also Raider fans. Fan behavior seems to be a common thread as well. Another reason to like minor league baseball, I guess.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment.
I'm very happy to see the outpouring of support for Bryan not just from EMS, but from the fire side as well. Around here a private ambulance medic wouldn't have been pissed on if he was burning.
ReplyDeleteThanks.
CBEMT - Well, that's too bad. Everybody has a job to do, fussing and strife does no one any good. The LA media has been doing a good job reporting this and plugging fundraisers. It seems like a lot of people have stepped up.
ReplyDeleteI just hope he can make a full recovery, Miracles do happen.