NYCLU Hammers NYPD.
Everybody Say Amen!
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April 15, 2009 NYCLU Press Release — The New York Civil Liberties Union today filed a federal lawsuit against the NYPD on behalf of a Queens man who was ejected from the old Yankee Stadium last August after trying to use the restroom during “God Bless America.â€
The lawsuit maintains that Bradford Campeau-Laurion, a 30-year-old lifelong baseball fan and resident of Astoria, was the victim of religious and political discrimination on Aug. 26, 2008 when police officers forcibly restrained and ejected him from Yankee Stadium after he tried to walk past an officer during the playing of “God Bless America.â€
The Spin: New York Yankees + NYPD + Nature Calls + God = 281 articles, according to Google, as of 6:47 p.m. April 15.
A News Sampling:
NEW YORK (Reuters) — A man ejected from Yankee Stadium during the playing of a patriotic song has sued the baseball team and New York City, saying his civil rights were violated when police barred him from going to the bathroom.
New York Daily News — A baseball fan is suing the NYPD for kicking him out of the old Yankee Stadium last summer because he tried to use the restroom during the playing of “God Bless America,” lawyers said.
Comcast.net Sports — A man ejected from Yankee Stadium during the playing of a patriotic song has sued the baseball team and New York City, saying his civil rights were violated when police barred him from going to the bathroom.
WSJ – Law BLOG — Imagine you’re a Yankee fan. (I know it’s hard, but try.) Imagine you’ve headed to Yankee Stadium after a long work day, eager to enjoy a night with your friends, Derek Jeter and A-Rod, as they take on their nemesis, the Boston Red Sox.
Now imagine downing a tall cup of beer and trying to leave your seat to use the stadium’s bathroom during the 7th-inning stretch, as the sounds of “God Bless America†echo throughout the ballpark.
Unfortunately for you, the Yankees have a policy of restricting spectator movement during the playing of that song, and you run into two NYPD cops on “paid detail†at the game who prevent you from reaching your desired destination. When you try to explain that you are “not concerned†about the song, the cops forcibly remove you from the stadium. (On the upside, you didn’t have to witness the Yankees fail to score any more runs and lose, 7 to 3.)
NEW YORK (AP) — A baseball fan says he was ejected from Yankee Stadium for leaving his seat to use the bathroom while “God Bless America” play
New York Times BLOG: City Room — Updated, 3:50 p.m. | The New York Civil Liberties Union on Wednesday filed a federal lawsuit against the Police Department on behalf of a Queens man who was ejected from the old Yankee Stadium last August after trying to use the bathroom during the playing of “God Bless America.â€
Sporting News BLOG – You may be a “Star-Spangled Banner” person, but I’ve always been an “America, the Beautiful” guy, especially if Ray Charles is doing it. It’s easy to sing, you only have to do one full verse to get a decent anthem out of it, and most importantly, you can sing it without having to wonder whether anyone’s giggling at you trying to hit the high notes because there really aren’t any. (Not that Marvin Gaye had any problems with this, but he was Marvin Gaye, and sadly you’re not.)
The anthem still gives me the requisite chills, but I can’t say the same for “God Bless America,” though, mostly because it a) uses the word “foam,” a ridiculous word to have in any song about something important, and b) it started delaying sporting events another two minutes or so after its post-9/11 renaissance as a frequently used song in stadiums, and I have zero patience for anything standing between me and the game.
Tags: NY Yankees, NYCLU, NYPD