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NYPD Defends Ejecting Sox Fan from Yankee Stadium During "God Bless America"
By
John Del Signore
Published Aug 28, 2008
Modified Aug 28, 2008
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By
John Del Signore
Published Aug 28, 2008
Modified Aug 28, 2008
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The NYCLU seems inclined to follow through with last year's promise to sue the Yankees over their policy of confining fans to their seats during the national anthem and "God Bless America," which is played during the seventh inning stretch. Yesterday Red Sox fan Bradford Campeau-Laurion, a Queens resident, told us about his rough ejection from Yankee stadium at the hands of the NYPD after he tried to go to the men's room during the seventh inning's moment of mandatory nationalism Monday night.
Donna Lieberman, Executive Director of the NYCLU, tells CBS 2 that "because they are enforcing a rule of that imposes political correctness through refusing to let somebody go to bathroom while a patriotic song is playing, that violates Constitutional rights." But Michael C. Dorf, a constitutional law professor at Columbia Law School, disagrees; he told the Times last year that “it doesn’t violate the Constitution, because the Yankees are not the government. If they were a municipally owned team, you could have an issue because the team would be a state actor.
A spokesman for Yankee Stadium is referring inquiries to the NYPD and calling it "a police matter." A statement from the NYPD reads, "The officers observed a male standing on his seat, cursing, using inappropriate language and acting in a disorderly manner while reeking of alcohol, and decided to eject him rather than subject others to his offensive behavior."
Campeau-Laurion says that he only had two beers during the game, which he attended with a Yankees season ticket holder who says the police are – make sure you're sitting down – lying! He tells CBS 2: "That's ridiculous. That's completely false."But until some videotape surfaces, it's their word against the NYPD.
Tagged
Bradford Campeau-Laurion
ejected
god bless america
lawsuit
nyclu
suing
thrown out
yankee stadium
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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