Bricktown on a Saturday Afternoon – People Who Don’t Don’t Belong?
For the past week I’ve been delving into the finances and operations of Kansas City based Crawl for Cancer Inc. I wrote one story that delved on reported bad behavior of some participants based on allegations made at Tuesday’s Bricktown Association meeting. It was news because the association voted to ban a group – something I’ve not seen in the 14 years I’ve covered the entertainment district.
Those who participated in the event continue to dwell on the initial story, not realizing I had moved on. But some of the the most vocal critics of my coverage challenged me to go on another Saturday afternoon to see if the same conduct was going on without Crawl for Cancer. So I did just that today, and from 2 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. I walked around, took photos and observed.
Here is what I saw:
What didn’t I see? I didn’t see examples of public drunkenness. I didn’t see people harassing families or yelling out profanities.
Now let’s address some other things being said by participants.
1. Avis Scaramucci is making all of this up.
Read my story from Wednesday – representatives of Hampton Inn, Hooters, Put a Cork in It all gave their own reports of bad behavior involving Crawl for Cancer participants. Capt. Steve McCool reported problems as well. Local organizer David Tedford didn’t deny any of these allegations when I interviewed him on Tuesday – the last time anyone associated with Crawl for Cancer has agreed to an interview (the national for-profit Crawl for Cancer Inc. have refused to talk to me from the start).
2. The bad behavior represents just a few of the participants.
Here’s what has happened since Tuesday. One person who was on the canal the afternoon of Saturday, May 1, reported a Crawl for Cancer participant poured a beer on a person passing under a canal bridge. The person reported the assailant (yes, that’s what he is if this happened) was surrounded by about 20 people, all wearing Crawl for Cancer shirts, cheering him on.
Another person reported a team of Crawl for Cancer people walking around Bricktown chanting “f-ck cancer.” Look at the photos above folks … is this really ok?
A woman called me Friday night. She said she wanted to call me when she read my first story, but got scared after seeing the online responses from Crawl for Cancer participants angry that their event was being questioned. She said she was walking along Sheridan Avenue that afternoon with her son when four men in their 20s with Crawl for Cancer shirts starting making comments about her breast size. When she shot them a glare to communicate she could hear them and they should leave her alone, they crossed the street and started following her closely making even more lewd comments.
She said some participants with shirts walking from the opposite direction – people she said looked nice – walked right on by and said nothing even though she was confident they could hear what was going. She said they offered no help and didn’t confront their fellow participants.
Look at the photos above. Is this really ok?
3. The Bricktown Association is shunning this event because they’re not making money off of it.
Huh? Merchants and bars I’ve talked to say they made a nice sum of money from the May 1 Crawl for Cancer. Even so, the ones I’ve spoken to are supportive of the ban.
4. I’m a member of the Bricktown Association. If that were true, they would have kicked me out a long, long time ago. And no, my boss isn’t a member either.
5. No participating bars or clubs or hotels that were a part of the event and benefited from it were part of the vote to “ban” Crawl for Cancer from Bricktown. Not true. The Hampton Inn actually spoke out against the event. Those present during the voice vote and not voting no (there were zero no votes) included the Bricktown Brewery. I’m also told Tapwerks supports the ban and Jim Cowan reports that the Friday night meeting with club and bar owners and managers resulted in unanimous support for the association’s actions.
Stay classy OKC.
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Comments
No Nick, I’m taking photos in place and at a time of day in which dozens of Crawl for Cancer participants seem to think it’s ok to do organized binge drinking.
I’ve been asking all week why this event has to be held during a Saturday afternoon in Bricktown and Crawl for Cancer officials won’t answer.
Nick, if you think this is a good thing, take your best shot and explain why.
FYI: The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism defines binge drinking as a pattern of drinking that brings a person’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08 grams percent or above. This typically happens when men consume 5 or more drinks, and when women consume 4 or more drinks, in about 2 hours.
Crawl for Cancer arranges for teams of 10 people each to indulge in 20 pitchers of beer at five bars within a four-hour period (four pitchers of beer per bar, and five bars participating)
Not defending Crawl for Cancer. Bricktown might try replacing it though with a cancer-fighting parade. Charity social events are in.
Just trying to provide comic relief for what’s become a serious topic with heavy moral questions and such. I’ve always been annoyed that Bricktown wants to be a “family friendly urban district” (these exist?) first and foremost. But Crawl for Cancer aint the right way to capitalize on other demographics.
Still, I just feel disappointed to see something that wasn’t bad at first turn into something that IS bad. Or maybe I’m the only one questioning the sense in cornering the market for the 10-year old demographic. I guess allowances and chores can support all kinds of restaurants, boutiques, culture, and more these days. When I was a kid I got $10 a month. And yeah, I’m only in college, and just pulled the “When I was a kid” card LOL.
I know that Bricktown annually hosts the walk for the Susan J. Koman foundation. As for Nick’s comments – can the fickle nature of Thursday-Saturday night club crowds keep a district alive?
And you people really think/thought “The Big Friendly” should be the trade mark for our city? I thought you people said our fair city was the model of “Friendliness” found nowhere else in the country when it comes to “big league cities”? A crock of propaganda crap and hypocrisy like most things around here is what that is.
itsmerick – so are you saying you think the behavior of the crawl for cancer participants reflects negatively on OKC as a whole?
Had any of those people who were harassed, assaulted, had beer poured on them, or otherwise were on the receiving end of that amateurish behavior, been from out of town, then yes, unfortunately, the act of a few are going to reflect on OKC as a whole.
Those people are going to go back to their respective places and remember the inconsiderate d-bags yelling profanities, sexually harassing young mothers, and peeing in the canal in broad daylight.
These actions are upsetting enough to overshadow the other positive experiences these civilized visitors may have had.
Steve, have made any attempts to contact a colleague at the Kansas City Star to enlist their assistance in uncovering the rest of the story?
Bottom line – It is really sad that these people need such a lame front using For Profit “charity” so that they can feel good about the fact that they are binge drink alcohol and acting like a bunch ass clowns all day…The organization does more to support douche bags alcoholic drinking habits than it does to raise money for cancer….All of the people organizing, participating or defending it are uneducated, immature hack crooks. Seriously grow up…What’s even funnier is the organizers are in there mid 30s 40s – must not have gotten in out of their systems in college…Time to reevalute their priorties – (Tedford, Nance)….
Merick, I’m confused. Are you saying OKC isn’t friendly because of the anger over some of the C4C participants’ behavior or OKC isn’t friendly because some of the C4C participants acted poorly toward visitors?
Steve is now taking pictures of children playing in parks. Wow.