THE LOCAL 207 SCENE
NO FRIENDS READING FILES
NOTE: This was taken from the Lunch Money Thugs page on why to boycott the asylum. I stole it and decided to use it, so maybe a few other people might know why asylum should be boycotted. Also if you have any true story about the being mistreated at the asylum and feel like writting up the experience, i will gladdly put it up to go along with this artical.
We all know that a good security team is essential to any club that hosts shows, especially when those shows are of an aggressive nature; i.e., punk rock, hardcore, or whatever. Of course, in order to be effective, these security guys have to be pretty big and able to handle their own in a physical confrontation. However, last time I checked, "handling your own in a physical confrontation" didn't include verbally abusing and manhandling small girls.
Unfortunately, that's exactly what happened on Saturday, the 18th of March.
The staff of the Asylum has long had a reputation of unprofessionalism here in Portland, but their behavior on Saturday night set a new standard for abuse of power and irresponsibility. To begin with, these guys need to understand that pits can and do get rough at shows of this nature, and that people are going to tend to get a little carried away. Excessively violent people definitely need to be dealt with and/or ejected, but the Asylum staff have a habit of standing around the edges of the pit and shoving people back in with unnecessary force, not allowing them out when they try to leave, and violently tossing onto the street anyone who acts the same way that they do. Standing around looking tough isn't enough; you have to set an example at the same time. This behavior is not only juvenile, but a double standard as well. Security is there to prevent problems, not cause them unnecessarily.
If this were the only issue no one would have had more of a problem than they normally do, but unfortunately it didn't end there. Matt Kelley's (of the Dropkick Murphys) girlfriend had left the club to smoke a cigarette, and when attempting to get back in was forcefully refused. When she explained who she was, she was told by security that they didn't care, and to make matters worse, when she showed signs of being upset, she was told "oh, waa waa" and to "go whine and cry somewhere else." After that, this girl, who probably weighs 90 pounds soaking wet, was physically picked up and thrown onto the sidewalk by the two largest bouncers in the place. The Dropkicks' road manager and the show's promoter were also physically removed with a great deal of force for absolutely no reason, and had to fight for half an hour to get back in to pay the bands.
This kind of unprofessional, childlike behavior cannot and will not be tolerated. The only way to do anything about it is to refuse to support this club. We need to send the message that a show is no place for security to take action on their personal politics, and that the 12 bucks *we* shell out to get in is what pays *their* wage. If they would do their job in a professional, responsible manner we would all be happy and have a good time. Until that happens, please join us in boycotting the Asylum.
