ANOTHER REASON THE PARK BOARD SHOULD NOT OWN “THE YARD”

It has occurred to Park Watch that there is another very good reason for the Park Board NOT to own and be responsible for any property on which there will be major league sports AND alcohol. And that is because of potential problems when the two are combined.

For example, a few years ago in 2011 there was an incident that occurred after a Dodger-Giants game at Dodger Stadium when a visiting Giant fan was brutally attacked and injured in the Dodger’s parking lot.

The resulting lawsuit against the Dodgers resulted in the plaintiff being awarded a total of $15M from the Dodgers. The prosecuting attorney was quoted as saying that there “was a culture of violence. Beer sales were off the charts.”

Now if a similar incident were to occur on a day or night that the Vikings were using The Yard, isn’t it possible that the Park Board could have some perceived liability, which could mean a lawsuit? If this were to happen, the Park Board would be in trouble because the Park Board is self-insured. It would be a disaster.

Arlene Fried
Co-founder of Park Watch
www.mplsparkwatch.org