Originally Posted By Darkbeer <a href="http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-trespass2207jun22" target="_blank">http://www.orlandosentinel.com /business/orl-trespass2207jun22</a>,0,5093461.story >>Walt Disney World is stepping up efforts to roust unwanted teens and young adults from its Downtown Disney complex. The company's security guards and off-duty Orange County deputy sheriffs boosted their presence last weekend at the popular shopping and entertainment area, issuing as many trespass warnings in two days as they had the previous 51/2 months. Fifty teens and young adults were banned from Disney property forever. If they return, they can be arrested. Those barred included a 15-year-old boy from Osceola County who was arrested with marijuana and a loaded .380-caliber pistol, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Office. The operation, which adds 11 off-duty deputy sheriffs to the normal four-member team at Downtown Disney for four weekends, started a week after two Connecticut tourists reported they were abducted from the parking lot and later robbed. Disney and sheriff's officials said the crackdown stemmed from broader concerns, not one incident. "A ganglike presence was unfortunately identified at Downtown Disney. And that is not going to be tolerated," Disney World spokeswoman Jacquee Polak said Thursday. "So additional deputies were proactively assigned to patrol the area and that's going to go on as long as is needed." Sheriff's Capt. Ted Brown, who supervises patrols at Disney, said the heightened enforcement had been planned weeks ago in response to increasing numbers of problem teens Disney and deputies had noticed starting late last year. "A lot of them were described as 'wannabe gangbangers.' " he said. "And some of them were flat-out harassing and bothering other guests."<< Much more at the link
Originally Posted By DAR We've had a problem here at one of the malls with this very thing. In fact after 2:00 if you are under 21 you cannot be in the mall without a parent or adult guardian. Security starts to kick people out right at 2:00.
Originally Posted By dzy76 I'm certainly glad Disney is on top of this. I vacation alone with my kids and I've always felt safe as long as I stick to Disney property. It's so sad these kids don't have anything else to do but hang out and harrass people.
Originally Posted By wahooskipper Come on...gang bangers have more discretionary income than I do. I say let them be. Sarcasm off. Yes, I believe a larger security/police presence will solve this problem pretty quickly.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 <It's so sad these kids don't have anything else to do but hang out and harrass people. < likely stealing soda with old mugs in their spare time.. ;-)
Originally Posted By Goofyernmost I say, put them to work building Pooh playgrounds...the world could always use more of those.
Originally Posted By MPierce >> A ganglike presence was unfortunately identified at Downtown Disney. And that is not going to be tolerated," Disney World spokeswoman Jacquee Polak said Thursday. "So additional deputies were proactively assigned to patrol the area and that's going to go on as long as is needed." << It certainly looks like WDW is planning to crack the whip. Sadly this is a problem that has caused closure of some Six Flaf parks. You see it more, and more in areas where it is allowed to flourish. People will not pay a premium price to attend a resort where they do not feel completely safe. >> likely stealing soda with old mugs in their spare time.. ;-)
Originally Posted By bayrr326 So now we know why Disney got rid of all the outdoor entertainment at PI. They should have known when they stopped restricting access to PI that the teenagers would come out of the woodwork.
Originally Posted By Elderp Banned for life. That one is going to be hard to explain to their kids someday.
Originally Posted By ChiMike >> with marijuana and a loaded .380-caliber pistol, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Office.<< What does it say when this kind of news can be laughed off by some of Disney's best and most ardent fans with cracks about free soda?! >> with marijuana and a loaded .380-caliber pistol, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Office.<< This is serious, serious stuff. This is a clear indicator of how far off the path this resort has gotten. This is not Walt's company anymore. It's not even Frank Wells' company anymore. This is what happens when the company is run completely different and the highest motivation is to attract as many people as possible with as many strategies as possible. This is what happens when you reduce the quality of your product/service. When you sell it for "volume". I'm sorry but the "Resorts" I want to visit and spend money at don't have thug-wannabe teenagers roaming around. And let's not here about how the country has changed. Society has changed. Without a doubt it has. But this stuff is happening and it has become this worse because of how Disney positions the property. Speaking of Vegas, some underage kid comes into a casino out there, even the smaller scale (but notorious) places like Binion's, and they deal with it much more significantly than an issuance of tresspass. So, while Disney fans' keep letting stuff like this slide, while it becomes acceptable and "out of Disney's control" you will see these places that everyone holds dear become more basic, common, un-spectacular, and even dangerous. Let's see how long it takes until Disney goes back to their minimal security level.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip I think Disney will crack down on this. Disney still understands making money, and they know that the gang-bangers don't spend anything at Downtown Disney and that the tourists they drive away do. I don't know that it will change our Downtown Disney behavior very much. We've largely stopped going there over the past few years because there is nothing there that you can't get in Epcot at either Mouse Gear or The Art of Disney store. And Epcot is a MUCH MORE pleasant place to shop!
Originally Posted By ChiMike I Agree. I couldn't imagine staying at an EPCOT resort and needing to shop at Downtown Disney rather than in my own backyard at EPCOT or MGM.
Originally Posted By BeautysBeast "Rises up out of rusty lawn chair,hitchin up my hideous plaid shorts barely coverin my knobby wrinkled knees.Pulls up my black socks im wearing with white patent leather shoes.Turns on the garden hose and shakes fist angrily n yells:GET OF MY LAWN U YOUNG PUNKS"
Originally Posted By vbdad55 <>> with marijuana and a loaded .380-caliber pistol, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Office.<< What does it say when this kind of news can be laughed off by some of Disney's best and most ardent fans with cracks about free soda?! < Mike, you know me better than to say I was just laughing it off. What should I be doing, panicking in the streets. This was also an issue in Anaheim for a while, I am confident they can address it the same way and make it the best they can....while still living in the real world. How would you lock out the real world from the outdoor area that is DTD ? I am no more happy about this than the next person, so what it says is that maybe you overreacted to my comment.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I am not going to overreact on this one incident... it is not the first I am sure and will not be the last. It is not that there is nothing we can do about it, obviously they were able to address at DL, and it will take some effort.....but to think this will NEVER occur is not realistic. Wall off DTD and frisk everyone coming in, while manning those booths with real police officers, not security guards...might help...but here in Chicago we do that for our schools and somehow weapons still get it don't they? I don't want this at Disney, I don't also don't want it at my museums, ballparks etc., but being able to 100% stop it is not possible. There are some bad people out there, and living here in a city area of over 7 million people as we do , you know that as well as I. So if you took my comment as I was blowing it off, I assure you I was not....but also do not want to over react. Fear being, over reaction leads to less people going there, then the bad people can truly take over. Patrol, prosecute to the fullest extent and make it not worth their while to come there would be the best deterrant i can think of....
Originally Posted By MPierce >> What does it say when this kind of news can be laughed off by some of Disney's best and most ardent fans with cracks about free soda?! << I clearly understood what vbdad meant by his post. that's why my comment was . It goes back to a different thread, and a young member of this forum. I felt it was a very appropriate post because I understood the context in the statement. >> So, while Disney fans' keep letting stuff like this slide, while it becomes acceptable and "out of Disney's control" you will see these places that everyone holds dear become more basic, common, un-spectacular, and even dangerous. << I really don't see any WDW fans letting this slide. I can only go by what's been said here, and so far nobody has said no big deal. We can't force WDW to make it safer, that's their choice. I bet they are taking this very seriously, we'll see.
