Originally Posted By HongKongDisneyLand A former employee climbed on top of the roof of Space Mountain this afternoon. He threatened to kill himself with a knife.(He was upset about being fired by disney) and after more than an hour of stand off with the police, he was finally persuaded to come down from the roof.
Originally Posted By MrToadWildRider Wow that's nuts. How do you even get onto the roof? Is there a door from the inside? The shape of the mountain seems to make it near impossible to do so from the ground without some serious equipment.
Originally Posted By WorldDisney Man, are people just trying to FIND new ways to give this park these crazy press stories?? Well hope he was okay and I guess he REALLY loved working for the mouse although I imagine he was probably making the same wage I use to make as a grocery store clerk in High School . In other words, he'll realize he can find something else (maybe better) once he gets over the shock of being fired (I REALLY want to know why they fired him now though lol).
Originally Posted By HongKongDisneyLand he was a mechanic..there is a way of getting up the roof, possibly a ladder or something (for maintenance)
Originally Posted By TDLFAN Did this just happened (and was covered here by us) like back in August??
Originally Posted By HongKongDisneyLand It just happened today...i was at the park...they only closed part of the park..but they still kept Space Mountain open. most of the visitors either didn't know what was going or they were surprised why there was a guy up the roof. It was on the TV news today.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN Then this is the 2nd such incident as far as I know, because a construction worker pulled the same stunt in August. Seems to me there is a certain lack of security at HKDLR if things like this happen. Why can't this people just throw themselves into Victoria Harbour instead of curtailing the fun of the guests in the park??
Originally Posted By MrToadWildRider They closed part of the park but not the ride where the guy was having a life and death stand off with police....that's a little odd.... And to WorldDisney about why the guy was fired - I'm guessing it may have had something to do with him being the kind of guy willing to scale the face of Space Mountain with a knife to take his own life heh
Originally Posted By SuperDry <<< They closed part of the park but not the ride where the guy was having a life and death stand off with police....that's a little odd.... >>> Perhaps they didn't see how closing an entirely enclosed attraction would have anything to do one way or the other with what was happening on the roof.
Originally Posted By gardabble HKDL, I think you sensationalize the story. The guy wasn't out to kill himself just to protest the working conditions at HK Disneyland. I'll post the article from South China Morning Post. Ex-Disney worker in two-hour standoff A former Hong Kong Disneyland worker perched atop one of the park's most popular rides for more than two hours yesterday in an apparent protest against working conditions. The 47-year-old man sneaked through the backstage area of the Space Mountain just after 2pm and climbed a tower on the 100-metre-tall indoor rollercoaster. Police took two hours to persuade the man, who had a knife and banner bearing characters including "Blood" and "Truth", to come down. The path to the tower was sealed during the incident. The protester, identified only as Man, was taken away by police when he came down. His action came a week after a meeting between Disneyland group managing director Don Robinson and the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions over complaints about working conditions. The man requested a meeting with the management of the park," a police spokeswoman said. "After two hours of negotiation with police, he finally came down." Witnesses said the man frequently used his phone while grabbing a pole on top of the tower. "I don't think the man was going to jump," said Paul Chan, who watched for more than 10 minutes. "Maybe he wanted to attract more attention from people by choosing to climb during a public holiday." Mr Chan said that just after 2.30pm, he saw a lot of Disney officials rush to the tower and the road to the tower was sealed off. A Disneyland spokeswoman said the park monitored access to the backstage areas of rides and the case was an isolated incident. She said there were direct channels for staff to communicate their views to management. But a park worker, who did not want to be named, said there had been no improvement in communication. "The management people still refuse to listen to our views," said the worker, who is involved in moves to set up a labour union at the park. "For example, some of the park operation staff members only managed to have one day off per week instead of two until last week. The park has only agreed to pay money for extra working time, while the staff actually want compensation holidays." Disney refused to say how long the man had worked at the park or why he had left. Legislator Lee Cheuk-yan, who chairs the Confederation of Trade Unions, said the park had yet to show its commitment to improving working conditions. He warned of a "staff exodus" from the park last month, amid 67 complaints and 100 inquiries on alleged labour abuses at the park filed with the confederation. "They can't just keep ignoring the voice of their staff," Mr Lee said. Hard work A breakdown of the 67 complaints and 100 inquiries about alleged labour rights abuse at Hong Kong Disneyland received by the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions up to Tuesday. GENERAL COMPLAINTS Long working hours ..... 67 Shift arrangements ..... 58 Insufficient rest time ..... 50 Insufficient staff ..... 60 Unpaid lunch hours ..... 61 HOTEL AND CATERING No meals for staff ..... 31 Restaurants dumping all unsold food ..... 20 CARTOON CHARACTERS Emergency medical aid can only take place out of sight of visitors ..... 25 Weight of costumes ..... 26 Hygienic conditions of shared costumes ..... 26
Originally Posted By HongKongDisneyLand gardabble, this labour issues have been reported many times in HK newspapers. nothing new. Every newspapers in HK have their own stories to report. >>I don't think the man was going to jump," said Paul Chan, who watched for more than 10 minutes. "Maybe he wanted to attract more attention from people by choosing to climb during a public holiday." << it is just a matter of point of view. to them, he is just a guy who wants all the attention, and the same applies to to disney as well. of course, Disney wants different kind of attention than this one. I am not on either sides, just saying that that all have their own argument to put forward. I was there at the park. but are u just reading from the newspapers to based on yr sole judgement?
Originally Posted By HongKongDisneyLand did SCMP mention that he put a knife around his neck and was on the verge of falling down from the roof??
Originally Posted By gardabble Since you were at the park that day. Did you take pictures that incident? Ok, I heard other stories from the media relating to the disgruntled ex-worker about his dismissal and that's why the ex-Disney security officer scaled Space Mountain.
