Drinking in Public Fine (Camden Show) $533 Unreal!!!

spat · July 2008

that is completely fucked up! especially when people were playing BEER PONG out in the open and the police were driving past them with no problems. I had no problems drinking right from the bottle either.

Dumb question, but are you sure you were still inside the parking area? cuz as soon as you step out they stop you.

HailHailLeatherman · July 2008

PearlJamPatriot wrote:

They wouldn't even let me over the border into Canada because I have a DUI. I was on my way to Montreal once and when i got to the border, they asked my friends and I some questions like, "Have you ever been before a judge before, and for what". Anyway, i said yes and told them why, not thinking much of it because a DUI is only a misdemeanor. Anyway, they told me I couldn't cross the border. So my friends and I had to drive all the way back home. 4 hour trip. That sucked.

Uh yeah, less talking you.

I would have dropped you off at a cheap motel on the US side and gone in without you :-)

HailHailLeatherman · July 2008

pjroo3 wrote:

Wow... Camden is now my least favorite place in the universe. Went to Camden 1 and was tailgating along with everyone else. I was on my second beer when a policewoman grabbed my beer and proceeded to write me a ticket (along with about 1000 other people). She checked a box that made it a mandatory court appearance. Well, today was the court date for everyone at the June 19 show. Tons of PJ fans at the court house. The fine for "Drinking in Public" was $78 which sucks, but no biggie. Well.... when they read us our fines today, they say that they have been amended and it has now been changed to "Inappropriate Behavior" which is $500 plus $33 court fees. I was shocked! Big bummer for anyone caught up in this crappy situation. I will never attend another show in that city! Well unless PJ is there and I will not enjoy myself in the parking lot.

Um, did you get a chance to speak for/defend yourself???

haffajappa · July 2008

i have a question...
say they caught me (only 20 years old) drinking... and i'm not from your country...

would i be like kicked outta your country for a felony or something? i've always wondered what will happen if i get caught...

...which also didnt stop me from taking a photo of me holding a beer (in a bottle, near the police) under the sign that says no drinking :rolleyes:

over bends · July 2008

doin'the-evolution wrote:

i have a question...
say they caught me (only 20 years old) drinking... and i'm not from your country...

would i be like kicked outta your country for a felony or something? i've always wondered what will happen if i get caught...

...which also didnt stop me from taking a photo of me holding a beer (in a bottle, near the police) under the sign that says no drinking :rollseyes:

I think you'd just be treated like any other American... so you'd just have to pay the time, or if it's jail-worthy, you'd have to serve time here. I'm not an expert though.

haffajappa · July 2008

over_bends wrote:

I think you'd just be treated like any other American... so you'd just have to pay the time, or if it's jail-worthy, you'd have to serve time here. I'm not an expert though.

but then would i be allowed into your country in the future? because then i'd have a criminal record...

i was talking to a customer yesterday who said he knows people who had charges on their record for overnighter jail stays in the drunk tank, from 1979! and they still arent allowed in the US.... harsh!

restlesssoul · July 2008

THATS A FUCKIN OUTRAGE!!!! holy shit, youve got to appeal that or something. they are just totally taking advantage of this....unbelievable man. how many peoples tickets got "amended"?

fucking government.

pjroo3 · July 2008

It was not public intoxication and I didnt have the beer in a cup. It was my second beer. The people who were underage got the same fine as me. I am 31 years old. Just had my first child. Wife is staying at home to watch the baby. We are living on my paycheck and this kind of fine is pretty devastating. I hadn't had a drink since she got pregnant either... Been over a year.

I was at the 8:30AM court time. They also have a 12:30PM which will probably have another 1000 people.

I figure 1000 people x $500 = $500,000 (8:30 court time)
1000 people x $500 = $500,000 (12:30 court time)

Total $1,000,000 (1 Pearl Jam Show)

Good luck to the people who went to night two.

I'm thinking every show they are making a TON of money for the city. Where do they put all that money?

pjroo3 · July 2008

OH yeah.. They put an "x" in the spot where it is a mandatory court appearance. Everyone had the "x" on their ticket. Then that way they can get the extra "court cost"

disilluzion · July 2008

pjroo3 wrote:

It was not public intoxication and I did have the beer in a cup.

Those two statements contradict each other...

JaneNY · July 2008

When you get the ticket, do you have to sign it? If so, I didn't know they could then make changes after the fact.

bgirl59 · July 2008

spat wrote:

that is completely fucked up! especially when people were playing BEER PONG out in the open and the police were driving past them with no problems. I had no problems drinking right from the bottle either.

Dumb question, but are you sure you were still inside the parking area? cuz as soon as you step out they stop you.

I agree....so where in the parking lot were you? We were all over the place, from 5 Against 1's (cover band) stage, to car hopping, bottled beer in hand,one cop even nodded to us! so where were you?
xo

Pearl Street Brewery · July 2008

Someone please inform the local tv stations about this. Also let Pearl Jam know. This is nuts!

flyinwhole313 · July 2008

pjroo3 wrote:

Wow... Camden is now my least favorite place in the universe. Went to Camden 1 and was tailgating along with everyone else. I was on my second beer when a policewoman grabbed my beer and proceeded to write me a ticket (along with about 1000 other people). She checked a box that made it a mandatory court appearance. Well, today was the court date for everyone at the June 19 show. Tons of PJ fans at the court house. The fine for "Drinking in Public" was $78 which sucks, but no biggie. Well.... when they read us our fines today, they say that they have been amended and it has now been changed to "Inappropriate Behavior" which is $500 plus $33 court fees. I was shocked! Big bummer for anyone caught up in this crappy situation. I will never attend another show in that city! Well unless PJ is there and I will not enjoy myself in the parking lot.

CALL A LAWYER. HOPEFULLY YOU DIDN"T PLEAD GUILTY??? Was it a felony charge on your record?

I have always made a habit of using the "red cups" and was actually talking to 2 cops in the parking lot sitting next to 4 coolers full of beers...maybe those freebie hot dogs kicked them off our case...

firecrotch23 · July 2008

i went to both shows and put all drinks in the good ol red cup. the only hastle we got was the second night, when we had a bus with about 50 people on it. the cops pulled up and asked people for id, and rolled out after checking like 10-15 ids. funny thing is that there was about 10-15 underagers there and they didnt even bat an eye at them. they should really just play the spectrum or the wachovia center when they come back

T-Bone 82 · July 2008

pjroo3 wrote:

It was not public intoxication and I did have the beer in a cup. It was my second beer. The people who were underage got the same fine as me. I am 31 years old. Just had my first child. Wife is staying at home to watch the baby. We are living on my paycheck and this kind of fine is pretty devastating. I hadn't had a drink since she got pregnant either... Been over a year.

I was at the 8:30AM court time. They also have a 12:30PM which will probably have another 1000 people.

I figure 1000 people x $500 = $500,000 (8:30 court time)
1000 people x $500 = $500,000 (12:30 court time)

Total $1,000,000 (1 Pearl Jam Show)

Good luck to the people who went to night two.

I'm thinking every show they are making a TON of money for the city. Where do they put all that money?

That is totally ridiculous. I guarantee they had a quota and would just bust enough people until they met it. They know any one person of the 25,000 will be drinking in public, so they go ahead and set the number ahead of time.

I'm all for arresting someone if they are completely wasted in public and causing a scene, but if you're chilling out w/ a red cup on your second beer there is just no need for that.

This story is almost as ridiculous as my friend Kevin being arrested for public drunkeness...on Bourbon street. He spent a weekend in jail.

blacknapkins · July 2008

The $500 does seem excessive. I'm going to run this by someone who might be able to find out why. It also seems a silly and negative thing to do for a place where you'd assume they wanted people to come and enjoy themselves. Although, luring people to a summer concert, letting some drink outside and then ticketing and fining others at an exorbitant rate is pretty lucrative. Sounds like some city leaders' idea of easy money.

Camden is also one of my least favorite places. Too bad my favorite bands insist on booking shows there.

Hawkshore · July 2008

pjroo3 wrote:

I was at the 8:30AM court time. They also have a 12:30PM which will probably have another 1000 people.

I figure 1000 people x $500 = $500,000 (8:30 court time)
1000 people x $500 = $500,000 (12:30 court time)

Total $1,000,000 (1 Pearl Jam Show)

Good luck to the people who went to night two.

I'm thinking every show they are making a TON of money for the city. Where do they put all that money?

Thi$ is going to help a lot of the Camden crakheads ......think of the $miles that are going to come to the faces of these folks!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=eQoUyWDVgBk

pjroo3 · July 2008

bgirl59 wrote:

I agree....so where in the parking lot were you? We were all over the place, from 5 Against 1's (cover band) stage, to car hopping, bottled beer in hand,one cop even nodded to us! so where were you?
xo

I was in the parking lot next to Campbell Field. I had just started walking over to the other lot that had the hot dog vendor. She got me while I was standing on the sidewalk.

I thought about contacting someone, but who do you go to? I mean they are the law. Who do you complain to at this point. It was like a "fly trap" just to make money.

I can't believe of all the other Pearl Jam fans that were in the court house today, nobody else has said anything on this board.

How can they just decide to amend a fine and make it something else? Is there anyone on this board in the legal profession?

pjroo3 · July 2008

There were two girls behind me in line to pay that were sobbing. Everyone had full intention on paying their $78 fine and court costs and be done with it. Something seems really unusual about how this was handled. Maybe KYW, CBS3, or the Inquirer need to hear about it?

Any advise out there?

Drinking in Public Fine (Camden Show) $533 Unreal!!!

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