FORWARD
This Report was initially drafted and presented pre 9/11; it was finished Fall '01
without presentation... and then published to the Web in '02. Its original focus was on unacceptable parking
lot behavior, per se. The Report quickly evolved into a deeper evaluation of factors that cause this behavior,
including traffic into and out of the parking lots.
Regardless of purpose, as this Report shows, I had my obvious concerns:
Poor traffic access, high density parking, unacceptible behaviors, poor public facilities, conflicting drinking policies,
limited detail policing, limited center security, Also, open flames around vehicle gas tanks, lack of fire suppression,
etc. became my concerns. Apparently, to many other people these were / are "Assumable Risks!"
Post 9/11, we now all understand that these risks are not assumable... but real.
Poor access and egress isn't just a traffic problem, it's a rescue hurdle as well as a patron and medical evacuation
problem. Parking lots without stationed, charged fire suppression equipment and personnel leaves at least 30,000
gallons of gasoline in the lots unprotected from fire and explosions... set off by accident... or by evil doers. And
so it goes.
Though my long-standing concept of "CREEPING COMPLACENCY" focuses on these incremental "assumable risks" eventually accumulating into a critical incident, I never
expected this report to presage a 9/11 type attack. But my report stands.
Post 9/11, I revisted the Tweeter Center parking lots numerous times: The visible
parking lot change in '02 was the addition of signs stating that backpacks and other containers could no longer
be brought into the venue. Gatekeepers were added as well. Otherwise, regrading the parking lots, there were
no improvements in 2003. In 2004, seven more portable toilets were added -- still not enough during peak hours.
More importantly, the access road behind the venue (click link below)
is still unguarded, which leaves a huge vulnerability. Large gatherings, always a concern, now have a
darker dimension... And this unguarded road is the darkest of them all!
Believing that one is either part of the solution...or a part of the problem, I've define and offer solutions of merit, as you will see in other pages.
