L.L. 2003/061
Enactment date: 10/20/2003
Proposed Int. No. 482-A
By the Speaker (Council Member Miller) and Council Members Vallone Jr., Addabbo Jr., Comrie, Fidler, Gennaro, Katz, Liu, Nelson, Quinn, Recchia Jr., Sanders Jr., Vann and Weprin
A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to making it a misdemeanor to trespass upon the playing area of a professional sporting event and imposing a civil penalty for those who interfere with a professional sporting event.
Be it enacted by the Council as follows:
Section One. Legislative findings and intent. Recently, there has been an increase in the number of unruly fans at professional sporting events. These fans have become more violent by trespassing onto the playing area of a professional sporting event and attacking players, coaches and sports officials.
Two episodes of violence and fan disruption, during the play of professional baseball, merely seven months apart, illustrate this problem. The first incident at the home of the Chicago White Sox involved a father-son duo that jumped over the box-seat railing and injured the opposing team's first base coach, who has hearing damage from that incident. The second incident occurred when a 24-year old man ran onto the field, raced over to the first base umpire and wrapped his arms around him. This occurred after three separate instances in earlier innings of fans running onto the field. Barry Mano, President of the National Association of Sports Officials, states: "We're out in harm's way and things are worse today than ever before."
The City Council, in an effort to protect sport participants at professional sporting events in New York City, and to dissuade lawless fans from committing injury and mayhem, creates a new section of the administrative code that makes it a Class A misdemeanor to trespass onto the playing area of a professional sporting event and implements a structure of civil penalties for such unruly fans. This legislation does not include athletic competition or practice that is played by a college or university team, nor shall it include any interscholastic or intramural athletic activity or youth athletic activity sponsored by a primary, middle, junior high, high school, community or municipal recreation department.
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[Consolidated provisions are not included in this Appendix A]
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§ 3. This local law shall take effect immediately.