An incident involving New York police and the use a stun gun on a New York City FC fan has prompted a campaign demanding better treatment of fans at Yankee Stadium.
Video footage on Twitter shows NYPD officers restraining and then stunning a fan on the ground during NYCFC's 1-0 loss against Columbus on Saturday. A scuffle breaks out, and a staff member calls for "no recordings."
Footage of a NYCFC fan being tased today in the supporters section: #NYCvCLB #MLS #NYCFC pic.twitter.com/esOVqCbLxF
— Nick Chávez (@NickChavezMLS) August 30, 2015
Part 2 of footage of NYCFC fans tased, man-handled and arrested by NYPD and Yankee Stadium security: #NYCvCLB #MLS pic.twitter.com/5Pt5rxy8ib
— Nick Chávez (@NickChavezMLS) August 30, 2015
There is no official account of what actually happened, but it's clear in the images above and the resulting online petition from the fan group, The Third Rail, that supporters are upset.
Part of the statement from the group reads:
We are in our first season and we're fired up about this club and the possibilities that lie ahead. We demand assurance that we are valued beyond our ticket revenue. We demand properly trained stadium staff. We demand proper and ethical treatment from NYPD. Without those things this relationship is irreparably damaged.
NYCFC, currently in its maiden MLS season, is playing all of its home games at Yankee Stadium as it searches for a permanent home in the New York area.
