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Hullaboarder
Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: Sooke BC Canada
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True...I've known them to be heavy-handed in the past (security personnel in general), because power-tripping is one of the biggest perks of the job. I know-I've worked event security for a few punk shows and other stuff myself...took great pleasure in making sure people didn't smoke inside the building despite the fact that it was -20 outside. Having a walkie-talkie sure makes you look authoritative.
But there's a big difference between someone getting drunk and belligerent, and someone having a bad trip, or taking something unknowingly, and flailing or going into a hyper-paranoid state. And I think they'd handle that latter situation a little differently most of the time (I've heard of cases where they didn't, with tragic consequences, but I think potential liability could be a strong motivator), subduing the person and getting them into an ambulance, rather than forcibly ejecting them from the premises (with the emphasis on forcibly) as in the former situation.
And you'll find there's a wide range of personalities working in event security. Most of my experience with security at raves in Toronto has been with High Profiles (dunno if they're still at it, but they were the main choice when I was partying there). Some of them were real assholes, and relished the power-tripping the position made possible for them, but some of them were pretty nice. I talked with a few of them at various times, including Shawn Parsons, the manager, and looked at getting a job with them. He and some of the others were decent, and then others were just bullies who graduated from school and needed someone new to bully.
Haven't been to a rave at The Opera House, but been to a Napalm Death concert, a Morbid Angel concert, a DJ Spooky/Ben Neill show, and a one-off club night there, and I have one word for the security there: lax. Barely a search, I could have walked into any of those events with a coupla assault rifles and 20 keys of H, and they never would have known. But they were very helpful when I sprained my knee in the mosh pit at the Morbid Angel concert, got me an ice pack to put on it and helped me up to the closed balcony so I could enjoy the rest of the show.
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