General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsYou manage a theater & Ironman is opening. What is the dumbest stunt you can pull for publicity?
'Gunmen' Hired to Storm Movie Theater for Traumatizing Publicity Stunt
The promote its premiere of the new Iron Man movie, a theater in Jefferson City, Missouri, hired several people to dress in full tactical gear and storm the screening with fake weapons drawn.
Not surprisingly, some people were not too keen on the "publicity stunt.""We're just getting into the car when I spotted a man in full assault gear, carrying what appeared to be a modified M-4 and 9 mm on his side," said John Molock, an army war vet who says the experience triggered his PTSD.
In addition to stoking the ire of theatergoers, the stunt also garnered poor reviews from the local police department which was forced to field several nervous 911 calls."We received a series of 911 calls stating that a man dressed in all black and body armor and a rifle was walking into Capital 8 Theaters," Capt. Doug Shoemaker told the local Fox affiliate.
"Everything was in place, it's the opening night of a superhero movie, it's somebody walking in all-dark clothes, everything pointed to bad things about to happen," Shoemaker added, referencing the Aurora movie theater shooting that took place last July. "There's really no good that can come of this."
But Capital 8 Theaters manager Bob Wilkins remains defiant, telling the ABC affiliate that he did not regret pulling the stunt, which he said was planned months in advance."My job is to entertain people," Wilkins said, claiming only "a few" patrons were upset.
Shoemaker noted that angry customers would have been the least of Wilkins' worries if someone with a concealed weapon would have mistaken the stunt for an active shooter event and acted in self-defense.
http://gawker.com/gunmen-hired-to-storm-movie-theater-for-traumatizing-499956436
I'd have kilt all of them.
Poll_Blind
(23,864 posts)PB
dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)Let the lawsuits commence.
dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)galileoreloaded
(2,571 posts)if you have a link i would love it.
dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)Common Sense Party
(14,139 posts)No, the MOVIE's job is to entertain people.
Your job is to sell the tickets, charge outrageous prices for popcorn and corn syrup, and make sure the theater gets swept between shows.
Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)If Bad Ideas are an art form, this cat is Da Vinci.
brooklynite
(94,501 posts)Common Sense Party
(14,139 posts)leftstreet
(36,106 posts)no kidding
cali
(114,904 posts)could have caused a panic resulting in injury.
Poll_Blind
(23,864 posts)...have given a number of absolutely reasonable people the the commission of a violent crime was either in progress or about to take place.
Now, the actual determination of such a circumstance would be made by a jury if this becomes a trial, but the basic fact of life in America is "If your Freedom of Speech gives reasonable people the impression that they or other innocents are in imminent danger of being killed, chances are you have crossed way fucking over the threshold of acceptable speech."
PB
Ilsa
(61,694 posts)one of them, and asked questions later. She's licensed to conceal carry, and frankly, I think she's itching to find something to shoot at to prove her twisted logic.
Poll_Blind
(23,864 posts)...used his firearm in self-defense (court found him fully justified), he gave not just that guy but all of us a long talking to about how the last thing you ever want to is draw your firearm and shoot somebody, but that even if you do it in a completely justified circumstance, your life will change forever and it will be a part of your life forever.
From what I read in the article, though, if an off-duty police officer had seen these people dressed and behaving as they were, it seems that they would have reasonably made the assumption that a violent crime was about to take place. If you look at the link, some of the faux weapons have the orange tip to denote replica, but some of them appear to have the orange tips removed.
That's a big no-no, because that's one of the only indications that an officer or any other armed person has that you're not actually holding a real firearm.
Edit: Just to toss something else in. "Brandishing" a firearm alone is a serious misdemeanor. There is no "You're not committing a crime with a gun out as long as you don't actually shoot anyone." Having what reasonably appears to be an actual firearm in your hand, loaded or unloaded, can be a very serious crime, and one actionable by law enforcement (or others) if they think you are an imminent danger to others.
PB
Whisp
(24,096 posts)some brainiac in admin decided to hire some assholes to do a fake bust into a classroom for 'training' and didn't tell the teachers. fucking stupid beyond all recognition, like these assholes. America is surely going berserk. W.T.F.?
Poll_Blind
(23,864 posts)Just fucked nine ways to Sunday.
PB
backscatter712
(26,355 posts)This could easily have turned into a lethal mess. The people responsible should be fired immediately.
rrneck
(17,671 posts)bullwinkle428
(20,629 posts)BREMPRO
(2,331 posts)jesus... Ignorant Idiocracy
historylovr
(1,557 posts)He ought to be fired.
loyalsister
(13,390 posts)Triggering PTSD, creating new trauma, etc... should be enough for a lawsuit.
Dyedinthewoolliberal
(15,566 posts)and rented 100 ironing boards and irons, set them up outside the theater and..........
librechik
(30,674 posts)that really is stupid!
FourScore
(9,704 posts)It could've been a needless bloodbath...
Downtown Hound
(12,618 posts)Um, find a new job, because you suck at entertaining.