Leaders Discuss Possibly Banning Alcohol Sales After Halftime At Levi's Stadium
SANTA CLARA (KPIX 5) – After fights in the Levi's Stadium parking lot, fights in the men's bathroom and fights in the stands, the city of Santa Clara is getting serious about stopping bad behavior at 49ers games.
At Tuesday night's meeting of the stadium authority, members talked about banning alcohol sales in the second half of the game to help stop drunk fans from getting violent.
"I think it will help to control a little bit of the behavior inside the stadium," Santa Clara City Councilmember Lisa Gillmor told KPIX 5 Monday.
In the latest assault, police arrested four people who beat up a Vikings fan at the season opener. In the video, a lone security guard was spotted, trying to keep the peace.
The Santa Clara Police Department said its officers make about 30 arrests or so at 49ers games. Most of them involve alcohol."
"I think there's just a small portion of people who attend the stadium who don't behave," said Chief Michael Sellers of the Santa Clara Police.
Sellers said cutting booze sales isn't the answer.
Niners fans have differing views on the proposed ban.
"I don't drink a lot like that because I pre-game, have a good time before the game, get into the game, have some drinks and let's be honest - at $10 and something a drink, I don't want to drink that much anyways," said David McWhorter of Foster City.
Yvonne Jones of Redding was skeptical of the proposal to ban alcohol sales after halftime. "It wouldn't be fun," Jones said. "It's football and beer. It just goes together."
A KPIX 5 / SurveyUSA poll of 500 Bay Area adults found 56 percent of those surveyed support stopping sales at halftime, while 39 percent said alcohol sales should continue to take place throughout the game. The poll has a margin of error of 4.4 percent.