A brutal brawl between 49ers and Vikings fans caught on video following last weekend's game has some Santa Clara City Council members expressing second thoughts about one of Levi's Stadium's biggest revenue streams: The sale of alcohol during San Francisco 49ers games.
Though the stadium was no stranger to brawls during its maiden season last year (nor was Candlestick before it), it was apparently a September 14 fight in the parking lot of the stadium that got Council members Lisa Gillmor, Teresa O'Neill and Debi Davis planning a discussion on "possible actions to address health and safety issues" at the 49ers' home stadium during Tuesday's Santa Clara City Council meeting, the Chron reports.
“We really need to send a message that this type of behavior will not be tolerated,” said Gillmor.
Apparently, that video is just one example of "bad behavior on game days that has stadium neighbors upset," the Chron reports.
O’Neill told the Chron "she had no idea before Levi’s opened that there was so much drinking outside stadiums," and expressed confusion at the whole drunk-in-the-parking-lot thing, saying "we have a municipal code about not drinking in parking lots."
Gillmor says that the Council will mull upping the police presence around the stadium, and banning alcohol sales at the stadium after halftime, but Santa Clara Police Chief Michael Sellers appears to think that the consternation is overblown, saying that “We are just like any other NFL stadium... we have 70,000 fans, and less than a tenth of a percent are a problem.”
“There is an element that will still behave badly...It’s an individual choice.”
But Gillmor seems to think that a ban on alcohol might be the anti-brawl silver bullet. “I know they make a lot of money off of alcohol sales," she says, "but if people have an hour and a half (without alcohol) maybe they will cool down a bit."
Tuesday's meeting is at 7 p.m. at Santa Clara City Hall (1500 Warburton Avenue) in the Council Chambers. Should be a good one!
Previously: Video: 49ers Fans Brutally Beat Smack-Talking Vikings Fan Outside Levi's Stadium
