Posted on 09/08/2003 9:51:28 AM PDT by chance33_98
Berkeley High Cancels Football Game Amid Threat of Violence
Berkeley-Oakland Rivalry May be Linked
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By RACHEL KING and ALICIA WITTMEYER Contributing Writers Monday, September 8, 2003
Following a summer filled with shootings, homicides and rumors of turf wars, the first Berkeley High School football game of the season was canceled Thursday, after school officials heard rumblings that regional rivalries could lead to violence in the stands.
Administrators canceled the long-anticipated game between rivals Berkeley High and Oakland Technical High School after a police sergeant approached school officials with rumors that there would be "some trouble" from citizens in the stands at the game, said Berkeley police Officer Mary Kusmiss.
"Berkeley police had gotten a report that some adults had been talking about using the venue as an opportunity to create some disruption," said district spokesperson Mark Coplan.
After hearing rumors from both school deans and police, Principal Jim Slemp decided that if there was any question of danger, he would postpone the game, Coplan said.
The South Berkeley-North Oakland rivalry that may have been the source of the rumors did not stem from a drug turf war, but a personal dispute that has led to at least eight shootings since January, four of them fatal, Kusmiss said.
Although both police and school officials confirmed they received warnings from anonymous informants, the rumors that sidelined the players were very general, and did not elaborate beyond "some trouble," Kusmiss said.
It is unclear if the rumors school officials heard are connected to the ongoing dispute, she added.
The threats of violence had nothing to do with the students or the athletes, Coplan said.
The two teams—which are both seeded in the top 10 in the state—have a healthy rivalry because they grew up together, Coplan said.
"These kids all know each other from way back," he said. "They played Pop Warner football together, in the summer they train together, they work out at the same gym."
Administrators are looking into ways to reschedule the game safely, Coplan said. He mentioned possibly not allowing fans into the stadium during the game and broadcasting it over local cable television.
But players and fans are still disappointed at the postponement, said Berkeley High football coach Matt Bissell.
"The kids have wanted to play this game ever since we scheduled it earlier this year. They talked about it as something they were looking forward to," Bissell said. "They want to play. That is why they are playing football."
Berkeley High and Oakland Tech have not played each other since 1988.
This is the first time Berkeley High School has canceled a game because of threats of violence.
"I heard about it on the bulletin and was surprised," said Patrick Haesloop, a Berkeley High senior. "There have always been threats of violence, but I didn't really think (canceling the game) would ever happen."
The last incident of violence at a Berkeley High athletic event was at a basketball game in Hercules last year, involving people in the stands who had been drinking, Coplan said.
Sounds like a great opportunity to engage in obfuscation. Is he trying to say there's gonna be a rumble at the game?
I see the future.
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