Virginia State Police Detain Thousands of Shoppers
Posted: Saturday, November 01, 2008
by Terry Mitchell
http://commenterry.blogs.com
No one was warned that this was going to happen. A good cause was marred because it was carried out in a reckless and inconsiderate manner. As part of the annual Teddy Bear Run, in which Virginia state troopers (along with what seemed like 100,000 motorcycle enthusiasts) rode on motorcycles from Colonial Harley-Davidson in Prince George to Children's Hospital in Richmond to drop off teddy bears to sick children, the campus of Southpark Mall in Colonial Heights was locked down without warning. All exits from the mall parking lot were sealed off and blocked for as a long as an hour. No one could leave for any reason. Shoppers were in essence detained against their will during that period.
I would have been more understanding had there been an armed gunman on the loose or a terrorist threat or something like that, but a Teddy Bear Run? Why weren't there warnings on TV, radio, and newspapers like they put out to allow drivers to avoid the traffic from NASCAR races held in Richmond? Why weren't there signs at all mall entrance points warning that entry might result in one not being allowed to leave at the time of their choice?
I'm going to contact my representatives in the state legislature and request that these warnings be put in place before the next such event.
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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)I would love to comment on this article. I do feel that there were many detained because of the unbelievable turnout for the Children's Hospital Teddy Bear Run. Thousand of motorcyclists met and purchased teddy bears and delivered them to the Children's Hospital on Saturday. What an awesome and amazing site it was to see that many people gathering to show love, compassion and hope to children not able to go to malls, ride in cars, or get on planes. What is also unbelievable is that those children are so thrilled to have a group such as this care enough to donate not only money, but a donation of their time and hearts. If you have ever seen a sick child hold on to a Teddy Bear all their own you would understand why it touches so many of our hearts. There were tears and smiles, waves and cheers as those bikes pulled into the main entrance of the hospital to deliver 1 by 1 a teddy bear or even two or three for those children. Those motorcyclist were out there for an amazing and heartfelt cause. People were lined up on the sides of 95 and on the overpasses waving, cheering, blowing kisses and smiling and the miles and miles of bikes passing by. I am sure there were many that did not know what was going on and maybe got a bit hot under the collar for having to wait until the parade of motorcycles were finished their run, but I truly believe that even the hardest hearted would overcome their aggravation once they were informed of the cause. Who wouldn't feel a warm glow for so worth of a cause? To all of those motorcyclist and passengers that made the run, Ride Safe, Ride Long, Ride Proud. May God Bless each of you.Please don't misunderstand me -- I don't disagree with anything you had to say in your comments. No one is arguing that we should discontinue events like this. I have nothing against bringing smiles to the faces of sick children. I agree with you that the Teddy Bear Run does an incredible amount of good for sick children. It should continue to be an annual event on our community calendar. In fact, I would be all for having it occur more than once a year.Rest assured that my goal and yours are not mutually exclusive. My argument is simply that some minor tweaks should be added to make the event safe and fair for all. These tweaks involve getting enough information out to people in advance so that they can make informed decisions as to whether or not to be in the physical location of event while it is going on. That's all. Now tell me how that would rain on anyone's parade?I realize that it's politically incorrect to criticize an even like this for any reason whatsoever -- even the most minor. To some, it is even blasphemous. I knew I wouldn't win any popularity contests for doing so. However, I stopped caring about popularity a long time ago when I first realized that I would never become a celebrity or a politician. I must say that sometimes we allow political correctness to cloud or supercede our common sense. I hope we don't make that mistake here.My concerns are not so much about inconvenience as they are about safety. What if someone had died or gotten seriously injured as a result of an unanticipated detention on the grounds of Southpark Mall? Would you say that the Teddy Bear Run accomplished so much good that such a death or injury would be justified? My mother was fortunate that I was able to get her home to take her medicine before any problems arose. However, had we been stuck at the mall another 30 minutes, the situation could have become problematic -- as in life threatening. Obviously, I would never have taken her over there, had I known about the lockdown in advance. Is it your opinion that she has lived her life already and should be willing to die for an event that helps so many sick children?If the rules that I suggested in my article were implemented, it would be a win-win situation. Those who didn't want to be around during the event would have the advance warning they need to make sure that they stay away. Those would wanted to be there could enjoy the event without having to listen to anyone's complains. What could be more fair that that?
Your anger is justified. Your question, "Would you say that the Teddy Bear Run accomplished so much good that such a death or injury would be justified?" says it all.- GGregory, thanks for seeing it my way. I think they are going to be a little more safety-concious about this event in the future.
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