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Lions fans feel safer, but still get good vibes thanks to new tailgating rules

Umito October 28, 2024

Detroit — Detroit Lions fans returned to East Market on Sunday, submitting to new regulations for the first tailgating since a deadly double shooting there last month.

New regulations include designating private property as a gun-free zone and requiring attendees to purchase tickets.

More: New rules in place for Eastern Market holiday season weeks after deadly double shooting

Joe Hung, a season ticket holder who said he had been going to Lions games since he was a child, bought a ticket for a private party inside Hangar 5, where Lions fans were releasing balloons football and enjoyed food, snacks and music before the game. against the Tennessee Titans at Ford Field.

Hung said Detroit has made so many positive strides that they outweigh the negatives, a reference to the shooting that occurred during the Lions’ last home game. And games allow people from different backgrounds to celebrate, unite and share good vibes, he said.

“(Detroit) Lions are an institution, and a lot of times when you get criticized for something, you stick with it (because) when they finally start to show some light, you rejoice in it,” Hung said . “That’s what we do. The whole town,”

Hung was joined at tailgating by Brandon Deview, 37, of Clarkston, who was on his way to his first game with the Lions.

Viral Bhatt of Long Island, New York, said he will be going to the Detroit Lions game with four of his best friends from grade school to continue their nine-year tradition of traveling to different football stadiums.

Bhatt, 36, aka the captain of the group of friends, said the trip to Detroit was “our biggest and best experience yet.” Everyone around us has been so friendly, so kind and everyone is so welcoming.

“It’s a great atmosphere,” Bhatt said. “We expected the incident to be a little more worrying, but we couldn’t feel safer, we couldn’t feel more invited. The people around us have been excellent. We’re having a great time. moment. “

Chuck Dickerson, 47, of Detroit, said he has been going to the market near downtown for every Detroit Lions home game for the past five years.

“It’s like pregame,” Dickerson said. “You look forward to it towards the end of the week to give you a little boost.”

Dickerson said he was at Eastern Market on Sept. 15, but left before the shooting. left two men dead after an altercation escalated.

Authorities say Jalen Welch, 25, pulled out a gun during an argument and a 40-year-old Oak Park man with a concealed pistol license shot Welch, although the bullet passed through Welch and hit Rayshawn Palmer, 40, killing both men.

According to Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy, the shooter acted in self-defense and Palmer was a “completely innocent bystander.”

Dickerson said Sunday he can tell the mood in the market has dampened somewhat due to the new regulations, but he believes if people continue to cheer for the team, follow the new rules and consistently show that tailgates are safe, regulations will eventually become less strict.

“I understand the precautions. We can’t pretend nothing happened. I understand the extra security,” Dickerson said. “If it was the same thing, people would say, ‘They’re not doing anything different (to protect the community).’ In life you have to adapt, it’s just another adaptation.”

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