Not even a writer for Law & Order can get law and order when he needs it during the WGA strike. News Corp as well as striking writers have confirmed to me that an impatient Fox employee (photo left) driving a black SUV got into a physical fracas with picketing Rene Balcer, showrunner of Law & Order and co-creator of Law & Order: Criminal Intent. The altercation occured while Balcer was legally walking the line in the crosswalk of Fox Studios' Gate 3 off Avenue Of The Stars in Century City.
The driver's behavior had escalated all week, witnesses said. First, the Fox white collar worker spent Monday yelling at the striking writers. Then he used his car to nudge a picketer Tuesday. That's when a strike captain wrote a "Safety Note of the Day: Watch Out For Douchebags" about "some asshole roared up to our picketers and was so angry at having to wait two seconds for them to cross the street that he tapped one of our guys with his fender (lightly; no injury). We got his license plate and took a picture of him. Fortunately, our picketers were following all the Safe Picketing Rules."
And finally today the driver drove into Balcer, began pushing him with his fender, and then got into a shoving match with the celebrated writer. Here's one witness account: "It's Mr. SUV's turn to wait for us to cross. He does not wait. He plows into us, knocking Rene Balcer back several feet. Then the guy leaps out of his car and takes a swing at Rene, and then shoves him out onto Avenue of the Stars. Thankfully, there was no traffic at that moment."
Still another witness said on WriterAction: "After Rene is pushed back by the SUV, he shouts at the driver: 'Hey, that's assault!' The driver comes out of the SUV and shouts: 'I'll show you assault!' And then the driver takes his swing."
As soon as the driver got out of his car and headed towards Balcer, WGA strike captains on the scene called to the Fox security guard to help. But striking writers claim the guard did not respond. That's when, witnesses say, the driver "got in Balcer's face" and things got physical. Picketers attempted to grab and restrain the driver. But he shook them off and scrambled back into his car which was waved through the gate by the Fox guard.
After the incident, Balcer called the police. A Fox supervisor came out and looked at photos of the driver and the license plate of his car. About thirty minutes after the incident, the LAPD arrived and took statements from Balcer and witnesses. It's not certain whether the showrunner intends to press charges. (Maybe it depends on whether Sam Waterston is available to prosecute in Los Angeles County?)
But these car-meets-striker confrontations are no joke. I'm told that News Corp is "looking into the matter internally" and intends to close that gate because it's "unsafe" without a traffic light controlling the crosswalk. Most importantly, the Fox altercation runs contrary to instructions which News Corp No 2 Peter Chernin gave his senior staff at the outset of the WGA picketing of Fox Studios: "Be gracious. Don't be rude. Don't argue. These guys have every right to do what they're doing. They believe in their cause just as we believe in ours."
Why not publish the name of the douchebag? Presumably this info is available since they/you have license and photo info. If he’s going to be running people over… let all the world know it. This belongs in the Hall of Shame.
Unbelievable.
And Balcer should soooo press charges.
Comment by Anon — January 10, 2008 @ 12:47 am
I was there on Tuesday when the jackass in the SUV tapped the guy. And it’s true — they did get a photograph AND a license plate number. This guy is going down, and it’s going to be wonderful.
Comment by Fox Picketer — January 10, 2008 @ 12:52 am
Wow! Glad i wasn’t there, i would’ve knocked his block off, fucking asshole.
PC
Comment by PubliusClodius — January 10, 2008 @ 1:50 am
Let’s see, they picketers had identified this SUV days in advance, saw that he was easily angered, and saw that it was getting worse each passing day. They even issued a caution about this SUV driver to picketers.
And somehow everyone is surprised that this occurred? Does everyone believe that the picketers might in some way be responsible or irresponsible for this happening? I mean comeon it’s clear that there was a concerted effort to antagonize this guy to the point of him doing something rash.
Of course now everyone puts on this face of innocence, sorry but it’s so easy to see through this one.
Comment by Syd Franks — January 10, 2008 @ 2:46 am
I don’t think anyone said they were “surprised.”
Besides, if they were in the cross walk legally, it’s the driver’s fault, no matter what happened before.
Comment by Matt — January 10, 2008 @ 12:36 pm
Mr. Franks, I understand your cynicism, but it’s unwarranted. I was five feet away when this happened on Tuesday, saw this guy jump out of his car (which was clearly his intention from the get-go), and like any rational human being, was startled and, subsequently, angry about it. Nobody had warned me about him, nobody in my immediate group had known he’d been yelling the day before. But even if we had, do you generally think people who yell return the next day to drive recklessly and threaten a fistfight?
I only learned about the Balcer incident when my wife read it to me on the phone this morning from this site (I was on my way to Fox). Naturally, I brought it up to the first bunch of picketers I was walking with, none of whom had heard about any of these three incidents, nor of any WGA caution about this lunatic. Our strike captains did, of course, know, and this morning, they called an impromptu meeting to warn us about him and to urge everyone to remain calm about it. (As far as I know, nothing happened today.)
Truly, the notion that the WGA is employing suicide walkers to get in the way of SUVs is just not true. We’re writers, it’s not really in our constitution to get run over.
Comment by Guy Who Saw This — January 10, 2008 @ 12:47 pm
Maybe he just got his pinkslip? Personally, it’s been very frustrating for me to drive through picketers every day knowing they are the ones who are putting me out of work. His actions are inexcusable and shouldn’t have been tolerated by security; but I share some of the same frustration — most people still working on my lot do.
Comment by SoonToBeUnemployed — January 10, 2008 @ 12:52 pm
Honestly, can we get back to fucking work, and stop focusing on these manufactured dramas? Picketers are behaving childishly, baiting drivers into these kinds of confrontations (when they deign to picket at all– I love that all the picket lines disappeared 12/17-1/7 so WGA could celebrate holidays while the thousands who have been put out of a job by this massive fit of pique were panicked about how to pay their mortgages…).
Who is going to report the detail of the damage Mr. Balcer inflicted on the hood of the employee’s car before the altercation escalated?
Not that one man’s act of vandalism justifies another’s act of violence, but the reporting here is so lopsided! Some schmuck is trying to keep his job, some other schmuck provokes him, and DHD jumps to the defense of the provocateur!
Comment by J — January 10, 2008 @ 1:13 pm
Syd: Of course she wanted it. Look how she’s dressed.
Comment by Simon Jester — January 10, 2008 @ 1:15 pm
You’re absolutely right — all that walking in orderly circles definitely qualifies as incitement.
Those devious writers should have abandoned their signs and run up the street, squealing in fear, every time that vehicle approached!
Your logic is unsound. Since their mere presence made this guy froth at the mouth, it doesn’t automatically follow that it took overt action on their part for him to actually lose it. Maybe someone made a frownie face?
Comment by Sara — January 10, 2008 @ 1:16 pm
Syd,
Really? Are you serious?
That makes as much sense as the “Did you see what she was wearing, she was asking for it!” rape defense.
Comment by Jon — January 10, 2008 @ 1:17 pm
@ Syd Franks
Easy to seethrough? Not sure about that….
Comment by ReiMehari — January 10, 2008 @ 1:36 pm
Syd,
You’re an idiot. You’ve concocted in your head this elaborate conspiracy to push this poor road-rage infected Fox freak into a rage, just so the strikers can get free publicity. The only thing that’s clear is that you are a very dumb person. Or… you work at Fox and drive a black SUV.
Comment by Syd is an idiot — January 10, 2008 @ 2:00 pm
Mr. Franks, your cynicism is unwarranted.
I was there on Tuesday when the SUV screeched to a halt. I had heard nothing of Monday’s shouting (even if I had, how could anybody know shouting would escalate to violence?). But I was five feet away when the lunatic in the SUV nearly ran down a fellow picketer, and before I realized what had happened, the guy was undoing his seat belt and charging toward that picketer. It was obvious this was his intention all along, and he was just waiting for an excuse. Like any rational human being, I was startled, frightened, and then angry. What sort of behavior is this? He screamed that he had to get to work (at 10:16AM, incidentally), but the delay to wait for a striker is at most six or seven seconds. No, this guy was gunning for a fight. And the writer he tapped on Tuesday, to his credit, didn’t give it to him.
The article suggests there was a caution given to writers, but if there was, nobody I know heard about it. (It sounds like it was amusing, though.) Generally, do you assume psychopaths will repeatedly try to drive into human beings? Because I don’t (perhaps foolishly).
So the notion that we have suicide picketers out there trying to martyr themselves by being run over by cars is really a little absurd. I’ve never met Rene Balcer (though as a longtime “Law & Order” viewer, I’ll try to meet him next week at the picket), but are you really suggesting he put himself in the way of a speeding car on purpose?
Still, after this happened three times, we were all properly warned today, and told to be extra cautious. Which we were. As far as I know, the SUV guy didn’t show up today. If he did, he was a model citizen. Good.
Comment by Eyewitness — January 10, 2008 @ 2:01 pm
I mean comeon it’s clear that there was a concerted effort to antagonize this guy to the point of him doing something rash.
Balcer was totally asking for it, wasn’t he? Walking through a crosswalk without checking the license plate of every vehicle that tries to turn against a list of angry studio weenies…why, that’s like wrapping yourself in bacon and walking through the SF Zoo tiger enclosement!
Comment by Anonymous — January 10, 2008 @ 2:10 pm
Syd Franks, are you serious? You are blaming the picketer for being rammed with this guy’s SUV — because the picketer “provoked” the driver by legally picketing? You must be one of those people who blames rape victims for “provoking” a rapist because “she obviously could see that short skirts were turning him on.” Give me a break. The only thing that’s easy to “see through” here is that you are a studio troll trying to drum up some really lame support from a public that almost unanimously supports the writers and actors.
Comment by Supportive Actor — January 10, 2008 @ 3:12 pm
There are two sides to every story, and as always this site always seems to focus on only one.
I highly doubt that the incident happened as described above, because this is the same guy who had harassed several execs in my division (including my boss) that day. He deliberately stepped in front of their cars (not “legally walking”) after they had already turned into the lot, putting himself in harm’s way.
As an aspiring screenwriter I am rooting for the Guild to get a good deal, but I have many qualms with such behavior. Why can’t these picketers realize that not every car entering that gate is driven by a studio mogul? Why don’t they realize that such actions are turning people against their cause?
In another somewhat-related incident, a co-worker of mine was driving to the main gate, when the driver next to him motioned for him to roll down his window. Said co-worker did so, only to be verbally assaulted by this driver, who said, “Fuck You. You are crossing a picket line. You are taking food off my table.” Did I mention that my co-worker drives a 15 year old Isuzu whilst the angry writer was driving a brand new Civic hybrid?
Comment by Ben Tramer — January 10, 2008 @ 3:17 pm
Hey Syd,
It’s never okay or justified to nudge a human being with a giant SUV. Got it? Why do I have to explain this to you? Why are you implying the writers antagonized this guy to the point where he deemed it necessary to HIT SOMEONE WITH AN SUV???
Jeez.
Comment by Andrew — January 10, 2008 @ 3:26 pm
Syd Franks,
It doesn’t matter if this guy was easily angered and it was getting worse each possible day. The strikers were doing exactly what they were there to do, and doing it legally and safely.
It was this guy’s responsibility to behave himself, and now he’s probably going to be looking at a felony assault charge for his impatience.
KW
Comment by KW — January 10, 2008 @ 3:34 pm
It doesn’t excuse the driver’s behavior, but neither side sounds like an innocent victim in this story. Sorry.
Comment by Anonymous — January 10, 2008 @ 3:43 pm
Syd Franks: no one has the right to use an SUV as a weapon against a pedestrian unless the pedestrian is putting the driver in jeopardy of his life. The schmuck should have circled the block, or parked elsewhere and used a pedestrian gate.
Comment by Stuart Creque — January 10, 2008 @ 4:15 pm
Syd Franks? I dunno if I agree with your police work, Lou.
No matter how antagonized he felt - and picketers are operating within the law - he ATTACKED A DEFENSELESS PERSON WITH HIS CAR.
The fault lies with him. No one else.
Comment by Sassy writer — January 10, 2008 @ 4:18 pm
Is Syd Franks out of his mind?? I’m a strike captain at FOX, and I can promise you that nobody is antagonizing drivers or trying to get run over. Our picket line is so cordial and driver-friendly it’s almost embarrassing. This SUV guy was just a douchebag, plain and simple, and shame on you for defending him for trying to run somebody over. That’s just nuts.
Comment by Andrew Goldberg — January 10, 2008 @ 4:40 pm
Wow Franks. I don’t think I’ve ever known anyone whose got their head so far up their ass. I’d love to see that argument tried in court.
Comment by john — January 10, 2008 @ 4:41 pm
SYD FRANKS WROTE: “And somehow everyone is surprised that this occurred? Does everyone believe that the picketers might in some way be responsible or irresponsible for this happening? ”
Uh…Syd, pedestrians have the right of way. The crosswalk said walk. The point of protesting is, in part, to antagonize. The reason the Nazis chose Skokie to march in was to antagonize and that was their right - which our courts protected.
Yes, perhaps writers should not be SURPRISED…but are they responsible? Not in the slightest. No more than a woman who goes home with an obvious-to-all asshole is responsible for getting raped. No more than a man out walking in a bad neighborhood is responsible for getting mugged. She is 100% innocent. He is 100% innocent.
And writers who get hit by cars while walking in crosswalks when the light says “walk” are 100% innocent.
Comment by Syd Franks, Jr. — January 10, 2008 @ 5:19 pm
Syd Franks: In what universe is the guy driving the car that hits a pedestrian — even an annoying one — the “innocent”? No amount of antagonism, short of threatening one’s life or safety, warrants purposefully hitting a pedestrian.
Comment by jennifer — January 10, 2008 @ 5:24 pm
Hey Syd?
If this jack ass is really that easy to set up, he’s too immature to be working any place high profile.
Comment by back2work — January 10, 2008 @ 5:24 pm
@Syd: Whether or not provoking the driver occurred doesn’t give anyone the right to hit anyone with their car for any reason. We’re human beings. Yes, this strike has become burdensome for everyone involved, but there’s no need to escalate to violence for any reason on either side.
Comment by IJustMadeThatUp — January 10, 2008 @ 5:29 pm
Thats crap, HE DROVE HIS VEHICLE INTO A CROWD.
On the ground, and off to the Tombs.
Thats justice.
PC
Comment by PubliusClodius — January 10, 2008 @ 6:27 pm
The picketers were responsible for a guy hitting one of them while they were legally crossing the street? Talk about blaming the victim…
Comment by kitty — January 10, 2008 @ 6:42 pm
Mr. Franks, your cynicism is unwarranted.
I was there on Tuesday when the SUV screeched to a halt. I had heard nothing of Monday’s shouting (even if I had, how could anybody know shouting would escalate to violence?). But I was five feet away when the lunatic in the SUV nearly ran down a fellow picketer, and before I realized what had happened, the guy was undoing his seat belt and charging toward that picketer. It was obvious this was his intention all along, and he was just waiting for an excuse. Like any rational human being, I was startled, frightened, and then angry. What sort of behavior is this? He screamed that he had to get to work (at 10:16AM, incidentally), but the delay to wait for a striker is at most six or seven seconds. No, this guy was gunning for a fight. And the writer he tapped on Tuesday, to his credit, didn’t give it to him.
The article suggests there was a caution given to writers, but if there was, nobody I know heard about it. (It sounds like it was amusing, though.) Generally, do you assume psychopaths will repeatedly try to drive into human beings? Because I don’t (perhaps foolishly).
So the notion that we have suicide picketers out there trying to martyr themselves by being run over by cars is really a little absurd. I’ve never met Rene Balcer (though as a longtime “Law & Order” viewer, I’ll try to meet him next week at the picket), but are you really suggesting he put himself in the way of a speeding car on purpose?
Still, after this happened three times, we were all properly warned today, and told to be extra cautious. Which we were. As far as I know, the SUV guy didn’t show up today. If he did, he was a model citizen. Good.
Comment by Eyewitness — January 10, 2008 @ 6:59 pm
Thanks for the sanity, Syd. Assault with a deadly weapon is justified if there’s “antagonism” involved. I mean, hello, there were people in his way! Who hasn’t been in a hurry and plowed somebody down, tough luck, walk faster, pedestrians. The idea that someone who has a short fuse and likes to threaten pedestrians with his car should be given a job that doesn’t require driving or perhaps be committed to a safe place for everyone is for wusses. Nobody should ever forget that “he looked at me funny” is an excuse for going on a shooting rampage, either.
Comment by sociopaths united for fox — January 10, 2008 @ 7:07 pm
Sorry Syd “I’m easily angered” isn’t an automatic out for anyone, even people in the pocket of the mighty corporations. There is one person and one person only responsible for Mr. SUV’s behavior-that’s Mr. SUV. I find it funny that no matter where you look, even in strike news, you find people who simple refuse personal responsibility. Grow up Syd.
Comment by Dee — January 10, 2008 @ 7:35 pm
@Syd: You have got to be kidding, right?
I’m so sure these folks, having seen one individual use his automobile as a weapon, were SO eager to antagonize someone who may escalate it to this point. That’s all they need right now, to have injuries on top of being out of work.
Yeah, I’m so sure this was intentional, I “see through” it, too.
Buh.
Comment by Julie — January 10, 2008 @ 7:55 pm
If you stand in front of a car entering a gate you will get hit. Just like the moron paparazzi who crowed around a car get run over and whine about it. Its the basic laws of physics. 2 objects of equal mass cannot occupy the same space this goes tenfold when an object of much less mass attempts to impede an object with much greater mass. Same goes for people blocking my gate when I go home.
Comment by Steve — January 10, 2008 @ 8:39 pm
Syd, it doesn’t matter. Road Rage is Road Rage!
If somebody (in the State of California is in the street, That Person has the “Right of Way”. It doesn’t matter what else is happening.
Comment by Dave — January 10, 2008 @ 10:07 pm
Obviously you’re not a Guild member and have never been part of a picket. I’ve been at half a dozen sites plus a location picket and can guarantee you that strike captains are meticulous about following the letter of the law. We are instructed not to engage with anyone and to stick strictly to public property when we walk. So sorry, Syd, I can assure you nobody deliberately antagonized this guy. However, I have been present when someone actually comes after one of us and can assure you it was an unpleasant experience for everyone. I have never been on a line where the entire group wasn’t on its best behavior. I know there are people out there who’d like us to be arrogant, in-your-face assholes but from my ongoing experience, it just ain’t happening.
Comment by hatethevultures — January 10, 2008 @ 10:43 pm
previous comment-er Syd, you’re a moron. An SUV is a 3 ton weapon. You should not be allowed to have a drivers license if you do not understand that. It appears, you can have a high level gig at Fox, with that kind of mean spirited attitude though.
This is just a sad situation. Too many people are being affected by corporate greed BS.
Comment by shappy — January 10, 2008 @ 11:20 pm
It’s clear that there was a concerted effort to antagonize the guy? Since when does observing, noting, and reporting increasingly violent behavior constitute a clear indication of collusion? I’m not saying that it’s not a possibility, but without more information it’s far from a certainty.
Regardless of provocation, there are few situations in which driving your car into a pedestrian (even only a tap) is an acceptable reaction - I doubt that this is one of them.
Comment by T LittleBear — January 10, 2008 @ 11:45 pm
SoonToBeUnemployed: Just a friendly reminder that it’s not the picketers who may be putting you out of work. It’s the AMPTP. It’s hard for us to negotiate a contract when the other side doesn’t show up.
Comment by DLJ — January 11, 2008 @ 12:22 am
WOW. What an asshole! No, not the driver (though if this was true, he should be in jail right now), I’m talking about the picketer giving such a “reliable” account and nooooooooo, not skewed in the slightest! It’s amazing Rene Balcer is even alive after the driver “plowed” into them. (I’m surprised he didn’t take a few dozen picketers out). And if that’s not enough, he gets out of the car and takes a swing at Balcer. But no, Balcer didn’t retaliate. Apparently he’s a pacifist! He simply tried to stand his ground. But still, even after being plowed into and being swung at, he still gets shoved into the street. Totally helpless. Oh, and lets not forget the colorful exchange between the two men. Balcer: Hey, that’s assault! Angry Driver: I’ll show you assault! I mean C’mon! Spice up the dialogue! That sounds about as witty as something you’d hear on Law and… well… There’s 3 sides to every story. And there’s one side that no one seems to see and that’s the little guys like the assistants who lost their OT at Fox, or the 1000 or so Employees at WB losing their jobs or the 80 million lost revenue for local businesses. I want to know how many of these picketers stop to think about those things. You’re doing everything but hurting the studios. The studios will just keep making cuts to balance it out!!! You’re hurting the people who need the money most and don’t get paid to type away on their lap tops while sipping on a carmel macchiato. Thinks about that. Also, two words… Extreme Makeover. Some of you people look like you haven’t seen day light in 10 years.
Comment by Rick Florino — January 11, 2008 @ 12:38 am
Soon to be Unemployed, you drive thrugh the people who are putting you out of work every day? Can you let us know where and when, because we really want to talk to the AMPTP, if only we could find them. Kay, thanks.
Syd, what do you consider “provocation”? I’ve seen motorists threaten people standing on the street corners with political signs, waving. I’m sure that qualifies, right?
Comment by Anon — January 11, 2008 @ 1:08 am
Yeah I’m an idiot, a moron, heck even a Fox employee, duh! How dare I suggest that because the article says strikers were told about this guy, that I should know that the strikers weren’t warned about this guy!
No I don’t think striking any pedestrian with a vehicle is acceptable, in fact he needs to be punished to the full extent of the law. But having said that, this doesn’t mean that I feel the strikers are entirely innocent in this matter.
Yes you have a right to picket, you are able to inconvenience people crossing a picket line, but there are limits to what you should reasonably do.
I’ve been on far more picket lines than most of you, and trust me I have seen many incidents like this. Some are from hot heads who just don’t get the picket line and for whatever reason will drive through them without concern. Others have been orgestrated by picketers, and sometimes despite being told, some picketers take it upon themselves to go the extra distance and take a risk.
I find it interesting how many seem to have been on that picket line and were somehow not told about this numpty with the SUV. Despite the reporting on the incident.
I’ll say once again, I am not justifying the drivers actions, it is clearly illegal, but I do suggest there is a lot more here than meets the eye.
Gotta love you folks that liken what I said to rape victims, you are a very troubled lot.
Comment by Syd Franks — January 11, 2008 @ 2:26 am
To which Rupert Murdoch added a subtle “wink, wink.” (Or so I imagine, given his attitudes toward unions.)
Comment by Steve S — January 11, 2008 @ 7:06 am
Law and Order fans…think for a moment. If a man deliberately tried to run another person over…wouldn’t they be in jail? Charged with a crime? Have legal action pending against them? If Balcer was hit with car…thrown to the ground…would he be charging the driver? OH BY THE WAY - isn’t there a security camera trained on the gate that would have the visual evidence to dispute that the “black SUV” did not in fact hit anyone or “mow” anyone down? YES you morons! No one was hit with anything other than a blow to their egos. There is no light at that entrance and picketers wait until a car approaches at any speed and step right in front of that automobile. If you heard screeching brakes it’s because some driver couldn’t believe a moron would step in front of a speeding car…certainly not for a poor decision to strike…and a strike that is not working…if Balcer was run over - why does the driver have pictures of Balcer taking a picture of the driver yelling at him..Balcer using his nifty 500 dollar Iphone he bought with the money he takes from other writers by claiming STORY CREDIT on every episode…NIKKI FINKE is not a journelist. She is a blogger. A starbucks gift card carrying member of nothing. Where are the fact checks? Where are the facts period? The writers need to realize there is ZERO sympathy among workers at any studio for their cause…you’re acting like millionaire (Balcer) children who aren’t allowed to sit at the grown-up table. Balcer can buy and sell the poor schmuck, or douchebag according to Strke Captain asshole, and yet Balcer spends his morning blocking the guy from entering a gate to get to work. Perhaps it’s time for the writers to quit their guild - because you’re losing everything!
Comment by Sonny Sonny Burnett — January 11, 2008 @ 7:16 am
I am deeply suspicious of the people claiming that the picketers at their lots are jerks.
The picketers at my lot have been nothing but polite since day one. The walk across, you wait to turn in, you nod at each other. Two months we’ve been doing this. I say hello to the guys I see every day.
I have heard zero stories from anyone I know about these jerky picketers the mystery commenters claim are so prevalent. But it’d be a good story to spread if you were doing covert PR for the companies, wouldn’t it?
Comment by velveeta — January 11, 2008 @ 7:43 am
[Nikki, I’m going to send this along again because I think it’s important.]
There is no justification whatsoever for the driver to have hit the picketer.
On the other hand, I have walked past this gate many times on my way to picket at the Galaxy gate. In fact, I walked past it just moments after this incident. I did not see it happen. However, I will tell you that one reason I do not stop and picket at that gate is what I perceive to be a degree of petulance on the part of picketers towards the drivers there.
The gate is very, very narrow. One car goes through at a time. There are often about half a dozen picketers there. Because of these factors, picketers walking in a loop from one side to another can keep the roadway permanently blocked. There is no light to cross with or against. I have watched as picketers use this to their advantage. They walk at a pace that is inordinately slow in comparison to the pace at other gates. It is all legal activity.
But is it in the best interests of our side? Our goal in picketing is not to engage in a game of Red Rover with people trying to get onto lots. Our goal is to keep up awareness of the strike and to do our best to get others to support us. The approach to picketing I’ve seen and described at that gate is not helpful. I have watched drivers there patiently waiting for an opening in the picket line turn sour when they see the petulant behavior of the strikers in front of them.
Hold your sign up, let people see we’re still strong, then let them get to their jobs if that’s what they desire to do. Perhaps they will even go in to their jobs inside the studio walls with a more pro-WGA attitude.
Comment by barney — January 11, 2008 @ 7:45 am
SoonToBeUnemployed wrote: “Maybe he just got his pinkslip? Personally, it’s been very frustrating for me to drive through picketers every day knowing they are the ones who are putting me out of work. His actions are inexcusable and shouldn’t have been tolerated by security; but I share some of the same frustration — most people still working on my lot do.”
Dear SoonToBeUnemployed,
Don’t be fooled. The ones putting people out of work are the AMPTP. Just because you don’t have to drive past a line of them every morning doesn’t mean they’re not responsible.
Comment by OriginalCyn — January 11, 2008 @ 7:55 am
Wow, there seems to be a lot of hyperbole in these talk-backs. And misinformation. Syd Franks, Jr claims that “the crosswalk said walk” to illustrate a point. Um…that gate doesn’t have a crosswalk, or a light. That’s why it’s so dangerous for both picketers and drivers. At least get your facts straight on basics like that. Drivers pulling in have to wait for picketers to clear the walk, and then use that opportunity to pull in. And the picketer has antagonized drivers by using his legal right as a pedestrian to step towards drivers just when they thought it was safe to go in. I have heard several complaints from co-workers in this regard. Picketers, as pedestrians, of course have right-of-way. But if they choose to step out when a car finally makes its turn, well then you enter a gray area, no? I’ve watched picketers at the main gate, where there is a light (driver’s green to turn, as well as pedestrian’s right to cross): the picketers begin crossing, and then when they get to the half-way mark, a driver will take that perceived-to-be-safe opportunity to pull in. But wait!! Just as the driver does that, the picketers turn around when they are only half-way through, and start walking back in the opposite direction to impede the car’s entrance. Whether it’s legal or not is beside the point. It’s just dumb when it comes to maintaining safety.
I’m sympathetic to the writers (although peeved that I can’t shop my scripts and get the hell out of student loan debt), but I am discouraged by the self-righteous behavior of many of these writers. Everyone is suffering. Not just them.
Comment by Marla Singer — January 11, 2008 @ 9:05 am
Let me start by saying whoever used there car to show their aggression against the picketers is a Neanderthal. He definitely deserves consequences. Period.
I do want to add though, that I work at Fox and I enter through that gate daily. Since the New Year, the picketers have become more aggressive. They wait for a car to pull into the turning lane and then intentionally cross just as you wish to pull through the gate. Of course it is their right to cross the driveway whenever they see fit, but it is clearly an intentional way of getting a rise out of everyone who must drive through. I guess they want eye contact, or they want to inconvenience you just alittle bit more. My immediate family and friends (non-writers) have lost their jobs through the ripple effect so believe me - I am already inconvenienced. Do you really think it will escalate negotiations by (legally and peacefully) taunting cars of people like me who are not the decision-makers? I find it to just be a waste of energy for both of us.
Comment by I Use Gate 3 — January 11, 2008 @ 9:30 am
“Ben Tramer” — You idiot. Fabiani and Lehane should fire you for your post above.
BEN TRAMER PICKETS AT FOX, MORON. He stands right next to me at the main gate. And he’s not an “aspiring screenwriter,” as you claim to be, he’s a freaking VETERAN.
And because John Carpenter is an old friend, his name appears in the Halloween movies a lot. You thought no one would catch that, right? Like I said, Lehane should fire you for your carelessness.
So nice try, Ben Troller. Everybody, check out the post above to see what the studios want you to think about this incident.
Comment by Ashley Gable — January 11, 2008 @ 9:56 am
Too bad this guy wasn’t driving a Prius, nobody would care, but he was driving the much hated SUV, symbol of all evil of corporate America. Go back to work writers and thousands of people are suffering because of your foolishness.
Comment by Leonardo D. — January 11, 2008 @ 10:22 am
Ashley Gable,
I had no idea Ben Tramer exists or that he’s a veteran screenwriter. I am a huge Halloween fan, so I thought I’d be clever by using that as my alias. Sorry to cause any confusion.
I can assure you I am not a lackey for Messrs. Fabiani and Lehane. I really am an aspiring screenwriter, much like most assistants who work for the studios. I really do want this all to end, so everything can get back to normal, but it gets frustrating when folks such as yourself post nasty rebuttals to anyone who god forbid has anything to say that does not agree with you 100%.
I stand by what I posted above. You’re welcome to disagree, but there’s no reason to call me an idiot or troll. (Though I do give you props for actually signing your name.)
-No longer Ben Tramer
Comment by No longer Ben Tramer — January 11, 2008 @ 6:19 pm
Was anyone ever arrested?
I thought not.
Comment by BBillill — January 20, 2008 @ 11:37 am