[psmith2.0]

Just saw this on CNN's website...you guys all remember this story from a few years ago, right? The stage fire that got out of hand and burned that nightclub in Rhode Island?

http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/05/10/ni....ap/index.html

A 15-year sentence, with 11 suspended. So he'll serve four (probably out in less). I'd hope so. Obviously not a hardened criminal or a genuine thug...God knows what he'll be subjected to in prison. For an accident. I'd hate to be in his shoes...

What are your thoughts on this?

I've been following this story/trial a bit lately and was curious how it would go.

Seems like we're hammering this guy harder than we do some folks who are truly bad apples, and do horrible, mean things on purpose.

This was an accident, after all. If he'd deliberately set the joint on fire, then yeah...toss him in and throw away the key.

I don't know...this one bugs me a bit.



Thoughts? Opinions? Is he getting off too easy? Or is he being punished too harshly?

[Dave]

Well, I'm more inclined to be pissed off at the club owners for installing flammable foam (I wonder if it's code?), but he probably should've realized that pyrotechnics weren't a good idea in a club setting anyway. Of course, I've never been to that club, so maybe there wasn't anything wrong with it per se, and it was all the foam's fault. :shrug:

Actually, 4 years for 100 counts of manslaughter seems pretty easy. It's a tough call, because he didn't do anything morally wrong, he just made a mistake. OTOH, 100 people are dead because of his mistake.

I'm glad I'm not the judge.

[Quagmire]

Too harsh, IMHO. A hefty fine and community service would of covered the pryo without a permit thing easily. It was the owners fault for not telling him about the highly flammable foam on the ceiling. Complete accident.

[Naderfan]

I've always thought that in situations like this, where it was a complete and utter accident, that the person's conscience is probably going to punish him/her more than jail time. I suppose you still have to pay for an accident like this, where people actually died, but it still makes me a bit uneasy.

[psmith2.0]

Yeah, I agree.

He's not a hardened killer or cold-blooded murderer. But perhaps some fines, community service and things of that nature are more appropriate for him. He's going to go to prison, probably get assaulted and passed around and brutalized, etc.

This is not one of those "throw them in prison for years and years" deals, IMO. His conscience is doing all the punishment for him on that level, I'm sure.

He could put his talents or contacts to use in ways to help atone for his actions. Something. Anything. But not the joint.

I'd hate to think I made an honest mistake or had a true accident and instead of being fined and given a bazillion hours of community service, I had to go into prison.

I - and my butt - wouldn't last two days.



Then I'd come out all bitter, screwed-up in the head and hard-hearted to life and the world in general. Probably have to do and see things in there I'd never experience otherwise. Ugh...

[intlplby]

the owner most likely was not very involved in what was installed and how things were managed..... but i don't know about this specific case

[SKMDC]

He gets four years, yet the man who took pen to paper and wrote the lyrics to Mista Bone walks free.

[Edna Crabtree]

(Homer): "That name again is Mista Bone"

As it turns out, it took four (!) men to write those lyrics, which I've thoughtfully included below

That girl is just a cool good looker
That baby's sweeter than raw brown sugar
Never mind cause the fancy took her
She says she wants to let the small head rock her
What a smile
Don't it drive you insane
Ooh ma baby
Drive a mile
Just to ride back again
Baby won't ya rock it tonight
And when she's in the mood
When she needs that lovin' groove
When she wants it rude
She grooves with Mista Bone
If she's in the mood
If she hits that lovin' groove
When she's gettin' rude
She grooves with Mista Bone
Just take it like a sweet injection
Just a token of my affection
Another night we'll take another direction
I'm gonna play you like a rhythm section
What style
Let me see that again
Ooh my baby
Drive a mile
Just to ride you again
Baby won't ya rock it tonight

[SKMDC]

Then there is Whitesnake's "Slide It In"

I can just imagine whoever wrote it (¿Coverdale?) sitting down at the kitchen table and getting out a pad of paper and writing that stuff down.
You know his innermoist* personal thoughts.

ahhh the 80's!

*freudian typo baby!

[DMBand0026]

Originally Posted by Quagmire Too harsh, IMHO. A hefty fine and community service would of covered the pryo without a permit thing easily. It was the owners fault for not telling him about the highly flammable foam on the ceiling. Complete accident.

Not that I disagree about it being too harsh, but it was his responsibility as the manager of the band as the pyro manager to contact the owner/manager of the club, the fire department, and someone certified to work with pyros. So it wasn't the owners fault, there were a lot of people at fault.

A good friend of mine has a friend who was in the club and filming that night. Of course the film that he took was submitted as evidence, but my friend received a copy of it as well. Since we're both fireman, we consider it training. I have to say that the video from inside the club is truly horrifying. The view from outside the club isn't much better either. I've never seen a place burn so fast. Just a very sad situation.

[bassplayinMacFiend]

Originally Posted by intlplby the owner most likely was not very involved in what was installed and how things were managed..... but i don't know about this specific case

This wasn't the owner (they pled not guilty). This was the manager of the band that got sentenced.

[InactionMan]

I say no jail time. He screwed up, he feels awful. Jail time what do him or anyone else any good.

But I only think the absolute worst crimes should result in prison terms. And even then there's probably a fair number of those that should result in the criminal being formed rather than imprisoned.

[*Joe*]

How is it too harsh? As the club owner it is his responsibility to take care of health & safety in the workplace. If propper health & safety procedures had been in place then this would never have happened. What about installing fire supressions systems etc... Basically it was a tragic accident that was fuelled by poor standards of health and safety which are the responsibility of the club manager.

[psmith2.0]

This isn't the club manager. It's the band manager. The club guys have their own trial coming up later, I believe.

[turtle]

Pyrotechnics in a confined space? Seems to me the band manager deservse to pay. Aside from the fire, who would have been hurt from the fumes of the pyro alone if there was no fire.

I say he should be out of confinement, but still well in the system. He likely didn't think, "I'm gonna kill a lot of people this morning" as he bounded out of bed to the club for the show. This is a case where Darwin's theory took out the wrong person/people.

What annoyed me about the story though was the one mother attacking the managers mother. What did she have to do with it? That is the kinda crap that does not do any good. As though his mother isn't upset enough that she gets to show pictures off of her son who was dumb enough to light off "fireworks" inside a bar.

What can't these people put the fault where it is instead of trying to rip apart everyone and tear them down because their own lives suck that bad. That would be like me getting on this forum and calling you all a$$holes because my ex-wife is a b1tch.

[psmith2.0]

That's the thing. I was watching some of the family members giving statements in court. Many were just hostile and vindictive as could be. There was one couple, however, who seemed to harbor no ill will toward the guy. They spoke of how their son wouldn't want to have this guy's life messed up with a long stint in jail and so forth.

It was actually quite moving. The father did most of the talking, simultaneously paying tribute to his son who died in the fire and acknowledging that the man on trial is suffering as well, and making a case for some sort of leniency and understanding.

The defendant was shown sobbing during this.

You realize there are still decent, rational people not out to take out their grief and anger in a petty, "I'm gonna make that bastard pay!" kind of way.



I don't know. A sad, sucky story all around...