Paycom Center (formerly Chesapeake Arena)

[OKCisOK4me]

At least the Intrust Arena got striped bricks out front unlike our arena as showed in the renderings. Other than the video screen that was the one thing I liked about how our grand entrance was suppose to look (oh and the sun setting in the north).

[Plutonic Panda]

I there any chance at all they will bring back thunder alley?

[BrettM2]

I there any chance at all they will bring back thunder alley?

Read in the DOK's article that they haven't ruled it out. I think (hope) they'd be much better prepared this year and that would make it a possibility again. They'll keep it as the pre-game party for the regular season though.

[Plutonic Panda]

Read in the DOK's article that they haven't ruled it out. I think (hope) they'd be much better prepared this year and that would make it a possibility again. They'll keep it as the pre-game party for the regular season though.

Yeah well, I hope they do. I think it just really made the area come alive in way that OKC doesn't really see that often.

[Snowman]

I there any chance at all they will bring back thunder alley?

They requested the permit for this seasons home games earlier this week.

[ljbab728]

Read in the DOK's article that they haven't ruled it out. I think (hope) they'd be much better prepared this year and that would make it a possibility again. They'll keep it as the pre-game party for the regular season though.

They basically said that if anyone could come up with a workable plan they would consider it.

[Urbanized]

I came up with one some time back. Fence it and charge admission. Five bucks for anybody over 12, one dollar for children accompanied by an adult (limit 1 or 2 at the most per grownup). No unsupervised minors under the age of 18. No alcoholic beverages permitted. If they are worried about a perceived price gouge, donate 100% of the gate to charity. Increased security expenses covered by percentage rent from food vendors allowed to set up within fan zone. Problem solved.

[Watson410]

I came up with one some time back. Fence it and charge admission. Five bucks for anybody over 12, one dollar for children accompanied by an adult (limit 1 or 2 at the most per grownup). No unsupervised minors under the age of 18. No alcoholic beverages permitted. If they are worried about a perceived price gouge, donate 100% of the gate to charity. Increased security expenses covered by percentage rent from food vendors allowed to set up within fan zone. Problem solved.

That's exactly the first plan than came to mind.. Fence it in and charge admission.

[dankrutka]

No alcoholic beverages permitted.

Sounds boring.

[ChaseDweller]

Question for the assembled hive mind: In the article in the Oklahoman today, there was a mention of "Scoreboard Bunker Suites" and "Outdoor Suites" added during the renovation. What and where the heck are those?

[Urbanized]

Sounds boring.

Sounds less likely to result in a multi-victim shooting.

Besides, I didn't mean no consumption. If they want to have a beer tent/trailer that's cool. Servers have a responsibility to not sell to intoxicated persons and minors, leading to overall more responsible consumption and another offset to increased security costs.

But the unsupervised nature of the event leading up to the shooting allowed people to show up with coolers full of beer, among other things. If you take a Wild West approach to hosting an event, eventually the Wild West shows up.

I think there is still a disconnect in many people's minds as to exactly what was going on down there. It might have looked great on TV, but if you were on the street - I was during nearly every game last season and all playoff games including the Lakers series when it went to hell in a hand basket - and even HALFWAY observant, you would have a very different view of the proceedings.

I would also recommend working with all parking operators within reasonable walking distance - including those ostensibly "free" such as Lower Bricktown's - to make sure their lots are secured/manned. That might mean closed/locked, it might mean charging, or maybe just manning the gate screening parkers to make sure they have legitimate business parking there.

Like I have said before, sometimes free is the wrong price.

[BoulderSooner]

enclosed area with a small fee would solve the majority if not all of the problem that existed during the playoffs

[SoonerBoy18]

So who came up with the proposal to NOT put any signage on the new entrance?! >=(

[Snowman]

So who came up with the proposal to NOT put any signage on the new entrance?! >=(

Has it been confirmed there will be none, it may just not be finished

[kevinpate]

As to the former (and perhaps someday, again) Thunder Alley, was there ever a shooting there, or only afterwards down the road in Bricktown? Did any melees ever break out in amongst the masses in Thunder Alley? I can certainly see a sense of security being evoked by controlled access and policia waving hand wands over folks as they enter, and setting some controls on the flow of spirits (at least until folks begin to realize some peeps do just fine sporting small glass flasks and ceramic blades, etc., and the even greater measures might be clamored for, all in the name of false sense of security.

[Bellaboo]

The new entrance is just excellent. They still have the other 3 entry / exit points and with the new southwest portal, there was zero congestion getting in and out last night. The new restaurants look great too, as everything else in side still does.

[OKCDrummer77]

As to the former (and perhaps someday, again) Thunder Alley, was there ever a shooting there, or only afterwards down the road in Bricktown? Did any melees ever break out in amongst the masses in Thunder Alley? I can certainly see a sense of security being evoked by controlled access and policia waving hand wands over folks as they enter, and setting some controls on the flow of spirits (at least until folks begin to realize some peeps do just fine sporting small glass flasks and ceramic blades, etc., and the even greater measures might be clamored for, all in the name of false sense of security.

The shooting was in Bricktown, well away from, and not related to, Thunder Alley. While cancelling seemed reactionary, what if there had been another incident? People would have been demanding to know why it wasn't cancelled the first time.

[kevinpate]

The shooting was in Bricktown, well away from, and not related to, Thunder Alley. While cancelling seemed reactionary, what if there had been another incident? People would have been demanding to know why it wasn't cancelled the first time.

Yeah, heard that before, but do not buy it. By that logic, Bricktown ought to just be fenced off and closed by now. All sorts of completely unrelated and disconnected but bad all the same type things happen down there. If one just shut it down that might stop a lot of those unrelated incidents, yet no one seems to be pushing that concept.

[OKCisOK4me]

Bricktown is a cash cow for OKC tax collections. They're not going to shut it down...

[Urbanized]

The shooting was in Bricktown, well away from, and not related to, Thunder Alley...

Good grief. The shooting was the direct result of Thunder Alley events. This has been well established, including by statements from victims, law enforcement and even the suspect's own attorney. No matter how often people try to scapegoat Bricktown on this one it will never be true. In fact the district itself was a victim here. Please stop perpetuating a demonstrably false story. It borders on slander.

If Bricktown contributed in any way it was Lower Bricktown's offering free, uncontrolled parking to those attending the Thunder Alley event.

It was a Monday night, for crying out loud. Go walk around Bricktown around 11 PM next Monday night & tell me how many gangbangers and minors you see causing trouble. Prediction: zero.

The event itself brought the problems. Unfortunately it was a great event that grew out of control too quickly. I think it could come back and be a big success in the future, but it will have to be structured much differently so as to not pose a danger to itself, its attendees and its neighbors.

[Urbanized]

By the way, the idea of fencing the event is not so much for security purposes but instead for restricting access. I'm not necessarily suggesting wanding or anything like that. Eliminating the "free" aspect of the event is a critical factor, followed closely by eliminating unfettered access by groups of minors.

I've been closely involved in the community response to various problems in Bricktown and downtown over the years, and trouble almost always involves the following: minors or very young individuals who are not there to spend money or to interact with the district or event like a typical attendee.

They are there instead to take advantage of the free aspects, park in uncontrolled lots, party out of the trunks of their cars, and walk around a free and bustling area checking out girls (not that there's anything wrong with that), showing off, preening, threatening, claiming "turf", jostling, bullying, vandalizing, victimizing and otherwise causing problems.

It's the reason that when there have been problems they have often centered around sidewalks, in plazas or free parking lots (all free) but rarely inside restaurants, PAID parking lots and even rarely inside most bars and clubs (all paid, and in the case of bars and clubs not open to minors). It's the reason there are almost never problems INSIDE games. It's the reason the curfew (when it has been actively enforced) proved to be so effective in curtailing problems in Bricktown.

Sorry if it seems elitist, but generally people who are there to spend money DON'T cause trouble; often those there to NOT spend money DO cause problems. Eliminating freeloaders might sound harsh, but it is usually effective.

However, if that proved to be family-unfriendly (there ARE plenty of otherwise fine people who just can't afford to take their kids to a game, for instance) perhaps the most important role of restricting access would be to disallow unaccompanied minors and to make it clear to potential troublemakers that they are being watched and have limited escape routes should they decide to act up. Those are strong deterrents.

[OKCDrummer77]

It was not my intent to "blame" Bricktown for what happened. I was only answering Kevinpate's question regarding the actual location of the shooting. I go to Bricktown semi-regularly and have never felt even remotely unsafe.

I would love to see the watch party return, but with a greater degree of planning and structure than what was there before.

[Urbanized]

That's fine, but it's not at all accurate to suggest the shooting had nothing to do with TA. It had EVERYTHING to do with TA. They were right to cancel the event and need to exercise much care if/when they revive it.

[bluedogok]

That was one of the big problems that led to the decline of the West End in Dallas, my former company had an office by Dick's Last Resort and they constantly had problems with it and was one of the factors of why they moved out of the district. The same problems exist on the 16th Street Mall here in Denver, many offices have moved to other parts of downtown and some retailers decide the traffic isn't worth the headaches. The majority of the problems there are directly associated with a thug element that hangs out there. Our office is up by Coors Field, our biggest issue if littering on our porch and stairs every morning.

[Larry OKC]

The shooting was in Bricktown, well away from, and not related to, Thunder Alley. While cancelling seemed reactionary, what if there had been another incident? People would have been demanding to know why it wasn't cancelled the first time.

And what if the shooting had happened inside the Arena during a game? Would they have canceled the rest of the games? Or barred anyone from entering the building during the game etc. IMO, it was an extreme over reaction. They claim the crowds became uncontrolable yet they don't seem to have any problems (or few problems) with other outdoor downtown large scale events (a/k/a Opening Night etc)

That's fine, but it's not at all accurate to suggest the shooting had nothing to do with TA. It had EVERYTHING to do with TA. They were right to cancel the event and need to exercise much care if/when they revive it.

It was related but it wasn't the cause according to what I recall reading about it and to say that it had "EVERYTHING to do with TA" is misleading at best. In the time-stamped chronological article...

Update: Thunder Alley to close; arrest made in Bricktown shooting following OKC Thunder game | NewsOK.com

Citty said there are some indications the altercation that ended in gunfire in Bricktown about 12:30 a.m. originated in Thunder Alley, but the crowd size would be a concern even without the shooting.
...
Police don't know whether the people involved were part of the crowd in Thunder Alley or were in Bricktown for some other reason.
“We don't have any information that leads us to believe it had anything to do with the game,” Nelson said. “It occurred three blocks away. The only thing the game did is draw a crowd. We've had similar crowds in Bricktown before.”
...
Police said Tuesday the shooting apparently started after a confrontation between a group of men and a group of women in the 200 block of E Reno Ave.
...
“It did not happen at the arena, at the game, at Thunder Alley,” Mahoney said. “We'll continue to work with law enforcement to provide a safe environment.”

This puts the altercation in front of the Ballpark, NOT the Arena/Thunder Alley. I do recall that those involved were at Thunder Alley but again, the problems weren't a result of anything that happened there. They just happened to be in the same general location at some point. If you have other articles that contradict this early one, please post.