U.S. Bank Stadium Manager SMG said that Dakota Access Pipeline protesters "used tickets to enter U.S. Bank Stadium for Sunday’s Vikings-Bears game and smuggled through security nylon rope, carabiners and the 40-foot vertical banner they unfurled after climbing a truss," according to Brian Murphy of the ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS. The protesters entered the "mobile express lane at the Legacy Gate" and later walked through the "north main concourse about an hour before they scaled the third-level truss behind one of the end zones." Spectators are "required to pass through metal detectors for all U.S. Bank Stadium events." SMG Marketing Manager for U.S. Bank Stadium Lisa Niess in a statement said, "They had nothing visible in their possession that violated U.S. Bank Stadium policies and had nothing that prevented them from clearing the security screening upon entry." Murphy notes carabiners are "hand-sized" and many are "made of metal." However, Niess in a follow-up email wrote, "Carabiners are not prohibited items to bring into U.S. Bank Stadium. If carabiners are put into the screening bins, similar to where you could place your cellphone or keys, they would not be stopped from entering U.S. Bank Stadium because they are not a prohibited item" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 1/4).
RAISING FUTURE CONCERNS: In Minneapolis, Rochelle Olson notes in the second quarter, two protesters "got past a guard railing and climbed up a giant steel ridge truss to a catwalk." From there, they "dropped down on their ropes, unfurling a sign urging U.S. Bank to divest from the four-state pipeline." No one was "harmed in the stunt, but concerns have been raised over how the protesters pulled off the maneuver so easily." In addition to the "high-profile Vikings games, the building will be the site" of Super Bowl LII in '18 and the Final Four in '19. The protesters "stayed aloft for more than half the game." The protesters "quickly pulled themselves up after the game as fans filed out" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 1/4). ESPN.com's Ben Goessling notes the protest "resulted in 185 fans being displaced from seats located directly beneath." Vikings Exec Dir of Communications Jeff Anderson yesterday said that the team is "contacting fans who were affected by the protest, offering a refund to the 71 season-ticket accounts" (ESPN.com, 1/4). The AP's Amy Forliti noted the game was "not interrupted, but eight rows of fans seated below the protesters were evacuated" (AP, 1/3).
