What would you do?

Fan takes M's to task for conduct

By José Miguel Romero
Seattle Times staff reporter

Dave Chesson wants an apology from the Mariners, and he has asked the American Civil Liberties Union to help him get it.

Chesson, 40, is one of several fans who attended Mariners games against the New York Yankees last weekend and purchased T-shirts outside Safeco Field with the phrase, "Yankees Suck," written on the front. Some of the fans who tried to wear the shirts inside the ballpark were told to take them off, turn them inside out or leave the stadium.

Chesson, of Bellingham, went to Sunday's game with his girlfriend and two friends and bought the white shirt with blue lettering from a vendor near the Stadium Exhibition Center, north of Safeco Field. He changed into it after gaining admission to the ballpark. Later, while watching the game from the bullpen market area, Chesson said two plainclothes security officers approached him and ordered him to take off the shirt on the spot.

Chesson said he thought the guards were joking, but when it became apparent that he was facing ejection from the stadium, he took off the shirt and changed into another one.

Chesson's biggest issue with the Mariners and stadium personnel is that he felt "they were violating my rights," and on Monday, he contacted the Seattle office of the ACLU to see if he has a case against the team.

Rebecca Hale, the Mariners' director of public information, contended that the team's actions were justified under the Safeco Field code of conduct regarding fans' enjoyment of the game and the ballpark's family-friendly atmosphere.

Doug Honig, public-education director for the ACLU of Washington, confirmed yesterday that the Seattle office is "looking into" the issue and will do some research before deciding whether to assist Chesson.

"The fact that maybe some people may be offended (by the T-shirts) is beside the point," Honig said. "Insulting the other team is part of baseball. In a publicly-owned stadium, the ownership shouldn't prevent people from watching the game because someone is wearing a T-shirt."

The controversy, meanwhile, has gone national: Syndicated radio shock jock Tom Leykis turned the affair into a hot topic on his show yesterday, offering $1,000 to any listener who could be quoted in the local newspapers.

"I thought the stadium was publicly funded," said Chesson, who was scheduled to do a radio interview for a national show early this morning. "They (the security guards) had me up against the bullpen fence. I made it very clear that I was taking the shirt off under protest. I was shocked that they made me change my shirt right there, and by then there was like 20 people standing around. As a person and season-ticket holder, I was humiliated. I didn't deserve to be treated that way."

Chesson took the names of the security personnel and had one of his friends take pictures of the incident. He has called Hale and filed a formal complaint and added that he would ask the team to buy back his season-ticket package if the issue is not resolved.

"I'm willing to take this as far as I can," Chesson said. "I don't want a thing. I want an apology for the fans and a clear line in the sand as to what the stadium policy is."

Said Hale: "We've got a code of conduct and a policy, and we've enforced it many times previously. We will continue to enforce our code of conduct. We're in contact with him (Chesson), and we'll discuss it with him personally."

The code states that Mariners employees "will proactively intervene to support an environment where guests can enjoy the baseball experience free from the following behaviors," which includes "obscene or indecent clothing."