Trollboy arrested at Wrigleyville

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yahoo.com July 28, 02

Wrigley Field Cracks Down on Drunks

By ANDREW BUCHANAN, Associated Press Writer

Wrigley Field might be a baseball shrine, but people who live in the shadow of the Chicago Cubs' ballpark say it makes their neighborhood something far from sacred — a huge outdoor toilet.

Charles Holzner says drunken baseball fans even relieve themselves in the entryway to his home.

"I've been screaming and hollerin' for years about this," said Holzner, 75, who has lived in the neighborhood known as Wrigleyville for half a century. "I understand they're out there drinking beer like crazy, they have to go somewhere. Just why does it have to be on my property?"

He and his neighbors may finally be getting some relief.

The Chicago City Council is considering an ordinance that would make public urination and defecation punishable by fines of $100 to $500. Repeat or egregious offenders would face jail terms of five to 10 days. The measure was passed by a committee last week and the full council is to vote on it Wednesday.

Currently, no ordinance specifically addresses public urination. People arrested for using the lawns and alleyways of Wrigleyville as restrooms have been charged with disorderly conduct or indecent exposure.

Disorderly conduct is a vague charge that does not carry a threat of jail time.

And judges often toss out indecent exposure cases, not wanting to put such a shameful conviction on offenders' records, said Alderman Bernard Hansen, whose ward encompasses Wrigley Field.

The new ordinance was prompted by the complaints of residents in the upscale neighborhood, which the ballpark shares with homes and condominiums worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, plus bars and restaurants.

"Over a period of years it's just been getting more and more flagrant," Hansen said. "People are not taking the time to properly take care of their business."

The ordinance allows police some leeway. A young boy who simply can't hold it can be treated differently from a drunken reveler who makes a scene, Hansen said. He described an incident last summer involving a Cardinals fan from St. Louis who urinated on a statue of Harry Caray, the late and beloved broadcaster for the Cubs.

"That's flagrant," Hansen said. "Now that guy should be fined $500."

-- (Roland@hotpantsmail.com), July 28, 2002

Answers

"That's flagrant," Hansen said. "Now that guy should be fined $500."

Trollboy will be represented by the ACLU. He maintains that the First Ammendment includes pissing as a form of Free Speech.

-- (roland @ hotpants.com), July 28, 2002.


Trollboy lied in his teeth when he said he was a Cardinal fan. No Cardinal fan would ever piss on a statue of Harry Caray, who was a beloved announcer for the Cards for years before going to the Cubs and whose memory is still cherished in St. Louis.

-- Peter Errington (petere7@starpower.net), July 28, 2002.

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