Entry #6 - October 1st 2013

Police defend $140 ticket issued to cheerleader during Western homecoming

CTV News

Last week, at the Western University homecoming a group of cheerleaders started to perform a cheer in the middle of the street on the way to the football game. After performing their cheer they were given a ticket of 140$ by the London police. The ticket said the cheerleaders caused “a nuisance in the street” with their routine. About 250-300 spectators ran out onto the road specifically towards the cheer, which was in the middle of the road. "On-scene officers were quite surprised that cheerleaders would be in such an environment, performing cheers where you're throwing people up in the air and catching people" said Deputy Police chief Brent Shea. On Monday, the university issued a statement about the ticket. “Western’s championship cheerleading team is known the world over for delivering incredible performances. The university believes strongly that an impromptu performance by some of the cheerleaders en route to campus was well-intentioned,” the statement read. Shea said that although police issued 270 tickets during the homecoming celebrations, no one was injured and there were no major incidents other than the large crowd on Broughdale Ave.

I agree that the police had to do something about the cheer leaders but i disagree with the police giving the cheerleaders a ticket for 140$.  I agree with the police, while they had to do something to get the cheerleaders off the road, but do not think that giving them a ticket would help.  I think the police should have tried to corral the people off the road and out of the way, not give a ticket for 140$.  I disagree with the fact that they were given the ticket i think that in all fairness they were trying to build spirit for the homecoming football game and were not at all trying to cause "a nuisance in the street".