The Mailed Fist of Mickey Mouse

I spoke today with Anaheim Councilwoman Lorri Galloway about a truly astounding example of the ineptly heavy-hand Disney has been wielding in Anaheim of late.

The Los Angeles Times approached Anaheim Councilwoman Lorri Galloway about doing a profile of her, to which Councilwoman Galloway agreed provided the focus was on Anaheim Resort workers and not her per se. Last Wednesday, the LAT called Galloway and asked if she'd be available for a photographer to shoot to get some shots of her with some Anaheim Resort workers. Ultimately, it was arranged for Galloway and Ada Briceno (head of the hotel workers union UNITE HERE, OC/Long Beach chapter) to meet at the Disneyland Hotel.

According to Lorri Galloway, Briceno and she went into a back area of the hotel to meet with some hospitality workers, while the Times photographer got some shots for the article. Galloway told me Briceno signed them into the back area, and presumed she could go along as Briceno's guest since Briceno was the workers union president.

Galloway spent several minutes talking to the workers, whom she characterized as proud to be Disney employees and said the majority of them were Anaheim residents.

Then four to five Disney security guards burst upon the scene and ordered Galloway, Briceno and the LAT photographer they had no right to be there. Briceno insisted she did as the UNITE HERE chapter president, and Lorri Galloway identified herself to the guards, one of whom replied "We know who you are."

The security guards threatened to confiscate the LAT photographers films and said they could have all three arrested. The guards then led Galloway, Briceno and the photographer into the Disneyland Hotel lobby and detained them there for about 45 minutes.

I asked Lorri Galloway why she didn't just leave. She said the security guards explicitly accused them of trespassing and forbade them to leave, telling them they could be arrested. Galloway didn't want to make this incident an even more public scene than it was already.

"I called the chief of police and left a voice mail saying I was being held hostage at the Disneyland Hotel and asked him to come and get me," Galloway said. "When he got the message he thought I was at some event where you put certain guests "in jail" as a fund-raising gimmick."

Disney did call the police, because Galloway saw squad cars roll up and four Anaheim police officers station themselves outside the lobby. Galloway found out later the officers had no idea she was one of the people being detained and didn't enter the lobby because Disney told them not to; the officers were told only that some trespassers were being detained.

After about half-an-hour of languishing in the hotel lobby under the watch of the security guards, Galloway said some bigger wigs entered the fray, including Rob Doughty, Disneyland Resort's VP for Communications.

"You know better than this," Doughty told Galloway.

Before they were finally allowed to leave, the Disneyland Hotel security chief (as Councilwoman Galloway identified him) told the Galloway, Briceno and the LAT photographer they "were not welcome here, and if you come back on the property, you'll be arrested. The LAT photographer asked for that warning in writing, but I don't think he got it.

I'm a member of the consultant team for SunCal's Platinum Pointe project (the one Disney is aggressively opposing). That said, I don't think I'm the only one who finds Disney's behavior disturbing.

Disneyland Hotel security knew who Galloway, Briceno and the LAT photographer were, and I think that is precisely why they were detained and treated as they were -- and the word quickly spread of the Disney chain-of-command. If that had been some random guests in the back area, does anyone think the hotel staff would have reacted that way? Or, for that matter, if it were Anaheim Councilman Harry Sidhu or Mayor Curt Pringle?  Worst case, they would have been informed they weren't authorized to be there and would have been politely escorted out -- not threatened with arrest.

When I worked at Disneyland many moons ago, guests used to wander backstage all the time. We simply informed them they weren't allowed backstage, and they complied without having a squad of security guys sicked on them. Are things so different that the treatment accorded Councilwoman Galloway is standard-operating-procedure?

It's especially disturbing given Disney's blatant suggestion of possible conflict-of-interest prosecution in its successful last-minute attempt to spook Councilwoman Lucille Kring into recusing herself from a February vote on moving the SunCal project forward.

Since there's no reason the incident at the Disneyland Hotel could not have been handled in a much more low-key, courteous way, it's pretty obvious Disney was sending a very heavy-handed message to Councilwoman Galloway. Perhaps they can save that particular approach for the opening of the Newark, NJ Disneyland.

Comments

[Mickey needs to chill]

I tend to support Disney's position on the whole resort district issue, but this kind of behavior is unacceptable. They owe Galloway and the others an apology.

[debbie]

Galloway needs to worry about others things. Gee Maybe Disney can ask her where all the grant money they have given her has been spent

[redperegrine]

Well, geez Jubal. It may have been heavy handed, even stupid (if true, of course). But isn't it private property?

[Jubal]

But isn't it private property?

And did I say that it wasn't? Did I say anywhere that Disney didn't have the right to ask them to leave?

By what tenuous reasoning do you conflate criticizing Disney's boorish and (I believe) intentionally intimidating behavior with a denial of Disney's private property rights?

[Benny Diaz]

I believe that Disney owes an apology to Miss Gallowey, Miss Briceno and the LA Times photographer. I do believe that middle management did not followed proper protocol, specially when the elected official was from the same city. Hope Disney correct this mistake ASAP.

[Anaheim H.O.M.E.]

Welcome to the real world of Disneyland. Visit OC North Court in Fullerton where even the most minor misdemeanors, if committed at Disneyland, are rigorously prosecuted by Anaheim city attorneys.

With Anaheim police officers present, parents of eight year old shoplifters were intimidated into paying Disneyland $500 in damages for attempted shoplifting.

Wake up Orange County to the presents of the Disney Corporation and smell the fireworks.

[FLowerszzz]

Their behavior seems a bit over the top. They certainly did not handle it right and they owe apologies. But I doubt apologies will fix it.

And debbie - get a life! Do some good in your community instead of attacking Lorri and her organization.

Lorri is a good person, doing good in her community, that does not deserve to be treated like that even if she were not on the Council.

[Bladerunner]

So Jubal, if Comrade Baugh and the GOP Central Committee run a pro-Disney Republican against Galloway in 2008, who are you going to support?

[Jubal]

If the Dems nominate an anti-gun control, pro-life, pro-flat tax, pro-Iraq War, anti-gay marriage conservative to run against say, Rudy Giuliani, who are you going to support?

What other hypotheticals should we concoct?

[Bladerunner]

Fair rejoinder, but for fun I'll answer your hypothetical after you answer mine.

[redperegrine]

Well, let's see Jubal. You're attacking Disney for being boorish and mean. That's fair enough I guess, although that's not really news now is it? And what it has to do with your SunCal project advocacy is way beyond me.

But as long as wer're talking about this episode, let's review objectively: an uninvited person (a politician with whom you are currently involved in a dispute) shows up on your property with an LA Times reporter/photographer in tow to do a self-promotion gig involving your employees. You naturally consider it an affront and want to do something about it.

Actually Lori's Big Adventure sounds a lot like a provocative publicity stunt to me - something I would expect from Jesse Jackson or Gloria Allred. Very convenient to have a reporter present, no?

Again, we shouldn't be too surprised that the good folks at Disney overreacted, and quite hamfistedly - they really are used to doing whatever they like in Anaheim. It's sort of separate state within a state - kind of like the Vatican.

[Pat]

"With Anaheim police officers present, parents of eight year old shoplifters were intimidated into paying Disneyland $500 in damages for attempted shoplifting."

Aw, kids do the darndest things! Let's just wait until they rob somebody at gunpoint.

[Jubal]

And what it has to do with your SunCal project advocacy is way beyond me.

It's a good story that I'd have posted if I had nothing to do with the SunCal project.

And if you read my post again, you'll see that having the photographer there wasn't "convenient." The excursion was planned by the LAT to get photos for their story.

As I said before, Disney has every right to ask someone to leave their property. Has anyone, thus far, disputed that? The issue is the manner in which they did it, and the motive for that manner. And we should be surprised Disney reacted that way -- or at least I'm surprised. I didn't think they would act so stupidly. If you want someone to leave, perhaps you should first try simply asking them.

[cab]

I agree that this is just another publicity stunt by Galloway. She just announced her reelection campaign and how better to get in the newspapers. Plus get the union vote from the low paid workers at the hotels, thats if they vote. She needs all the help she can get and will have a real hard time getting re-elected in Anaheim.

[She asked for it, huh?]

It's myopia-central on this thread. If the guards has Maced Galloway, would she have been "asking for it"?

[redperegrine]

Well, I did read your story. Reporters and politicians are always using each other for their own ends. Galloway was the one who insisted that the story be about "the workers." Well, where do you go to find workers? Where they work would be a good place to start. She knew she would be going to the beard the lion in his den; and she knew she would have a reporter and photographer handy to document the occaision. Did she really believe the union label was going to be her passport to the magic kingdom? Now that would be hard to believe!

[Morning Coffee]

If Galloway *really* wanted it to be about the workers, she could have arranged to do the interview with some off duty personnel.The Photo's could have been taken outside the property, with Disneyland in the background, and the point would have been made. I've set up those kinds of photos many times. For her to actually go on the property, with a L.A. Times photographer, was inviting this kind of flap. That being said, I think the way Disney handled this was very short sighted. It will give Galloway exactly what she wanted- more "big, bad Disney" ammunition.

[Cried Wolf]

I heard Roger Rabbit was called into interogate her!

[Bladerunner]

I agree with Morning Coffee. Galloway should have known better but Goofy was running this crackdown for the Magic Kingdom.

[redperegrine]

Hey, Morning Red Bull, wake up and smell the Morning Coffee. SunCal is advertising on this blog.

[pinkperegrine]

Why are redperegrines panties in such a wad over this?

[just...asking]

Lori is a very smart politician, she knew doing the story "behind the scenes" at Disney would not be welcome. How would Carona feel if the Times showed up escorted by jailers to take a few pictures of the cells? That said, if the account is accurate of Disney's behaviour, it seems inappropriate at best. Not the usual way Disney handles its business, so I'm a bit suprised. Unfortunately those involved in this $quabble are for some rea$on not acting like them$elves.

[concerned individual]

As a former employee of the park, you would have to be completely blind to not know that this is the type of tactics Disney pulls all the time. I was there in 98 when Disneyland pulled Custodial from attractions to hose the dock clean from the Columbia "incident" prior to Police arriving. Understand that Disney is above the law and they will win eventually, whether it is with this councilwoman in office or her succesor, because she most asssuredly will not be re-elected for her next term.

[Just Zoning...]

Lorri Galloway is a publicity hog and should not be re-elected. An area zoned for tourism should stay that way. I don't understand how the council can re-zone something without thinking they are not going to take a hit? It's like a big brother giving something to his little brother and then taking it back. Anaheim has other areas to consider for low cost housing but wants to provoke the biggest employer and cash cow for the city..

[rena1414]

i hate her.why cant the freakin stupid low-housing project outside of the resort!?
im glad disney did it.i will be so mad if i had 80 acer land and most of the land im not using and someone want to put hosuing project on my property i will be super mad and start sueing them and call the police if they ever come back.
if anyone mess with disney then i will mess with them.i love disney.i dont like the fact about re-zoneing the resort
i hope she dosnt get re-elected