The facial recognition sanctions imposed by James Dolan apparently apply to both fans and even famous people who criticize the Knicks and Rangers owner on social media as well as to attorneys participating in ongoing legal proceedings against him or Madison Square Garden and its affiliates.
A separate report released on Thursday detailed how people allegedly encountered similar issues with MSG security for being publicly critical of Dolan, including one person who reportedly told him to “sell the team” online. This comes a week after The Post reported that a mother was denied entry into Radio City Music Hall to see the Rockettes because her law firm was on an attorney exclusion list.
Furthermore, according to sources mentioned in a piece by Ethan Strauss on Substack, the Garden has a tiered punishment scheme to distinguish between offenders.
For instance, Merrill Lynch financial advisor Brett Klein complains in the Substack report that security at Knicks and Rangers games regularly flags him using facial recognition technology and harasses him. This is because Klein once said, “sell the team,” on the Facebook page for Dolan’s band, JD & The Straight Shot. Klein continued by saying that MSG security had issued him warnings at least ten times.
When Spike Lee, a movie director and ardent Knicks supporter, was refused entry through a Garden employee entrance in 2020, he famously asked, “Are you going to treat me like Charles Oakley?” Knicks legend Charles Oakley was famously ejected from a game at the Garden by security and arrested in 2017, while Spike Lee.
Lee is still listed on the arena’s Code of Conduct list as a Code 2 offender within a six-category tier that spans from zero to five, according to the Substack report. We are aware that you are always within the building, according to code 2.
“Spike Lee is a Code 2, as he’s not frequently contacted. If it weren’t for [a] well-publicized standoff with security over his choice of entrance, which caused negative press for the Knicks, he might have had a Code 3 status, according to the report. When Lee does arrive, MSG’s security staff uses a facial recognition technology to monitor Lee’s every move in accordance with Dolan’s recommendations for the locations where Spike shouldn’t be allowed.
According to a source, Dolan doesn’t want the director “back of the house” because of the offense caused by Lee’s public remarks.
A Code 0 offender is not allowed entry to the building during a specific event, while a Code 5 is referred to as a permanent ban in the aforementioned MSG code system.
The only rating on the list that is favorable is Code 1, which is reserved for VIPs. Security is required to have “a communication with [the] person letting them know they know they are in the building,” according to the description of Code 3. According to Klein’s purported description, this looks to be his category. According to Code 4, “a talk letting them know what they did is not acceptable and not approved” is required.
Actor and vocal Knicks supporter Michael Rapaport reportedly has a Code 5 designation and is completely prohibited from the site because of his criticism of Dolan.
Raport receives a 5. He is forbidden. The senior leadership will approach him. In general, a director or above would be appropriate for his instance, the insider stated. “Now, the way they handle things is that they send lawyers to every event at every venue, including Beacon Theater, Radio City, and the Arena, but not to the clubs. They would converse with each other as well. If he attempted to fight, a police officer would approach him and lock his ass up for trespassing.
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