Oakland’s Black Hole has a reputation as the most dangerous place to be in any NFL stadium, and even though the violence that broke out among both Raiders fans and 49ers fans on Saturday night was at a 49ers home game at Candlestick Park, there were plenty of comments along the lines of, “Same old Raider fans.”
Raiders CEO Amy Trask has heard those comments, and she’s not happy about it.
“I’m aware of the perception, and I don’t believe the perception is the reality,” Trask said. “Stereotypes are insidious. It’s so simple to stereotype Raiders fans. It’s an easy story. If you are hearing frustration coming through in my voice it’s because there’s frustration in my voice.”
Trask is on the NFL’s security committee, and she says safety of fans at NFL stadiums is a priority for every NFL team. But she said it’s not more of an issue in Oakland than it is in other stadiums, calling most of the crowd at Raiders games “terrific people and terrific fans.”
Although one person in Raiders gear was identified as a “person of interest,” there are no suspects in custody after multiple violent incidents at Saturday night’s game. Three fans who attended remain hospitalized, one who was beaten in a restroom during the game and two who were shot in a parking lot afterward.