Safety issues linger over b-ball game

Even if Penn decides to hold the tournament in the Palestra again, it is unclear if security issues can be solved. Everyone on campus has been asking two questions since Sunday afternoon: Could better security have prevented the shooting outside the Palestra? And should the University continue to host the Public League high school basketball championships in the future? Answering the second question hinges on whether the University can provide sufficient security to control the throngs of Philadelphians that will fill the streets of campus -- a crowd causing what witnesses referred to as "chaos" and "pandemonium." Many who witnessed the shootings -- which killed one man, and left three wounded, including College senior John La Bombard -- said security could not be blamed for the chaos that followed the tournament. "As far as I was concerned, I think they did everything they could," said College senior Carter Caldwell, who witnessed much of the aftermath of the shooting. And a University Police officer who requested anonymity said that "it's over. They were doing their jobs." Police investigators have said the shootings were completely unrelated to the game itself. But University officials are not so sure that taking the necessary precautions -- in this case, assigning 10 University Police officers, 40 Philadelphia public schools police officers and 60 security guards to the event -- is worth the trouble. "First, you have to decide is it appropriate to host [the tournament] again when you need all this security and you need metal detectors inside the game," Managing Director of Public Safety Tom Seamon said yesterday. "Do you want to have this kind of event, [which can be] problematic?" Drexel University, citing student safety concerns in the wake of the shooting, announced Tuesday that it would not host the Public League all-star basketball doubleheader on March 22. But St. Joseph's University offered yesterday to host the matchups at its Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse on a yet-to-be-determined date, according to Mitchell Kurtz, president of the Public League Coaches Association. Another University Police officer who patrolled during Sunday's games said beefing up security after the game would probably not restore the confidence of the University community. "It would take an army to control that crowd," he said. "The security guards, the Penn Police and the school police [who were guarding the game] did their job -- they made sure people were safe while they were watching the game." This was not the first time trouble followed the game, which was also held at the Palestra last year. After the 1997 championship, police reported hearing gunshots near 33rd and Walnut streets, but no one was injured. In 1996, when the game was at the nearby Civic Center, a near-riot ensued over a questionable call. Philadelphia Police Department Homicide detectives investigating the shooting believe that it was related to a long-standing feud between the victim, Anthony Davis, 22, of the 800 block of North 17th Street, and a group of people from South Philadelphia. According to Sgt. Irma Labrice, a detective with the Homicide unit, Davis fired a shot from a gun he was carrying before he was killed by a bullet to his chest fired from a semiautomatic pistol. Davis had a lengthy criminal record which included two drug arrests, and several University and Philadelphia police detectives described him as a "drug dealer." Three others were wounded in the violence. La Bombard, 22, was struck by a bullet as he worked in the Blauhaus; Davis' companion, North Philadelphia resident Anthony Noble, 19, was hit by a bullet; and their acquaintance Latisha Feribee, 20, suffered a gunshot wound to her arm. University spokesperson Ken Wildes called Sunday's security at the Palestra "ample" to handle what officials estimated was a crowd of 3,700 and eyewitnesses said was likely closer to 6,000. Although Seamon said the force represented an increase in security over the previous tournament, Vecchione gave identical figures last year when asked about security at the event. Vecchione declined to comment yesterday. Seamon added that he would not address the changes needed in safeguarding the event until University officials had made their decision whether to host it again. But according to Penn Athletic Director Steve Bilsky, the University must first establish criteria it can use to assess all "outside" organizations wishing to use Penn facilities, "whether it be the Palestra or the [University] Museum." "It might make sense to have a set of criteria? so that you're not reinventing the wheel every time," Bilsky said yesterday. "But I think things will still be handled on a case-by-case basis." Bilsky would not comment on the security after Sunday's game between Benjamin Franklin High School and Franklin Learning Center. Benjamin Franklin won the game, 61-56.