"Urban Explorer" banned for life...

[brianpinsky]

Still, a lifetime ban IS rather excessive. A 10-year ban would seem a bit more reasonable.

Having worked backstage, I agree, there really is nothing all that interesting about it. If he just HAD to satisfy his curiosity, why didn't he just get a job? He'd see backstage then easily, and he'd be authorized to be there.

Guy's a moron.

He did it for the thrill. Going/Doing something people don't want you to do give people big kicks. Children do it, heck in this case an adult male did it. Working there does not seem that big of a thrill. I also feel a life time ban is a bit much it would be better if it was maybe 15 years. Also he can probaly go to Disneyland on a one day ticket under a fake name. He could just walk on in.

[TylerDurden]

Man, I bet you all want maximum sentences for drug users too.

All of you keep chanting no sympathy like it's some main line to deal with every case. If you've watched his videos, you'll notice that everywhere Adam goes, he treats with respect. This isn't some kid who decided he was going backstage for laughs to go overturn stuff or play in electrical wiring. It's obvious he's got great respect for the company and was willing to stop if he was told to, but in the meanwhile he didn't think he was doing any harm. That was what the warning was about.

Everyone who thinks that Adam should have been banned should also state their feelings on Hoot and Chief. I think talking about that might help. What makes them different from Adam? Should they be banned from the park as well? Should their Horizons documentation be disregarded as fruit from the poisoned tree?

I agree, I feel like we're all hypocritical if we say we feel no sympathy and yet we all do whatever we can to see what we're not supposed to and know what we shouldn't. That's part of being a theme park fan. Like yeah, he broke the rules, but the hate on this thread is a little strong.

[JeffHeimbuch]

Adam is a great guy, and I will defend him to a point here.

While he may have broken the rules with his videos going back stages, he was NOT doing it as an "ego boost" or to "get a rush" as some of you suggested.

Like many of us, Adam had a thirst for knowledge and to know more about a place we love.

I can understand Disney wanting to protect their properties, but a lifetime ban is a little much here. If they caught him in the act, that's one thing. But to grab him while he is just walking around the park, enjoying his day, is something else altogether. A ban for a year or two? Maybe a fine? Sure. But lifetime? that's crazy.

I realize that they are making an example out of him, and using him to show other folks that have, in recent years, shown the parts of Disney that Disney would rather not show. But again, I have to say I have come to know, be friends, and even WORK with some of these folks in the past 2 years. They're all really nice guys, and they mean no ill will toward anyone or anything...they just want to know.

Adam is a super nice dude, and he loves Disney. He was all sorts of out of it in that video because he was just banned from a place he loved. Vehemently posting hate against him is uncalled for.

[chesirecat]

I wish some of those disney execs could be banned for life for what they have done to the quality of the parks

I've seen some of this guy's videos online.

[BandM]

Actually, according Jack Lindquist in his book, that was not the case. Disneyland was prepared to receive him, but Sheriff Parker of Los Angeles would not let Khrushchev leave Los Angeles County because of security arrangements. Walt would have been happy to see him.

( snopes.com: Nikita Khrushchev at Disneyland verifies it wasn't the Disney people who wouldn't let him in.)

Eh, never knew the full story, thanks for the link.

I can understand Disney wanting to protect their properties, but a lifetime ban is a little much here. If they caught him in the act, that's one thing. But to grab him while he is just walking around the park, enjoying his day, is something else altogether. A ban for a year or two? Maybe a fine? Sure. But lifetime? that's crazy.

Adam himself was probably not a problem, heck most of us here probably could navigate the backstage areas and not get a lawsuit going but rules are rules. You can't just give the one exception or people will ask to be the exception too!

[goatdan]

Used to work at a (non-Disney) park, so perhaps a unique perspective here but...

Seems excessive, by quite a bit.

First off, those who are saying that this is totally different than going on a ride and using your camera to take pictures of new construction sites, I'd ask you to look at the ride warning signs next time you're going on them. At no point are you supposed to be taking pictures or filming from them unless you have express written permission from the parks. If you accidentally drop your camera, you could seriously injure someone else.

And guess what happens? Others mentioned that if Adam got hurt on something like this, he could sue Disney. You drop your camera on someone and they aren't suing you... guess who they are suing?

In his case, he gets hurt. In the case of a camera on a ride, someone else gets hurt. At one of the parks that I worked at, we had someone drop a camera off a ride and it completely broke through a car's front windshield. Guess who had to pay for a new windshield?

At the end of the day, a park's goal for something or someone like this should be to contain, not anything else. A much smarter way of handling it would have been for them to tell him that he would be banned from the parks unless he removed all of his videos, thereby giving him the chance to remove his Disney stuff that they didn't want people seeing, while still allowing him to stop by places. Or, they also could have told him that he couldn't post any new videos or use the parks for meet up.s Then, if he decides to abide by the rules, no issues. If he doesn't, issues.

By banning him for life, what they have done is made it so a lot more people are talking about him, and a lot more people are going to look up what he did to get him into trouble. If anything, it adds to the problem, as he now has no reason to take down those videos. It may be the 'by the book' thing, but it isn't the smartest thing to do from a PR standpoint.... although most parks don't have policies to really deal with the repercussions from the Internet Age.

We once found someone in a backstage area at our park, literally sitting on top of pieces of a ride that was back there and posting them online. The 'by the book' answer would have been to cite him for trespassing and send him on his way. Instead, they recognized him as a big fan blogger, talked to him about how he couldn't do that, told him that if the photos were posted anywhere he would not be allowed back in the park, and told him that he also couldn't talk about it on his blog. Instead of a banning him from someplace that he loved, the pictures never went online (at least from my years there), and on his blog he mentioned that he once went backstage and then talked about how it was something you really shouldn't do there. Instead of making a challenge for others, we turned a situation that could have been bad into a situation where the blogger suddenly was on our side.

This could have been the same thing. Ah well. I do really enjoy watching those videos. I'm not really one for backstage pics due to the dangers involved, but I found Adam a few years ago and would randomly watch whatever whenever I got the chance. Nick Studios at Universal made me want to go back to Universal even though that amazing memory was gone, and a lot of the other ones make me just think about what came before. There is a risk to what he's doing, and I agree it is wrong, but creative management of the issue could have really helped the Disney PR machine in this case.

[TylerDurden]

^I agree with all of this, well-said

[wdwfan22]

I think the lifetime ban is warrented, this guy has no respect for rules and loves to tresspass and film his wrong doings. Cast Members Only is not an invite for the curious, it's a keep out. I say good riddance.

[pumpkinmickey]

He has no business being backstage period.He deserves his punishment.

[Aotphks]

I agree with everyone who thinks he deserves being banned. If he was so interested in seeing what goes on behind the scenes, maybe he should have applied for a job at Disney. But to disregard Disney policy by "sneaking" into restricted areas is idiotic. He went beyond being a fan. Gives fans a bad name.

[KingEric]

In the end the proudly documented himself violating access signs. Disney has every right to ban him.

[JeffHeimbuch]

The argument of "He should become a cast member if he wanted to see these things" really makes no sense whatsoever.

So, it would be OK for a Cast Member to explore this stuff backstage, post their findings online, and even with the same risks of getting themselves hurt?

And again, a lot of you are making broad, generalized statements about him.

"He had no regard for rules. He loves to trespass. He was rubbing it in Disney's face."

No...no, he is none of those things. That's like saying metal music causes people to worship Satan.

He is a curious guy who let his curiosity get the better of him. He wanted to see how things were done. We're all guilty of that. He just went to go look, which is further than most of us would have.

No one jumps on Hoot and Chief from Mesa Verde Times when THEY were doing it to Horizons, because they were able to thoroughly document a ride that is sorely missed today.

So, say Adam's videos and findings didn't come online for another....oh...15-20 years. Then you would all be praising him for documenting this stuff now that it's gone.

I'm not condoning his behavior of sneaking around backstage. But I am saying thank you to him for helping me learn a little more. And I am asking you guys to think a little bit before you throw some wild accusations out there about someone you don't know.

[Baloo]

never saw his videos but just hearing his interview made me agree even more with Disney to ban him for life.

[redrhino54]

In a former life, before retirement, we had off limit areas, and the only people who tried to ignore the rules, were stripped of thier press passes. Banning him for life, alittle seviere, but if thats how Disney has decided to handle it, so be it, its their park.

[fifthrider]

I totally agree. Self-aggrandizing ego freak gets his butt kicked out of the park, end of story.

+1

His ego must have been pretty big, according to the article: "Adam, who is upset about the ban, claims the security guards that got him were actually fans of his videos."

Oh really.... Wow. He's so full of himself that he thinks the security guards were remorseful about kicking this "great hero" out of the park? How sad the umpires were when Casey Jones struck out, eh? Nah, I don't think so. The people tasked with security, the people he had to sneak around, and he thinks they were his fans? The same way the FBI apologizes to organized crime leaders everytime they're saddened by having to arrest one of them? The people he's been making ***** out of by sneaking where he shouldn't be, and they just love him, eh? I wonder if their statement wasn't more like this:


Security: "Oh yeah buddy, we've been watching your videos. Studying them, actually."

Adam: "Oh boy, more fans!"


I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that there's a handful of apologists for him posting here, and making it sound like we ( who hold him responsible for his actions ) are preaching "hate." Sometimes I've noticed MiceAge ends up with a few of those people who chomp at the bit to find something dark about Disney. The whole "Dark Side of Disney" crowd who can't wait to spread rumors about Walt being a Nazi, his frozen head being stored somewhere, listing all deaths ( real or rumor ) in the park, and anything else that helps them to get a rise out of tearing things down. Disney's been dealing with counter-culture before guys like Adam were even born.

I've only seen a couple of posts here saying Adam's a great guy and I'm already sick of it. If he's so great then maybe he could let his actions show it.

Adam is a great guy, and I will defend him to a point here.

Like many of us, Adam had a thirst for knowledge and to know more about a place we love.

Vehemently posting hate against him is uncalled for.

ah, so he's a valiant explorer now? A man of the people, just trying to learn and share with the rest of us? How noble. He's such a hero. We should all gather around and worship at the alter of Adam the Woo, right?


Piss on him. He got what he deserved and you're defending an empty hero. Choose your friends better.