The City Of Los Angeles Institutes The Nation's First Ever Scalper Prohibition

I don’t like scalpers, they are here for your money there is no doubt about this, but occasionally they can be useful if they offer reasonable prices (it happens!). The LA Weekly is reporting that Los Angeles is now treating scalpers like gang members as City Attorney Carmen Trutanich announced this week that the city will institute the first ever scalper injunction. As a result, known scalpers will be banned at specific venues (such as the Staples Center, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the Dodger Stadium, the Galen Center), a well-known tactic generally used against gang members.

Trutanich declared in a statement: ‘The activities of illegal ticket sellers threaten public safety by interfering with traffic and diverting valuable police resources from crimes of violence. These scalpers also rip-off unsuspecting fans, hurt legitimate businesses, and fail to pay taxes owed to the city — which ultimately harms all city residents.'

This will mostly target 17 well-known scalpers who have been arrested 95 times since 2008, but from what I can tell this will essentially target the huge venues, also hosting sport events. What about the Hollywood Bowl, the Gibson amphitheater and the smaller venues such as the Wiltern, the Fonda, the Greek or the El Rey? I guess they don’t care that much for them because scalpers don’t make that much money over there.

I think it is an extreme measure, are we becoming a police state with measures you only see in countries such as China? If people want to pay $500 for a $50 seat, that’s their business, the city shouldn’t use force to prevent people who volunteer to be ripped off! Plus, I have never been threatened by scalpers, this idea is insane, they want to find a customer, and don’t have any interest at harassing people.

And what about all the scalping done on line? It is where it is happening right now and they can’t do anything about it! I saw some $850 Green Day tickets for their last gig at the Echoplex on Craiglist, and I bet some people bought them! This is a stupid law, and the argument saying that illegal ticket sellers is ‘diverting valuable police resources from crimes of violence’ is totally idiotic, when the police will be busy at banning scalpers from venues.