Broadway usher fired for sneaking into performance of RAISIN attended by the Obamas

[Bettyboy72]

I believe in looking at a person's character and record (especially if they have a long history with an organization.) Mistakes do happen-even around Mr. President.

[Jane2]

"Who's more guilty: the one who knowingly tried to enter a place they weren't supposed to be, or the one who opened the door for them?"

Why,l the one who opened the door for them of course.

[ShbrtAlley44]

The house manager should be fired too.

Debbie can always try to find work with Jujamcyn or Nederlander.

[Jane2]

Debbie may have thought MAYBE she was doing something wrong, but she wasn't sure..
The HM knew they were doing something wrong. Hence, more guilty. Should be fired.

[Kad]

If she thought she wasn't doing something a little wrong, she wouldn't have lied to someone who asked what she was doing there.

[nmlhats]

I usher at the AT&T PAC (three venues) in Dallas. If any of us had tried to sneak in to any show--volunteer or paid staff--we would have been seriously reprimanded, if not fired. The HMs run a very tight ship over there, and an unscheduled usher would never have been let into the building under those heightened security conditions. Safety is #1. If you are not assigned to a show and you don't have a ticket, you are not getting past the lobby. End of story. Both the usher and the HM deserve some kind of disciplinary action. I don't know if firing is the answer, but this is more serious than some people seem to realize. She just wanted to star-gaze, and that is NOT cool for front of house staff--not to mention a security issue for POTUS and FLOTUS.

[Jane2]

"If she thought she wasn't doing something a little wrong, she wouldn't have lied to someone who asked what she was doing there"

So what. You asked who was more guilty. If the HM didn't open the door, we wouldn't be discussing this.

[qolbinau]

Yeah in the end whoever was in charge of security ultimately should be held accountable - their process failed and ultimately they put 'POTUS' at risk. There should have been stronger leadership to prevent this from happening in the first place.

The problem isn't that an usher went it in her day off to see the president (who had the best of intentions anyway), the problem is that she was able to do it! Embarrassing. Would I feel safe if I was the president in a Broadway theatre? After this incident, maybe not. Perhaps I would choose to watch "Lincoln" at home instead.

[Jane2]

I'm vaguely remembering another instance where the ASL interpreter at a presidential (was it?) event was acting quite strangely. It turned out he shouldn't have been hired for the job. Maybe someone else here remembers more vividly. Was it the president, and did someone get fired?

[Owen22]

Dear RaisedonMusicals:

I didn't answer you in the other thread because the answers to your first two questions were obvious to how I would answer and your third question made me go "ew"... If you are still hyper to know what I think, most of the pro-Debbie posters have already voiced my (again obvious) reasons.

[jimmycurry01]

This lady is in breach of security and likely in breach of contract. I am certain she signed something acknowledging the companies rules and consequences for breaking those rules, not only that, she lied about why she was there. She has been working there long enough to have known better. Cut the sentiment and think of this like a responsible business owner. Her actions left the company little choice but to fire her.

I don't understand the upset here. To me this is the equivalent of a hospital firing a nurse who has been working for the hospital for 25 years because she lit up a cigarette in the hospital. The nurse knew she was wrong. She knew it was illegal, she knew the risk to the safety of the patients, especially those with oxygen hooked up to them, but she did it anyway. She gets caught and fired, and she should have known better. Swap out smoking for trespassing and the patients for the president, and you have a similar situation. It is had to defend someone when the misdeed is so clearly blatant.

[Marianne2]

We had Laura Bush, when George W. was president, visit my college. Security was insane and it was just her. They blocked off a bunch of roads going through campus, had everyone from my dorm move their cars from the parking lot because it was right next to the building. They almost were going to make everyone in that dorm close windows and shut the blinds. They also questioned a lot of people walking by who needed to get to the far away fine arts building for pep band practice. So yeah, they do not play around with security.

[ArtMan]

I have been on the highway, miles away from a Presidential caravan, and the traffic literally stopped , until it had way passed. Security had the roads closed in all directions.

[orangeskittles]

Ha. I stopped by the Kennedy Center to pick up ballet tickets 6 hours before an inauguration event. I had to pop my trunk and hood for bomb dogs, they blocked off the grand foyer and locked most of the bathrooms. The man at the box office said he was wanded by secret service on his way into the employees-only canteen for lunch.

She's lucky she was only fired and not arrested.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

I want a sky-blue top and black satin pants.

[sabrelady]

Phyllis- on you they'd look gooood!

[PalJoey]

Fired? She was lucky she wasn't shot.

[Bettyboy72]

I think she's being scapegoated by a hella big security f@#k-up. These people (whoever was running the show) let her ass in and she proceeded to hang out, eat soup, and to STAND in the back of the mezzanine for the whole damn show.

You mean to tell me some guard didn't tap her on the shoulder and be like "who are you?" She stood up for the whole damn show at the top of the theatre.

Someone needs their ass handed to them and its not Debbie. Clearly she saw guards and they saw her and they didn't bother her. She had to think she was cool.

Days later she gets fired. Its crazy and typical. The poor working class get punished.

[qolbinau]

Exactly Bettyboy72. The greatest risk to POTUS was not Debbie, it was the incompetent security processes and/or higher staff that let this happen.