Broadway usher fired for sneaking into performance of RAISIN attended by the Obamas- Page 3

[GilmoreGirlO2]

Posted: 6/12/14 at 12:14pm

The article made it sound like the apprentice manager was the one who reported her, because he/she questioned her after the show.

Updated On: 6/12/14 at 12:14 PM

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 6/12/14 at 12:15pm

...then that's just low down and grimy if you ask me. The House Manager was the one to verify her identity to the Secret Service so she could be allowed in.




Updated On: 6/12/14 at 12:15 PM

[Kad]

Posted: 6/12/14 at 12:16pm

The article never says how she came to be reported - just that the HM saw her and confirmed her employment, and that she spoke to an "apprentice manager" (what role is that, exactly?).

Edit: Again, we don't know the details. Maybe the HM didn't think she was staying. Maybe she misrepresented herself. We only have her side of the story.

Updated On: 6/12/14 at 12:16 PM

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 6/12/14 at 12:18pm

Edit: Again, we don't know the details. Maybe the HM didn't think she was staying. Maybe she misrepresented herself. We only have her side of the story.

On second thought I am not buying this. How did she misrepresent herself? Was the House Manager led to believe that the usher showed up to work on her day off to use the toilet and needed her identity verified to the Secret Service to do so?


Updated On: 6/12/14 at 12:18 PM

[Gothampc]

Posted: 6/12/14 at 12:20pm

"That paragraph is transparent."

I'm surprised the NY Times only went that far. Usually their articles sound like this:

The African-American woman wanted all her life to be an usher but was kept out by the rich Jews who control Broadway and are occupying Palestine. If President Richard M. Nixon had not been involved in Watergate, he would have had the time to ensure that African-Americans were given equal opportunity at getting lucrative Broadway ushering jobs. In the 1970s, while African-Americans were gracing Broadway stages in shows like Purlie, Pippin and Ain't Misbehavin', they were still shut out of reaching for the American Dream of being a Broadway usher. Always the minstrel, never the usher, the struggle to break Broadway's racist barriers moves one step forward.

[Kad]

Posted: 6/12/14 at 12:22pm

The article states:

"But many interviews make clear that the house manager said Ms. McIntrye had lied about working that Friday night. She says she did not."

I hadn't seen noticed that portion before.

Updated On: 6/12/14 at 12:22 PM

[GilmoreGirlO2]

Posted: 6/12/14 at 12:22pm

Also not sure what an apprentice manager’s role is. But, if we are to believe the facts given to us in this article, the HM told Secret Service that she worked here and, however she said it, the SS must have taken it as approval for her to enter the theatre. If the HM didn’t want her to enter, I think she would have made it clear to the SS that she was not allowed in.

I’m not sure why the HM would have let her come through if he/she would then have reported her. Who knows, though – there is so much that could have happened that is not presented in this article. But, if what is presented is to be believed, then the HM (whether or not he/she was the one who reporter her) should be getting a punishment as well.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 6/12/14 at 12:23pm

"and that she spoke to an "apprentice manager" (what role is that, exactly?)."

INTERN!

And yes, we are only hearing her side of the story, but if she was fired I think the House Manager should be fired as well unless she told a lie like she swapped shifts with someone.

[Kad]

Posted: 6/12/14 at 12:24pm

It doesn't seem unreasonable that the HM confirmed her employment as she showed up, and then saw she wasn't scheduled.

The article is extremely skewed toward the usher.

[Brian07663NJ]

Posted: 6/12/14 at 12:25pm

What rules were in place that we do not know about?

I have heard some employers clearly state that if you are not working then you are not allowed on the premise. This way you are not a distraction to others working, do not add confusion as to if you are working, etc.

I am not talking about if you are off and you are a paying customer (purchased or have a ticket to be in the audience).

[Marianne2]

Posted: 6/12/14 at 12:27pm

I definitely agree that she and the house manager were at fault and both deserve to be reprimanded for their actions. I get the desire to do something like that, but there are definite consequences.

Like this isn't even as big a deal as the President, but I thought twice before going to the set of a tv show when they were filming for 1 day at a farm in my area. First, it is private property. But, the main reason I didn't was because I get jobs through the agency that casts extras for that show. I guess I was paranoid about them finding out and potentially getting fired or at least blacklisted from the show in question. Sometimes some things are not worth it, regardless of how much of a good idea it seems at the time.

Now my question to people familiar with ushering, would she have gotten in trouble if she bought a ticket to be in the audience that night? I have no idea if ushers ever bother to see the shows they work at on a night off.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 6/12/14 at 12:27pm

Really, someone from the Secret Service should be fired. After all, they're just taking some House Manager's word that she works there? I'm telling you, events like this are heavily screened and if you're not on the list, you're not getting in. Someone from Secret Service messed up.

[Kad]

Posted: 6/12/14 at 12:28pm

The fact that this article was published with so little actual reporting is kind of absurd. We have the usher's story. And that's it.

[GilmoreGirlO2]

Posted: 6/12/14 at 12:31pm

The article is extremely skewed toward the usher.

Absolutely. We are missing a lot of information. But, unless she really did somehow get by security and didn’t let her managers see her (which I have a feeling she would have had a very difficult time slipping passed the SS), then someone gave the SS the approval to let her in. If it was, in fact, the HM, then does the HM not share some of the fault for not being diligent about knowing who was on shift that night? It just seems odd that the only one (that we know of) who has been punished thus far is the Usher.

I’m sure we are missing many pieces of the puzzle, but it just seems like there is clearly more than one person to blame in this situation, seeing as she did get into the theatre (something she likely could not have done all on her own).

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 6/12/14 at 12:31pm

Really, someone from the Secret Service should be fired. After all, they're just taking some House Manager's word that she works there? I'm telling you, events like this are heavily screened and if you're not on the list, you're not getting in. Someone from Secret Service messed up.

TOTALLY AGREE WITH THIS

[Gothampc]

Posted: 6/12/14 at 12:32pm

"The fact that this article was published with so little actual reporting is kind of absurd. We have the usher's story. And that's it."

The NY Times stopped being a news source a long time ago. All of their articles read like this. The only reason this article was printed was to stir up liberals to think "This poor black woman lost her job because all she wanted was a glimpse at the first black president."

[Alan Henry]

Posted: 6/12/14 at 12:33pm

You'd be surprised by the number of places you can get into by just showing up, walking like you're in a hurry, and acting/looking as if you belong.

But, the SS should have been more on top of things as well. This is the POTUS, after all. Not some celebrity filming a show.

[ShbrtAlley44]

Posted: 6/12/14 at 12:35pm

Marianne, no, she would not have been in trouble had she bought a ticket.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 6/12/14 at 12:40pm

I guess Broadway shows may be a bit different, but I have a friend who went to a lecture where George W. Bush was speaking. She was required to fill out paperwork days before the event and submit a copy of her passport. Once there, she went through a metal detector, and everyone had to be in their seat 1 hour before the lecture started. Now I understand that they can't go that far with a Broadway audience, but they take the President's security very seriously. I'm surprised this story even saw the light of day.

[Jane2]

Posted: 6/12/14 at 1:20pm

"Read the article. The NY Times decided to make this a story about a black woman. I can bet you anything if this had been a white person, we wouldn't even be hearing about it."

We sure would have heard about it. This is not a one inch, bottom of the page story.

Your reasoning sounds twisted on this.

[daredevil]

Posted: 6/12/14 at 1:25pm

Was this the woman's first "infraction" on her job. If prior to this incident, she was an exemplary usher, she hardly deserves to be fired. Please, give her back her job.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/12/14 at 1:27pm

Um....compromising national security isn't really an "infraction".

[ShbrtAlley44]

Posted: 6/12/14 at 1:30pm

She does deserve to be fired. She was not supposed to be on the premises and lied about why she was there while the president was in the house. Not only is that an enormous security violation, despite her good intentions, but she also made the theatre and its owners liable for her actions should anything have happened. She meant well, but she made a hugely ill-advised decision and is now paying for it. That's life. You don't mess around with security when it's the POTUS.

[Jane2]

Posted: 6/12/14 at 1:36pm

"Really, someone from the Secret Service should be fired. After all, they're just taking some House Manager's word that she works there? I'm telling you, events like this are heavily screened and if you're not on the list, you're not getting in. Someone from Secret Service messed up. "

Why should someone from the SS be fired? They were told that she was employed there and she was. How did they mess up?

[FishermanBob]

Posted: 6/12/14 at 1:50pm

"Why should someone from the SS be fired? They were told that she was employed there and she was. How did they mess up?"

Totally agree. Their job is not to enforce workplace policies of an employer. Their job is to make sure anyone in that building does not do harm to the President. I'm sure even confirmed as an employee she still had to go through a metal detector, patdown etc. This is not an invite only function with guest lists, it's a public event. Do you think if the President attends a baseball game, they go through employment records for all 400 vendors, 200 ushers, 500 counter people etc. who will be there that day? They verify they are employed there using an agreed upon method and then screen them for weapons.