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Tragedy in Anaheim tries to rope in Disneyland

A tragic situation in Anaheim, CA has resulted in a lawsuit against the city and a misplaced attempt to draw Disneyland into the case. The OC Register reports that

The parents of the innocent man shot and killed by an Anaheim police officer in October filed a lawsuit in federal court today against the city of Anaheim, claiming wrongful death and civil-rights violations.

The family also issued a statement calling upon Walt Disney Co. officials to install a memorial statue on Disneyland’s Main Street in Alexander’s honor.

Of course, Disneyland’s response is to distance themselves from the situation as much as possible. “Clearly this is a tragic situation, but it has nothing to do with Disneyland,” said a Disneyland spokesperson.

I have to agree with Disneyland on this one. No matter Disneyland’s standing in the community, it is a place of entertainment and not a community center. A more appropriate memorial would be for his family and community to fight to get guns off the street and kids in after school activities in his name.

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11 thoughts on “Tragedy in Anaheim tries to rope in Disneyland”

  3. Mike Nally

    I have to agree with you. One of the best things about Disney parks is that they do their best to keep the “real” world on the outside so you can live within their fantasy world at least for a little while.

  4. toonsk8r

    if they were going to make a memorial at all at the park (which they never will), it would be for the people who were killed on the rides (& for the exception of Thunder Mountain, aren’t they all declared dead off property so no one “dies” at Disneyland?). & that’s not exactly the first thing you want to see on Main Street when you first walk into Disneyland.

    When I walk past the partners statue I don’t think (ok. rarely) about not smoking ’cause of Walt’s lung cancer. It’s a tribute to the stuff he did, not how he died.

    If it’s important for the family to have some sort of Disney memorial for the guy, buy one of those stones in the esplanade (can you still do that though?).

  5. Disnyfan - Andie

    I agree. Not to mention, if you do it for one, you’ll have to do it for all. That’s not a place I want to be reminded of the outside, real world. Also, maybe I missed something….but what does his death have to do with Disney? Did it happen there? Maybe I missed something. Regardless, I feel it needs to stay out of the parks.

  6. mrsxinu

    Honestly they think this is gonna happen? Disneyland is not a public entity for everyone who wants a piece of it. If they wish to have a memorial at the park, then they can commission one of the stepping stones between DCA and Disneyland, but not statues inside the park itself.

  7. Dee Baughman

    Disneyland is the world of Fantasy, Yesterday, and Tomorrow, where we leave today behind. I could see them giving him a brick in the esplanade outside, but a statue for him does not belong in the park.

  9. Disney-O-Rama

    While I sympathize that a life was tragically lost, to request that Disney place a memorial on Main Street for the person is ridiculous.

    Main Street tradition in memorializing people has been to pay homage to those who helped to create Disney magic (names on windows in Main Street buildings). This tradition should continue but not for those who really have no part in the magic.

  10. CoffeeJedi

    While I sympathize deeply with the family, reading a bit more on other blogs reveals that The Southern Christian Leadership Conference was the one primarily requesting the statue. I almost feel like the Alexanders were drawn in by them. Not to sound too cynical, but I have a feeling this is a ploy to drum up more publicity by an outside group, not the family themselves.

    It has however given a bit of national attention to an absolutely terrible incident which most of us probably wouldn’t have heard about otherwise. In that respect, its certainly done its job.

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