Over 2,500 people showed up for a fundraiser in San Jose organized by American Medical Response on Wednesday. Money raised at the event will go to support the family of Bryan Stow, a local paramedic who was beaten in the parking lot of Dodgers Stadium last Thursday, apparently for wearing a Giants shirt. Stow is still in an induced coma, and doctors fear that he may have suffered brain damage.
Over 2,500 people showed up for a fundraiser in San Jose organized by American Medical Response on Wednesday. Money raised at the event will go to support the family of Bryan Stow, a local paramedic who was beaten in the parking lot of Dodgers Stadium last Thursday, apparently for wearing a Giants shirt. Stow is still in an induced coma, and doctors fear that he may have suffered brain damage.
Wednesday’s event, which included a barbecue, bake sale, and silent auction, was just one of several being held throughout the Bay Area in support of the Bay Area sports fan and his family. On Monday night, 100 paramedics will be standing at the gates of Giant Stadium to collect donations for the Stow family. It will be the first home game that the Giants play against the Dodgers. Announcing plans to donate $10,000 to the Bryan Stow Fund, the Giants’ Managing General Partner Bill Neukom read, “Bryan is a father, paramedic and lifelong Giants fan who has dedicated himself to caring for others. Now he needs our support as he fights for his life following this brutal and unconscionable act of violence.”
In Los Angeles, a candlelight prayer vigil was held on Wednesday outside the hospital where Stow is. The vigil was organized by The Wall-Las Memorias Project, a group that normally focuses on the plight of Latinos with HIV and AIDS. The group’s Executive Director Richard Zaldivar reminded the crowd that, “It’s only a baseball game,” and condemned how rivalry between the two California teams had escalated to violence.
The Dodgers are taking security very seriously following the incident, and have hired former LAPD Chief William Bratton to create a “security blueprint” for the stadium and its parking lots.
The LAPD is still searching for the perpetrators of the attack, described only as Latino males in their twenties. The reward for information leading to their arrest has risen to $100,000, after the Los Angeles City Council approved a $50,000 reward and the County Board of Supervisors approved another $10,000. The Dodgers have offered a $25,000 reward, and the Giants added another $10,000. American Medical Response, which sponsored yesterday’s fundraiser in San Jose, is also offering a reward of $5,000. Read more at ABC 7, CBS 5 and MLB.com.
