49ers want Raiders preseason series postponed
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The 49ers will recommend to the NFL that bay rival Raiders be postponed, team president Jed York said.
In a press conference, and during a joint radio interview with Raiders chief executive Amy Trask, York said Monday the violence that broke out over the weekend is partly due to season ticket holders selling their seats to people who don't normally attend games.
Two men were shot outside Candlestick Park, one several times in the stomach, and a fan was beaten severely in the bathroom on Saturday.
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"I don't think this is indicative of either of our fans. You have a very, very small percentage of a handful of people who ruin an experience for everyone else, and it's not going to be tolerated," York said on KNBR.
"We're going to work with SFPD, with NFL security and with the Raiders and make sure for this game it doesn't happen again, but more importantly, for any game that this type of environment doesn't exist."
York said the 49ers had increased security for the game and stop alcohol sales earlier in games against the Raiders.
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The 49ers will no longer allow tailgating during or after games, according to media accounts of York's joint press conference with San Francisco mayor Edwin Lee and police chief Greg Suhr, where he announced his intentions to have the Raiders games canceled.
Trask said the Raiders "will continue to do absolutely everything within our power to provide our fans with a safe, a comfortable and a family environment" and that the team is constantly evaluating its security procedures.
She agreed with York that the violence wasn't indicative of the typical fan.
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"The overwhelming majority of Raider fans, just like the overwhelming majority of 49er fans and fans of every NFL club are really terrific people and terrific fans," Trask said. "And we simply can't stereotype the fanbases as a whole by the actions of a few."
Lee, who joined with Oakland mayor Jean Quan in denouncing the violence in a joint statement Sunday, was at the game and could see the fights that broke out in the stands.
"I saw them with horror. They were just constantly wailing at each other without regard to who was there," Lee said Monday. "I mean, this is a family outing. This is an outing for residents and visitors and people who want to see the game -- a football game. Not for people to be looking at who they don't like or saying some bad words and then getting into it. That is just so irresponsible."