Comedian Elayne Boosler was arrested at a Los Angeles Dodgers game on Sunday after she refused to leave her bag in violation of stadium policy.
Boosler, 71, who Rolling Stone dubbed “The First Lady of Stand Up” in 1988, is seen as a trailblazer for women in entertainment.
In a YouTube video posted Monday, Boosler said he believes the incident, which occurred during a day game against the New York Mets, took place because a “power-hungry” security guard wanted to search his baseball-themed bag. .
Boosler said that when he was told that his bag, complete with red baseball stitching and a glove on the zipper, did not comply with Dodger Stadium’s bag policy, he was told he could throw it away or put it back in his car.
The comedian refused, saying he “paid $50 to park a mile away, [it was] 80 degrees, and tickets were $300 on the secondary market. He also told security that his ticket did not include a disclaimer about the clear baggage policy.
Comedian Elayne Boosler (pictured) posted a video on YouTube detailing her arrest at a Los Angeles Dodgers game on Sunday after she refused to give up her purse (pictured left).
Boosler, who Rolling Stone dubbed ‘The First Lady of Stand Up’ in 1988, is seen as a pioneer for women in entertainment (Pictured: Boosler on stage at Politicon 2018 at the Los Angeles Convention Center )
The bag he brought to the game (pictured) was purchased from online store Baseballaholic for $55.99.
He said the situation became “heated” when security continued to deny Boosler access to the game.
“Unfortunately, that guy at the door was that kind of guy with just a little bit of power, and that’s the most dangerous thing…guys with a little bit of power, oh man, they can use it,” Boosler said.
The security guard denied Boosler access, but at her request, the officer allowed her nephew and 8-year-old son to enter. He then threatened to arrest her for trespassing if she did not leave the scene.
His response: “Fine, arrest me.”
Boosler said she was “handcuffed behind [her] back and a bench’ and taken away by two officers whom he described as ‘very nice’ to be formally charged with trespassing. She said she believes she may have received special treatment from the officers because she was white.
She was taken to the Dodger Stadium office, where the team filed charges.
“The guy wouldn’t give up,” he said.
After waiting two hours, she was told she could leave the stadium and not be arrested, which she did.
Boosler concluded the video by commenting on how she thought the Dodger Stadium staff treated her poorly.
‘Shame on you, Dodger Stadium… you know me, [and] “I’ve done a lot of free work for you over the decades, and even if it wasn’t me, if it was just a customer going to the game, to be treated like this is horrible,” she said.
“You need to talk to your staff, and you really need to get rid of ‘that guy’ with a little bit of power who was definitely not a people person.”
The video has accumulated 14,000 views since its publication.
Although the security guard denied Boosler access to Dodger Stadium (pictured), the officer allowed his nephew and 8-year-old son into the game.
In his video, Boosler expressed his frustration with Dodgers Stadium and how they handled the situation.
The Dodgers played the Mets on Sunday at home and Boosler was temporarily detained.
Controversy aside, he missed a good game for Dodger fans, as Los Angeles defeated the Mets 10-0.
In truly comical fashion, Boosler pranked the security personnel who arrested her while she was detained.
“They count all the cash in your bag and then you have to sign it,” she explained. “They said, ‘You have $371 in cash in your bag,’ and I said, ‘Well, yeah, we were planning to buy two hot dogs and water.'”