Abe Opoti (Photo: Daniel Mick)
Dark Clouds,
I would like to take a moment of your time to address a serious matter regarding our section. As some of you may or may not be aware, there was an incident last Wednesday night (7/19 – MINvHOU) around the 60th Minute when some members of True North Elite spread throughout where many Dark Clouds were gathered and joined the capos in leading “Let’s go Minnesota!” In the midst of that a member felt that their personal space was being violated, which lead to that person swearing at the party they felt was violating their space and both sides feeling like they have been slighted. This is all unfortunate given that one party was simply trying to help the section do a new chant, and the other party perceived an unwelcome presence near them and responded in the manner they saw fit.
Any member is free to be wherever they choose inside of the supporters section, as it is a general admission section. This does not grant someone free rein to antagonize/intimidate/etc. someone else in the section, but it does mean that sometimes there will be people who wish to support the team differently than you do in the section. That’s how this all works. There will also be times where those people will be passionate in their request for you to join them, but it is absolutely on them to remember that how they are perceived may differ wildly from their intent. Ignoring the wishes of a member who desires to be left alone is not at all acceptable, and will lead to removal from the section (or more) depending on the situation.
There is no way forward without our members working together towards a better supporters section, and that starts with all of us respecting each other and treating each other with decency. If an incident arises and you know who you can turn to in the Dark Clouds to help resolve it, please do so immediately. If that isn’t possible, please reach out to the team representative stationed at the top of the section, and inform them of the situation so that they can address it with the Dark Clouds (and possibly more parties if necessary).
No one should be made to feel unsafe by another person in our section, no one deserves to be treated with disrespect upon entering our section, and no one should ever worry about being harassed inside of our section.
Thank you,
-Abe (Board Member and Dark Clouds Matchday Lead)
E-mail: matchday (at) dark-clouds.com