With police notified prior to the record release event, only a
few small scuffles broke out
Gilroy – Police units from the Gilroy Police Department, California Highway Patrol and the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office were stationed outside a packed Happy Dog Pizza to quell any uprisings following the “Thizzed Out” record release party of Bay Area rapper J-Diggs at Happy Dog Pizza Saturday night.
Fortunately, despite a crowd of eager fans waiting outside the venue for a chance to meet Diggs, only a few small scuffles and a handful of squealing tires capped off the evening. No arrests were made.
“I was surprised that people were so well behaved,” said co-owner of Happy Dog Steve Gearing, after hosting the restaurant’s largest musical act. “Kids know about these guys … What we didn’t anticipate was that there were a lot of fans that were outside and didn’t want to come in.”
The show was sold out, filling Happy Dog to capacity with about 200 people.
Happy Dog staff alerted police earlier Saturday that they were having a well known artist attend, giving police time to bump up patrols and prepare for the show. A number of other patrons called GPD to warn them that a number of people were heading to Happy Dog later in the evening. GPD responded to a fight in that area earlier Saturday and wanted to ensure a smooth exit after the concert.
“Just that amount of people in that small of an area, (we) were making sure nothing happened,” explained Community Services Officer Maria Cabatingan. “(Police) were just making their presence known more than anything.”
After the show, there were a few small disturbances in the streets including reports of a few fights and individuals squealing their tires upon exiting, however, it was relatively peaceful, Cabatingan said.
Gearing warned the band beforehand that he didn’t want any problems and was relieved at how the show went off.
“We kind of learned about having a big act like that,” he said.
Next time Happy Dog hosts a big act they will know what to expect, he explained.
They may charge more than the $20 ticket price to prevent a large crowd from showing up.
Happy Dog security kept in touch with GPD officers throughout the event to keep any problems at bay.
“We really look at the Gilroy Police as partners in helping build the downtown,” Gearing said.
