March 3, 2008
Vallone Says "No" to Stunts
Queens Council Member Peter Vallone Jr. has introduced a bill that would have Evel Knievel rolling in his grave. If it becomes law, stunt men are going to have a tough time working on their craft in New York, as it would outlaw climbing and jumping off any structure taller than 25 feet; daredevils could get fined and spend up to a year in jail. Alain Robert is not going to be happy about this (video).
Vallone was inspired by the city's unsuccessful legal fight against "professional jumper" Jeb Corliss, who was last seen trying to parachute from the Empire State Building. After being caught, charges were dismissed by the judge who ruled Corliss was an expert and had taken the appropriate precautions.
The NY Sun reports that Vallone claims he is trying "to protect citizens from being landed on," (perhaps he should focus on construction site safety). Corliss's lawyer, on the other hand, claims his client is a skilled and trained athlete and a bill like this would be taking away his freedom of expression. No word on how the bill would affect the movie community (there is a new Bourne movie coming out, after all). And what if David Blaine has a climbing trick up his sleeve?
This wouldn't be the first time state has gone against stuntman, in 1971 the government wouldn't allow Evel Knievel jump over the Grand Canyon. His "plan B" was to jump from one skyscraper to another in New York City, which didn't happen either. However, The Sun reports that others have tempted fate by leaping from the city's skyscrapers. The most famous amongst them is parachutist Thor Axel Kappfjell who had jumped successfully from the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, and the World Trade Center (he ended up dying during a stunt in Norway).
Photo via Reuters.
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Mr Party Pooper at it again.
The real issue...
Sense the empire state building opened four successful base jumps have happened there. In the same time frame there have been over 30 suicides. Base jumpers care about their safety and the safety of other human beings. Suicides do not. Base jumpers have never been an issue at the empire state building and they never will be. It's the suicides they should be worried about. All four base jumps were done with not even one injury. All the suicides ended in fatalities. As you can see from the video of me at the empire a person can get over those bars in about 10 seconds with 3 security guards standing 3 feet away. These security guards were tipped off that I was coming and they knew my whole plan. Yet they were still unable to stop me from getting over the bars. They then had to put my life in danger in order to stop me from making a perfectly legal and safe base jump. Seems like their security is the issue here. This is not a legal issue, nor is it a suing me for 12 million $ issue. Neither one of those things will ever stop a suicide. This is an issue of implementing adequate security so suicides are no longer possible from their observation deck. I think instead of pushing their public relation program trying to give the impression they care about public safety they should actually do something that will actually make committing suicide from their building impossible. Do something real that will actually solve what they are calling a problem. No law will ever stop a suicide. No amount of money they sue me for will ever stop a suicide. Only through adequate security will they ever be able to stop the real threat to public safety, SUICIDES!!!! There are buildings in this country that suicides have never happened from. There are reasons for this. The reasons are simple. These buildings have good security making it impossible for people to kill them selves from them...
Fu¢k You Mr Vallone! Grandstanding asshat.
Can't you find something better to do while on the city council.
I am sure there are far more important and serious issues to address.
But... I guess in your twisted mind non-issues really need attention.
This clown needs to be booted from his time, court resource, and money wasting position.
Just how many people have actually gotten landed on in the past 50 years in NYC?
First it's my freedom, then it's yours...
If you are in a building over 10 floors high and something catastrophic happens on floors beneath you and that building begins to burn and you have two choices, burn or jump, you better pray this law hasn't gone through. Because without a parachute you will not survive the fall. Parachutes save human life, they do not endanger it. The first concepts for parachutes were to save people from burning buildings, not crashing airplanes. We have the technology to save human life in a city that has far to few helicopter landing pads. Over 4,000 base jumpers all over the world have proven that humans can survive jumping from buildings with parachutes and now this Council Member Peter Vallone Jr. wants to take away a persons right to train in an activity that can save their life. That is unjust and wrong. Just because he fears something he does not understand does not give him a right to try and make a law of this nature. This law will take away fundamental human rights. If no one had grabbed onto my legs as I was standing on a 4 inch ledge I would have jumped, landed safely and New York wouldn't have even noticed I was there. The Empires excessive over reaction is what caused the danger to my life and the ensuing media frenzy. From leaving the bathroom on the observation deck to landing on 5th ave, the whole process would have taken under 2 minutes. With no footage and no story it would have been on the 10th page of the paper about 6 lines long. The jump from the Empire was fulfilling a life long dream of human flight. An expression of true freedom. Freedom from fear, freedom from those that will always try to push you down and tell you things are impossible. No one was ever in any danger from base jumping. Not on the day I tried to jump the Empire state building and not on the other days when 4 different people jumped it years ago. That's right, it has been jumped in the past by 4 different people. The only difference between then and now is how New York responded to it. New York use to be a city of entrepreneurs, risk takers, truly great human beings. Has this country really become this scared of its own shadow. To fear things like this. There is real danger in this world, things you should fear, like men who think they have power trying to take away your rights as human beings... Jeb Corliss P.S. I would much rather work with the empire state building and New York then against them. I love my country and I love my freedom. You tell me what I have to do to get a permit to base jump the empire state building and I will do it. You want me to hire the police to control traffic and crowds, DONE. You want me to pay the building for access, DONE. I will go even further, I will get fortune 500 companies to donate a huge some of money to any charity the empire state building chooses. Lets make this positive for everyone involved. Lets try to help people who really need it.
First it's my freedom, then it's yours...
If you are in a building over 10 floors high and something catastrophic happens on floors beneath you and that building begins to burn and you have two choices, burn or jump, you better pray this law hasn't gone through. Because without a parachute you will not survive the fall. Parachutes save human life, they do not endanger it. The first concepts for parachutes were to save people from burning buildings, not crashing airplanes. We have the technology to save human life in a city that has far to few helicopter landing pads. Over 4,000 base jumpers all over the world have proven that humans can survive jumping from buildings with parachutes and now this Council Member Peter Vallone Jr. wants to take away a persons right to train in an activity that can save their life. That is unjust and wrong. Just because he fears something he does not understand does not give him a right to try and make a law of this nature. This law will take away fundamental human rights. If no one had grabbed onto my legs as I was standing on a 4 inch ledge I would have jumped, landed safely and New York wouldn't have even noticed I was there. The Empires excessive over reaction is what caused the danger to my life and the ensuing media frenzy. From leaving the bathroom on the observation deck to landing on 5th ave, the whole process would have taken under 2 minutes. With no footage and no story it would have been on the 10th page of the paper about 6 lines long. The jump from the Empire was fulfilling a life long dream of human flight. An expression of true freedom. Freedom from fear, freedom from those that will always try to push you down and tell you things are impossible. No one was ever in any danger from base jumping. Not on the day I tried to jump the Empire state building and not on the other days when 4 different people jumped it years ago. That's right, it has been jumped in the past by 4 different people. The only difference between then and now is how New York responded to it. New York use to be a city of entrepreneurs, risk takers, truly great human beings. Has this country really become this scared of its own shadow. To fear things like this. There is real danger in this world, things you should fear, like men who think they have power trying to take away your rights as human beings... Jeb Corliss P.S. I would much rather work with the empire state building and New York then against them. I love my country and I love my freedom. You tell me what I have to do to get a permit to base jump the empire state building and I will do it. You want me to hire the police to control traffic and crowds, DONE. You want me to pay the building for access, DONE. I will go even further, I will get fortune 500 companies to donate a huge some of money to any charity the empire state building chooses. Lets make this positive for everyone involved. Lets try to help people who really need it.
I'll take my freedom to walk down 34th Street without having to look overhead to make sure no self-righteous, self-centered adrenaline junkies are going to land on my head, thanks.
Stop trying to make yourself out to be Robin Hood, Corliss.
The most famous amongst them is parachutist Thor Axel Kappfjell who had jumped successfully from the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, and the World Trade Center (he ended up dying during a stunt in Norway).
What? You mean these things can go wrong even with "trained athletes" and "professional jumpers?" Shocking! Somebody tell that judge.
"First it's my freedom, then it's yours..."??
(sigh)
You're kidding, Right??
You're a Thrill seeker and despite your expertise, you can't guarantee that you won't hit anyone or hurt yourself. Worse, according to your self serving rationale, other "experts" should be able to do it too.
Sorry but IMO, the Judge was wrong to let you off.
You needlessly attempted to endangered others for your own gratification, nothing more.
"Freedom"...
Nuts.
Jeb COULD guarantee that he wouldn't have hit anyone. He would have opened his parachute over the roof of the building across the street. Had he experienced a malfunction, he would have hit the roof. Go to YouTube and watch a few basejumping videos taken in Norway and you'll see just how far you can track away from an object you jumped from. No one would have been in danger.
S.D.- what do you like to do in your free time? Maybe if I don't understand it or haven't ever done it, I'll try to make it illegal for you to do. Now you want to talk about "Freedom"?
'76- Kappfjell jumped a cliff in really dense fog and ended up flying his canopy back into the cliff due to low visibility. That scenario had nothing to do with the ESB jump.