Latest news with #BlakePerkins
Otago Daily Times
19-05-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Bouncer claims overcrowding concerns led to sacking
A bouncer at an Octagon bar, where four women say they were trampled, says he was sacked after going to police with concerns about overcrowding. Dunedin resident and former Dunedin Social Club bouncer Blake Perkins said he was fired from the business after reporting overcrowding to police. He said the night he got into a dispute with the manager about overcrowding, which resulted in him going to police, was around the same time three women were trampled on the dance floor in February. However, the bar's owner, James Arnott, has disputed the bouncer's version of events, saying it carried out a full investigation, which included going through bar footage and talking to other staff, and found there was no overcrowding. He also noted police did not take issue with the number of people in the bar when they visited that night. Last week, three women told the Otago Daily Times they were trampled on the ground in the bar due to the packed dance floor on the Saturday of O Week. One girl had a golf ball-sized lump on her head, and another had a bruised leg and stomach as a result. On a night around that time, Mr Perkins was working at the front door of the Dunedin Social Club. He believed the bar was at full capacity when the manager came over and said "we can fit five more people". He said by that point, the bar was already about nine or 10 people over its capacity of 215 people inside and 40 people outside. Mr Perkins said the manager then took his digital counter out of his hands, sent him off the door and told him to go home. When he was taken off the door, Mr Perkins said he decided he needed to report the overcrowding to police straight away. "The officer ... walked up to Social, saw it, and asked [the manager] 'how many people are here?' My manager told him 'oh probably 160'," he said. The officer walked off, and within the next week Mr Perkins was fired and had received a termination letter. The letter said: "You confirmed that you did leave your post and communicated with the police who were on duty in the Octagon that we were over-capacity". The letter said Mr Perkins' employment was terminated for "serious misconduct", listing as reasons "deliberate acts of disobedience, negligence or incompetence; refusal to perform normal duties, using abusive or threatening language, and disclosure of confidential information". Despite using the digital counter, Mr Perkins was accused of miscounting the number of people in the bar. "I pride myself on doing my job correctly because I've done it for seven years," he said. Mr Arnott, the founder of Cook Brothers Bars which operates Dunedin Social Club, said Mr Perkins had it wrong. "We did a full investigation into this, we reviewed camera footage, we got statements from the management team that were working that night and we got statements from other staff members," he said. On the night, one of the managers said in the incident report they were well under capacity and the bar was "quite empty". When the manager went outside, he claimed to see a line of "approximately 100 people" waiting to be let in. Mr Arnott said Mr Perkins was asked to let more people in, but he said his counter said there were 266 people already inside. "The team inside did a spot check of the areas and they came up with 140 people in the venue, which is way below our capacity." Mr Arnott said an employee came out and asked Mr Perkins to go inside while he took over the door, which "upset him". "He went to the police and explained that he thought that the Social Club was over-capacity — the general manager said that at the time the police came in, we had 185 people within the venue and the police were obviously OK with that." Mr Arnott said a digital counter was "very reliant on the user". "This has happened multiple times before and we've been working with him to try and upskill him so that he could count correctly." Mr Perkins was "unfortunately dismissed for this".
Otago Daily Times
19-05-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Claim crowded bar concern led to job loss
A bouncer at an Octagon bar, where four women say they were trampled, says he was sacked after going to police with concerns about overcrowding. Dunedin resident and former Dunedin Social Club bouncer Blake Perkins said he was fired from the business after reporting overcrowding to police. He said the night he got into a dispute with the manager about overcrowding, which resulted in him going to police, was around the same time three women were trampled on the dance floor in February. However, the bar's owner, James Arnott, has disputed the bouncer's version of events, saying it carried out a full investigation, which included going through bar footage and talking to other staff, and found there was no overcrowding. He also noted police did not take issue with the number of people in the bar when they visited that night. Last week, three women told the Otago Daily Times they were trampled on the ground in the bar due to the packed dance floor on the Saturday of O Week. One girl had a golf ball-sized lump on her head, and another had a bruised leg and stomach as a result. On a night around that time, Mr Perkins was working at the front door of the Dunedin Social Club. He believed the bar was at full capacity when the manager came over and said "we can fit five more people". He said by that point, the bar was already about nine or 10 people over its capacity of 215 people inside and 40 people outside. Mr Perkins said the manager then took his digital counter out of his hands, sent him off the door and told him to go home. When he was taken off the door, Mr Perkins said he decided he needed to report the overcrowding to police straight away. "The officer ... walked up to Social, saw it, and asked [the manager] 'how many people are here?' My manager told him 'oh probably 160'," he said. The officer walked off, and within the next week Mr Perkins was fired and had received a termination letter. The letter said: "You confirmed that you did leave your post and communicated with the police who were on duty in the Octagon that we were over-capacity". The letter said Mr Perkins' employment was terminated for "serious misconduct", listing as reasons "deliberate acts of disobedience, negligence or incompetence; refusal to perform normal duties, using abusive or threatening language, and disclosure of confidential information". Despite using the digital counter, Mr Perkins was accused of miscounting the number of people in the bar. "I pride myself on doing my job correctly because I've done it for seven years," he said. Mr Arnott, the founder of Cook Brothers Bars which operates Dunedin Social Club, said Mr Perkins had it wrong. "We did a full investigation into this, we reviewed camera footage, we got statements from the management team that were working that night and we got statements from other staff members," he said. On the night, one of the managers said in the incident report they were well under capacity and the bar was "quite empty". When the manager went outside, he claimed to see a line of "approximately 100 people" waiting to be let in. Mr Arnott said Mr Perkins was asked to let more people in, but he said his counter said there were 266 people already inside. "The team inside did a spot check of the areas and they came up with 140 people in the venue, which is way below our capacity." Mr Arnott said an employee came out and asked Mr Perkins to go inside while he took over the door, which "upset him". "He went to the police and explained that he thought that the Social Club was over-capacity — the general manager said that at the time the police came in, we had 185 people within the venue and the police were obviously OK with that." Mr Arnott said a digital counter was "very reliant on the user". "This has happened multiple times before and we've been working with him to try and upskill him so that he could count correctly." Mr Perkins was "unfortunately dismissed for this".
Washington Post
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Slumping at the plate, Jackson Chourio makes a game-saving catch for the Brewers
MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio has gone through some adversity this season as the 21-year-old tries to follow up a standout rookie year. The game-saving catch he made Sunday might just be the spark he needs. Chourio raced to his right, reached his gloved hand over the wall in left-center field and robbed Royce Lewis of a potential tying homer in the eighth inning of the Brewers' 5-2 victory that snapped the Minnesota Twins' 13-game winning streak. 'That's the first home-run robbery I've ever had,' said Chourio, who indicated through an interpreter that he hadn't even accomplished that feat during his meteoric run through the minor leagues. 'Just to be able to show the ability to do that, I'm happy about that.' Chourio played center field in the minors but typically was a corner outfielder last year, when he batted .275 with 21 homers and 79 RBIs to finish third in the NL rookie of the year balloting. His big season came after he signed an eight-year, $82 million contract, the largest given to a player without any major league experience. He has played center more often this year because of injuries to Blake Perkins and Garrett Mitchell. It hasn't been an entirely smooth transition. Chourio committed his first error in the majors on May 9 as Tampa Bay's José Caballero hit a single that got past him, enabling Taylor Walls to score from first and Caballero to end up on third in a game the Brewers lost 4-3 . Three nights later, Chourio misplayed a drive from Cleveland's Gabriel Arias and allowed the ball to go over his left shoulder, resulting in a three-run double that opened the scoring in a 5-0 defeat . He came through on Sunday, helping the Brewers get a needed win after they were shut out four times in a five-game stretch. 'Mistakes that happened in the past are mistakes,' Brewers pitcher Freddy Peralta said. 'As a player, you should just work and get better, and then you can do something big in the next couple of days. That's exactly what happened. Today, he saved the game.' The Twins trailed 4-2 and had a runner on second when Chourio made his remarkable play, prompting Lewis to tip his helmet on the way to the dugout. 'If he doesn't catch that, I think we win the game for sure,' Lewis said. Chourio also showed he isn't letting his struggles at the plate carry over to the field. He's hitless in his last 18 at-bats and had grounded out just before the catch. Chourio is batting .242 with a .260 on-base percentage, seven homers, 25 RBIs and just four walks. That's not the type of start that was expected of Chourio after he closed his rookie season by hitting .455 with two homers in the Brewers' NL wild card series loss to the New York Mets. He continues to come through in big moments — this time with his glove. 'For him to come up with that is pretty darn special and shows you what we've got,' Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. 'He's 21 years old and going through the ups and downs of being in the big leagues, the pressure, everything that's been put on him. And for him to do that, it just goes to show you. That's huge.' ___ AP MLB:
Associated Press
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Slumping at the plate, Jackson Chourio makes a game-saving catch for the Brewers
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio has gone through some adversity this season as the 21-year-old tries to follow up a standout rookie year. The game-saving catch he made Sunday might just be the spark he needs. Chourio raced to his right, reached his gloved hand over the wall in left-center field and robbed Royce Lewis of a potential tying homer in the eighth inning of the Brewers' 5-2 victory that snapped the Minnesota Twins' 13-game winning streak. 'That's the first home-run robbery I've ever had,' said Chourio, who indicated through an interpreter that he hadn't even accomplished that feat during his meteoric run through the minor leagues. 'Just to be able to show the ability to do that, I'm happy about that.' Chourio played center field in the minors but typically was a corner outfielder last year, when he batted .275 with 21 homers and 79 RBIs to finish third in the NL rookie of the year balloting. His big season came after he signed an eight-year, $82 million contract, the largest given to a player without any major league experience. He has played center more often this year because of injuries to Blake Perkins and Garrett Mitchell. It hasn't been an entirely smooth transition. Chourio committed his first error in the majors on May 9 as Tampa Bay's José Caballero hit a single that got past him, enabling Taylor Walls to score from first and Caballero to end up on third in a game the Brewers lost 4-3. Three nights later, Chourio misplayed a drive from Cleveland's Gabriel Arias and allowed the ball to go over his left shoulder, resulting in a three-run double that opened the scoring in a 5-0 defeat. He came through on Sunday, helping the Brewers get a needed win after they were shut out four times in a five-game stretch. 'Mistakes that happened in the past are mistakes,' Brewers pitcher Freddy Peralta said. 'As a player, you should just work and get better, and then you can do something big in the next couple of days. That's exactly what happened. Today, he saved the game.' The Twins trailed 4-2 and had a runner on second when Chourio made his remarkable play, prompting Lewis to tip his helmet on the way to the dugout. 'If he doesn't catch that, I think we win the game for sure,' Lewis said. Chourio also showed he isn't letting his struggles at the plate carry over to the field. He's hitless in his last 18 at-bats and had grounded out just before the catch. Chourio is batting .242 with a .260 on-base percentage, seven homers, 25 RBIs and just four walks. That's not the type of start that was expected of Chourio after he closed his rookie season by hitting .455 with two homers in the Brewers' NL wild card series loss to the New York Mets. He continues to come through in big moments — this time with his glove. 'For him to come up with that is pretty darn special and shows you what we've got,' Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. 'He's 21 years old and going through the ups and downs of being in the big leagues, the pressure, everything that's been put on him. And for him to do that, it just goes to show you. That's huge.' ___ AP MLB:
Washington Post
24-02-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Brewers sign veteran Mark Canha to minor league deal with invitation to major league camp
PHOENIX — Veteran outfielder Mark Canha has signed a minor league deal with the Milwaukee Brewers that includes an invitation to major league camp. The move announced Monday continues the two-time defending NL Central champions' attempts to boost their depth after outfielder Blake Perkins fractured his right shin during batting practice, an injury that likely will sideline him for the first month of the season. Milwaukee already had signed Manuel Margot to a minor league deal with an invitation to big league camp.
