Dozens of patrol cars from the Dallas Police Department lined up outside the Londoner pub while hundreds of English fans stared back at them from the balcony, singing at the top of their lungs. It was the night of June 16, the eve of England’s debut against Croatia at the World Cup, and what had begun as a gathering of supporters had turned into a public order problem that was hard to ignore.
The venue had sold more than 5,000 beers — including 2,352 bottles — and taken in around 38,000 dollars in a single evening. When the only two security guards and the officers present ordered an evacuation shortly before 10 at night for exceeding maximum capacity, part of the crowd simply refused. Some stayed on the balcony for hours. Others went down into the street to kick a ball around, which ended up landing on the hoods of parked cars. One group even threw plants from the edge of the balcony.
The police held out for about 20 minutes watching the scene before withdrawing without making any arrests. There were no arrests. What did remain was the image of a police force that watched its orders being disobeyed and chose to leave. The event organizer, John Gallivan, 39, from Bristol, acknowledged that everything exceeded his expectations, although he admitted he felt sorry for the bartenders. At the end of the night, several fans stayed behind to help clean up the mess.
