Streetalk October 12 2005

What’s happening on the Atlanta “scalping” scene?

Sylvester: Business is booming. The law states you must be 2,700 feet away. The cops are really not harassing us unless you’re wide open. As long as you’re 2,700 feet [away], you can sell that ticket for a million dollars if you like. We’re giving [cops] the respect, because they’re telling us if they see us doing this or that, they’re going to arrest us ‘cause they want respect. So what the scalpers are doing is giving these guys respect by not letting them see us.

Shad: They’re making it real rough. We’re not hurtin’ anybody. We’re not out here selling drugs, we’re just out trying to make a couple of dollars to feed our families. Even when we’re off the property, they’re still sneaking up on us. I got arrested for quoting a price [last week] to undercovers. I did a night in jail. I know I was more than 2,700 feet from the property. They should just legalize [scalping].

Toney: In Atlanta, you can’t be near a cop with a ticket. If he’s having a bad day, he may just jump on you and lock you up. At the [Georgia] Dome, if you’re 2,700 feet [away, cops] will tell you you’re all right, but at Turner you run into a big problem. You can sell. That’s what the law says. But it’s a lie. They don’t even stand by their own law.