Good morning everyone. Tonight is Game 3 of the NBA Finals, and it is an extraordinary moment for the Knicks and for fans across the five boroughs, a chance to celebrate this team and this run with the energy that only New York can bring. But tonight we'll also bring a major presidential visit to Madison Square Garden. As you know by now, because of that visit. And in coordination with the United States Secret Service, there will unfortunately be no watch party outside of Madison Square Garden for Game 3 of the finals and no access to the immediate vicinity of MSG without an authorized reason to be there. However, the mayor will be hosting a watch party nearby at Bryant Park, and MSG will be hosting two watch parties, one at Wollman Rink in Central Park and one at Brooklyn Bowl. We do expect watch parties to resume outside of the garden for Game 4. Here is some information about what to expect security-wise for tonight's game. Tonight in the area around Madison Square Garden, the NYPD will establish a security perimeter that runs from West 30th Street to West 35th Street between 6th Avenue and 8th Avenue. Within the security area, 7th Avenue and 8th Avenues will be closed to vehicular traffic and general pedestrian traffic beginning at 4 p.m. Starting at 4 p.m., no one will be allowed inside the secured area unless they have a ticket to the game, a train ticket. They are going to a business inside the area. They have credentials or they have some other authorized reason to be there. Everyone entering the secure area will be screened by the New York City Police Department. If you have reason to be in the secure area, you can enter at one of 5 designated entry points where that screening will occur. Those entry points will be located on the west side of 6th Avenue at West 32nd Street, the west side of 6th Avenue at West 33rd Street. The northeast corner of West 29th Street and 7th Avenue, the northeast corner of West 30th Street and 8th Avenue, and the southeast corner of West 34th Street and 8th Avenue. Please remember that certain items will not be permitted inside the secure area, including backpacks, bags, or alcohol. The only exception will be for travelers entering. Penn Station, who will be allowed to carry bags needed for travel. Businesses inside of the perimeter, including bars and restaurants between 6th and 7th Avenues, and those between 7th and 8th Avenues will be allowed to operate with strict capacity limits. If you plan to frequent one of these locations, you will need to be screened at a security checkpoint. When you leave, you will not be allowed on. 7th Avenue or 8th Avenue inside of the secure area. If you are not going to the game, we are asking you to avoid the area around Madison Square Garden tonight. And if you are coming to the area, do not drive. Use mass transit. Give yourself extra time and follow the direction of NYPD officers and security personnel on the ground for access to public transportation. Including Amtrak, LIRR, New Jersey Transit, and the subway, your best bet in the area will be to use the entrances to Moynihan Station on the west side of 8th Avenue on 31st and 33rd Streets, which will be outside of the secure area. We do not anticipate any service changes or disruptions as a result of the security plan. When the game ends, fans leaving Madison Square Garden will exit onto 7th Avenue or 8th Avenue from there. They will be directed north or south toward West 29th Street or West 36th Street. East-west egress will only be possible south of 30th Street or north of 35th Street. So if you're planning to take an Uber, a taxi, or another ride after the game, you should plan to do that from West 29th Street or West 36th Street, not directly outside of the Garden. For Game 4, we do expect watch parties outside of Madison Square Garden to resume. Those watch parties will be managed with pens and screening, and we do anticipate the same security perimeter for safety purposes. We'll have more to say about those plans in the days ahead, but the plan will be modeled after Times Square New Year's Eve, one of the most joyous nights. The year. So the message is simple celebrate the Knicks, but avoid the MSG area tonight if you do not have tickets for the game or some other valid reason to be there tonight. Thank you. And go Knicks. I am now going to introduce Matt McCall from the Secret Service.
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Thank you, Commissioner Tisch. Good morning. I'm Matt McCool, and I'm proud to lead the Secret Service New York Field Office. This is an historic moment for New York City and for basketball fans across the world. As a fan, I share in the excitement and anticipation surrounding this game. We all know what tonight means to New Yorkers who have been waiting a long time for an opportunity like this. The Secret Service's focus is straightforward to ensure everyone attending the game can enjoy the game and have a safe experience while we carry out our responsibility to protect the President of the United States. To support that mission, there will be enhanced law enforcement and security presence in and around Madison Square Garden. All attendees will pass through TSA-style magnetometer screening before entering the arena. I strongly encourage fans to arrive at MSG at least 2 hours before tip-off. There is a strict no bag policy in place, and there will be no storage for prohibited items outside the venue. We do not want you to miss tip off, so please leave backpacks, purses, handbags, briefcases, and other containers at home. Arriving early will help ensure a smooth screening process and allow you to enjoy the full game experience. The Secret Service, the NYPD, and our public safety partners have worked closely together to develop a multi-layered security plan. You will see Secret Service police and special agents, transportation security officers, federal air marshals, and the NYPD and NYPD officers throughout the area. These visible security measures are designed to provide both protection and reassurance to everyone attending the NBA Finals. In addition to personnel, our security posture combines drones as well as advanced counter drone technology, protective intelligence, specialized tactical teams, and operational resources that allow us to identify and address potential threats while maintaining a welcoming environment for fans. From the ground to the sky, the Secret Service and our partners have it covered. This security plan will not impact rail service at Penn Station, and we highly encourage the public to use mass transit. We ask the public to remain vigilant and report suspicious activity to law enforcement or event personnel. As always, if you see something, say something. I am very confident that ticketed attendees who follow these recommendations, plan ahead, arrive early, and come prepared, will be able to enjoy this historic moment in New York City. Thank you.
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All right, we can take any questions that you have. OK. Was the issue that it's just there's no real way to mitigate crowds and rowdiness and all that kind of stuff with the president being inside the sort of physical footprint, you know we're not going to get into the specifics of it, but the NYPD in coordination with the Secret Service, made the decision for Game 3, where we have a presidential visit that we could not support watch parties right outside of. The garden. We are looking forward to bringing back watch parties for Game 4 as I mentioned. But I think New Yorkers are used to presidents coming to town and they understand that that generally means lockdowns of areas and that's what you're going to see tonight at the Garden. Mark CNN. The area within that area of Madison Square Garden, if the president leaves, will that be taken down if he leaves during the middle of the game, for instance? Will that be opened up again? That is going to be managed as a secure area for the duration of the night. There is, there is not going to be a watch party in front of Madison Square Garden tonight. That has been done as part of a security plan put in place for the presidential visit, and we are very much looking forward to bringing back watch parties at the Garden. For Game 4 on Wednesday night, policing, once the game is over when everybody comes out onto 7th Avenue, I know there's been a lot of rowdiness, how will policing happen with those crowds? Will they be shuffled out immediately? Will it be a large, like, as I mentioned, yeah, as I mentioned in my remarks, there will be, you will, you will not be able to if you're exiting the garden after the game. You will not be able to go east west until you get up to 35th Street, which is the northern boundary, or 20th, 30th, 30th Street, which is the southern boundary. That will be the only place where you can have have east-west egress. There will be no east-west egress inside of the secure perimeter. Hi, good morning. I know you said rail service won't be suspended in any way in light of the stabbing that happened at Penn Station. What will security look like for travelers at Penn Station, Chief? So our posture in and around Penn Station will not change. We have Hundreds of officers assigned to Penn Station and 34th Street subway stops in and around. That's why we do what we do as far as the deployment there, but it will not change in light of the incident yesterday. And I'll I'll just add to the chief's chief's answer. There will actually be more cops in and around the Penn Station area because the NYPD is doing such a large deployment to the garden both above ground and below ground. That stabbing actually happened in the jurisdiction of the Amtrak police, so if you have further questions on that awful incident, please direct them to Amtrak police. In events regarding the president going to the Garden, the UFC fight, the rally, so on and so forth, usually the plaza was the main point of contention. Is there any, is there anything, or was it just an abundance of caution looking at the global picture that caused you to feel like you needed to expand the zone of the frozen zone, the zone of security? Yeah, I think looking at where we are with these NBA Finals, these NBA Finals are not like a UFC fight, and so every event is different, but you'll understand the Very specific differences associated with NBA Finals and just the incredible interest and excitement that is around it. All right, thank you very much everybody. Way. You are not.
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