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2026 WNT Ranking event- Chinese Taipei Open, 8-11 Jan2026, Winner $30K
- By spartan
- Main Forum
- 91 Replies
Congrats to this newly married couple who will both be playing in this event. This must be first pool marriage since WNT and PBS tours started. 
I think the Fillers, Styers were pre-WNT PBS
I think the Fillers, Styers were pre-WNT PBSGreat Pool Room Stories
- By jay helfert
- Main Forum
- 62 Replies
This one is in Pool Wars but if you haven't read it I'll give you the short version. After laying around L.A. getting high and playing little pool for several months I got bored and went on a road trip north to Frisco. I'll skip the stops I made in Bakersfield (played Nate at the Cue Ball which I would buy a few years later) and in Fresno where I gambled all day at Blackstone Billiards, winning maybe $100! 
Finally I got to Frisco and after a 9-Ball fracas with Frisco Dave Piona (broke even) I headed to Berkeley where there were lots of rich college kids hanging out in the local poolroom (Kips). It was packed and I got a couple of cheap games like $5 9-Ball right away. Made some hotel and gas money and checked into a small hotel across the street from the Peoples Park. They called it that cause all the kids liked to hang out there and smoke weed. I got sick as a dog that night, maybe caught something from someone at the poolroom I don't know. So I slept all the next day and drank hot tea trying to fight it off. Early the following morning I wake up to hear all kinds of commotion going on outside. I drag myself to the bay window overlooking the park (I was on the second or third floor so I had a good view). The university had erected temporary fencing around the park and I was not aware they wanted to turn it into a parking lot. The kids were not having any of that and hundreds of them were banging on the mesh wire fence and trying to tear it down.
It was soon an out of control mob scene. There were maybe only a couple of dozen police and university security trying to stop them and they couldn't quell the disturbance. I watched the whole thing from the safety of my room. Soon more police came and then there were hundreds of cops from different jurisdictions surrounding the park fence and the battle became more intense. At least a thousand or more kids vs. a couple hundred baton wielding cops. I was an eye witness to what became known as the People's Park riot (look it up). This lasted for literally hours with kids getting beat up, with many being carried away, and injured cops retreating back behind their lines. It was totally out of control, covering a large area surrounding the entire park.
Then I began to hear gun shots. Only a few at first and I thought they were blanks. But they weren't. Kids got shot! And one kid (Steve Rector) got killed while throwing rocks at the cops from the roof of a house on the other side of the park. He was the only fatality as far as I know. But there had to be dozens of injured on both sides. Finally at nightfall the police had driven the kids back and the fence was pretty much all torn down. I never left my room all day, and by late at night I was hungry and decided to venture out. I walked towards Kips and on the main drag I saw police in riot gear marching down the street and shooting tear gas at any kids they saw outside. That included me! I hid until they had passed me by and went running towards Kips. Why I went there I couldn't tell you, other than I was a pool hall rat back then.
I made it to the entrance hall way at Kips before the riot police spotted me and one of two others entering the hallway. They lobbed tear gas canisters at us and we ran into Kips as fast as we could. Some of the gas got inside and everyone's eyes were watering and we were looking for water to wash them out. My eyes burned for a long time (over and hour I'm sure) and when I felt better I just wanted to get the hell out of there. It was late by now, after Midnight and it seemed quiet. I snuck outside and just wanted to make it the few blocks back to my hotel. I was triple careful when I realized cops were still patroling the streets. I ran from one place to another hiding every few yards to remain unseen. I saw the cops but they didn't see me.
At the hotel I packed my few things and waited until just before daylight to make my escape. My car was parked close by and I got in and drove out very carefully, looking in every direction until I got far away. Fuck pool, I was in survival mode.
I found out later hundreds of kids they caught went to jail and many served short terms like 15 or 30 days. A few of the instigators got longer terms, up to a year or more. I got lucky I guess. The only time I was ever tear gassed and it was no fun.
Finally I got to Frisco and after a 9-Ball fracas with Frisco Dave Piona (broke even) I headed to Berkeley where there were lots of rich college kids hanging out in the local poolroom (Kips). It was packed and I got a couple of cheap games like $5 9-Ball right away. Made some hotel and gas money and checked into a small hotel across the street from the Peoples Park. They called it that cause all the kids liked to hang out there and smoke weed. I got sick as a dog that night, maybe caught something from someone at the poolroom I don't know. So I slept all the next day and drank hot tea trying to fight it off. Early the following morning I wake up to hear all kinds of commotion going on outside. I drag myself to the bay window overlooking the park (I was on the second or third floor so I had a good view). The university had erected temporary fencing around the park and I was not aware they wanted to turn it into a parking lot. The kids were not having any of that and hundreds of them were banging on the mesh wire fence and trying to tear it down.
It was soon an out of control mob scene. There were maybe only a couple of dozen police and university security trying to stop them and they couldn't quell the disturbance. I watched the whole thing from the safety of my room. Soon more police came and then there were hundreds of cops from different jurisdictions surrounding the park fence and the battle became more intense. At least a thousand or more kids vs. a couple hundred baton wielding cops. I was an eye witness to what became known as the People's Park riot (look it up). This lasted for literally hours with kids getting beat up, with many being carried away, and injured cops retreating back behind their lines. It was totally out of control, covering a large area surrounding the entire park.
Then I began to hear gun shots. Only a few at first and I thought they were blanks. But they weren't. Kids got shot! And one kid (Steve Rector) got killed while throwing rocks at the cops from the roof of a house on the other side of the park. He was the only fatality as far as I know. But there had to be dozens of injured on both sides. Finally at nightfall the police had driven the kids back and the fence was pretty much all torn down. I never left my room all day, and by late at night I was hungry and decided to venture out. I walked towards Kips and on the main drag I saw police in riot gear marching down the street and shooting tear gas at any kids they saw outside. That included me! I hid until they had passed me by and went running towards Kips. Why I went there I couldn't tell you, other than I was a pool hall rat back then.
I made it to the entrance hall way at Kips before the riot police spotted me and one of two others entering the hallway. They lobbed tear gas canisters at us and we ran into Kips as fast as we could. Some of the gas got inside and everyone's eyes were watering and we were looking for water to wash them out. My eyes burned for a long time (over and hour I'm sure) and when I felt better I just wanted to get the hell out of there. It was late by now, after Midnight and it seemed quiet. I snuck outside and just wanted to make it the few blocks back to my hotel. I was triple careful when I realized cops were still patroling the streets. I ran from one place to another hiding every few yards to remain unseen. I saw the cops but they didn't see me.
At the hotel I packed my few things and waited until just before daylight to make my escape. My car was parked close by and I got in and drove out very carefully, looking in every direction until I got far away. Fuck pool, I was in survival mode.
I found out later hundreds of kids they caught went to jail and many served short terms like 15 or 30 days. A few of the instigators got longer terms, up to a year or more. I got lucky I guess. The only time I was ever tear gassed and it was no fun.
