A police car drove down Riopelle Street, behind the Detroit Fire Department Apparatus Division garage, and told the lone group of tailgaters within walking distance of Ford Field they had to close down shop.
“No Tailgating Allowed” signs dotted Eastern Market, which usually fills with Detroit Lions fans on fall Sundays but on this day was sparsely populated with vendors selling hats, handbags and food, and a few families looking for good deals.
As for the nine Lions fans grilling brats, sausage, lamb chops and two kinds of kabobs behind the garage, well, as they explained to the understanding officer, they had a dual purpose for their tailgate.