NEWS
Violence erupts on State Street; smaller magnitude than last year
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Also by Michelle Samenfeld:
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- UW student injured in hit-and-run (November 24, 2003)
- ABC Sports employee dies (November 25, 2003)
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- Homeless men turn to violence (November 11, 2008)
- Hardly a quiet riot (December 12, 2002)
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by Michelle Samenfeld
Monday, November 3, 2003
The end of a near-orderly weekend became violent when Madison police used pepper spray to dissolve a crowd of 5,000 late Saturday night near Library Mall. Police also ticketed 170 mostly out-of-state students Saturday night.
Seven businesses had multiple broken windows and two trees were uprooted before police wearing protective gear sprayed “body-slamming” revelers around 3 a.m. on the 500 block of State Street near State Street Brats.
After the band Room Service finished its concert on Library Mall around 1 a.m., the crowd dispersed and grew unruly again on the 500 block, causing police to put on their protective gear. Police said they met resistance when moving in on the crowd; people threw wood and glass containers at police and some tried to attack police, they said.
“There was a notable reduction in glass containers. People had trouble finding projectiles; that couldn’t be said last year,” said City Council President Mike Verveer at a press conference Sunday.
The crowd on State Street Saturday numbered as high as 40,000 and police officers reported a “different atmosphere” with more unruly crowds than Friday, when police estimated that 60,000 to 65,000 people were on State Street.
Verveer, who saw the incident, said between 2:30 and 3 a.m. the crowds moved to the 500 block from the Capitol end of State Street, and police from that end shifted to the block as well.
Police waited until they had gathered sufficient resources to successfully break up the crowd.
“Toward the end there were few officers that did not have protective gear,” Assistant Chief Noble Wray said Sunday.
Police arrested 13 people Saturday night for such offenses as disorderly conduct, obstruction and destruction of property. Police videotapes caught the entire incident and police are reviewing them to find additional perpetrators and witnesses.
The crowd dispersed to the surrounding blocks, continuing to cause disturbances such as property damage, police said.
Because Saturday night’s incident did not have the same level of violence as last Halloween, police and city officials said it is not correct to label it a riot.
“Unlike last year, there [were], thank God, no serious injuries, no tear gas and no looting,” Verveer said.
Two “flashpoints” on State Street acted as catalysts for the uprising: one at the University Inn overlooking State Street and one in the apartments above where the Sugar Shack was previously located on State Street, according to Verveer.
University Inn guests were singing the University of Minnesota Golden Gopher fight song and exposing themselves to the crowd below on State Street, causing crowds to throw pebbles, plastic bottles and parts of their costumes at the out-of-state guests.
Verveer said that on both Friday and Saturday night police went door-to-door taking rowdy people out of the windows, but no officers were patrolling the hotel at the time of the uprising.
City officials and police denied a direct connection between the uprising and the ending of the city-approved concert on Library Mall.
“The concert went off without a hitch,” Verveer said. “There were no problems of any consequence.”
Wray said the investigation is currently too incomplete to begin to examine if any changes to the city’s plan for next year’s Halloween are necessary.
Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz expressed disappointment Sunday morning over Saturday’s incident, but he commended the community’s planning for the weekend and the law enforcement’s response to the situation.
“We will be conducting a thorough review of this weekend’s events and the circumstances that led up to the property damage. I will again work closely with police, university officials, downtown businesses and student groups to prepare for next year,” Cieslewicz said in a statement.
City officials and police said they were able to minimize property damage due to their months of planning efforts for the weekend.
“I don’t know what could have been done any differently to prepare for last night,” Verveer said.
Also Saturday, several people turned a black Volvo on its side on the corner of Mifflin and Bassett streets at around 1 a.m. Police responded about five minutes later and towed the car and arrested one person.
Police said Friday night, on the other hand, was an “overall fun and safe night.” Police issued 180 tickets and 90 percent of them were to University of Minnesota students, Verveer said.
Most citations were for underage consumption or possession of alcohol, open intoxicants on the street, disorderly conduct and similar offenses.
Five people were arrested for resisting arrest and ambulances responded to 55 calls for alcohol-related issues, police said.
Police also said they were pleased to see students and bystanders step in to prevent several situations from escalating Friday night.
The police issued a total of 400 alcohol-related citations Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.
