The Badger Herald

NEWS

City split over plans for Halloween

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Also by Megan Costello:

Judge dismisses drink special suit (April 8, 2005)
Campus joins fight against cancer (April 21, 2005)
History of the Mifflin Street Block Party (April 28, 2005)
Universities party across Midwest (April 28, 2005)

by Megan Costello

Wednesday, September 1, 2004

Although months away, Halloween is already a hot topic.

The Associated Students of Madison led a proposal to allow a live band to perform longer and to keep bars and restaurants open later during this year’s Halloween party.

A committee made up of Madison police, city alderpersons, Dean of Students Luoluo Hong, the mayor’s office and others recently met and discussed ASM’s plans for this year’s event.

But even with the support of many State Street businesses and alderpersons, the police department and mayor’s office have not received the proposal warmly, according to Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4.

Last year Madison police backed the band that played on Library Mall. They felt it would help control the crowds by channeling them to a larger event, said Captain Luis Yudice of the Madison Police Department.

But after last year’s Saturday night riots, the police and the mayor are looking at the event in a different light.

“The planning group gave it a lot of thought and concern and we are evenly split,” Yudice said. “But we believe having a band will attract a larger, more unmanageable crowd.”

The mayor’s office agreed a live concert would correlate to problems during Halloween, said Melanie Conklin, Mayor Dave Cieslewicz’s assistant.

“The mayor wants to take a year to see if things happen differently,” Conklin said. “He wants to make Halloween a more local party because it has been pitched as a regional Halloween Mardi Gras.”

During the Aug. 23 meeting, police openly admitted to making mistakes during last year’s riot. Verveer feels student involvement may be the answer to this two-year problem.

“Unfortunately ASM has tried a proposal featuring a longer live concert and it has not been embraced by the mayor or the police,” he noted.

Student government has not proposed a Halloween plan since the 1980s.

“[ASM’s] plan will help get the word out that we’re picking one day for the party, but the mayor and the police carry a tremendous amount of weight on this issue,” Verveer said.

“I’m personally disappointed that the mayor and the Madison police are turning a blind eye to ASM’s effort.”

Some of the performers from last year’s concert are still licking their wounds because the riots, which occurred more than an hour and half after their concert ended last year, were unofficially attributed to them, Verveer said.

Conklin said the performers weren’t the ones to start the riot, but music may have been a factor in the disturbances.

“The people who performed last year feel like they have been unfairly blamed but the police aren’t blaming them,” Conklin said. “Instead, the police are saying the addition of live music makes Madison Halloween a more regional party.”

Verveer said he supports ASM’s proposal because State Street Halloween is the largest moneymaker for downtown business each year. He noted it is a priceless tradition of the city.

Trying something new and allowing student government involvement may be the city’s answer to preventing riots, he added.

One of the main focal points for safety will be more patrolling on the 500 block of State Street, where the majority of damage occurred in the past two years, according to Conklin. The department will staff more officers, and crowds will be patrolled Friday and Saturday, and if needed, Halloween Sunday, she added.