NEWS
Mifflin party issues on tap
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by Courtney Johnson
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Members of the Mifflin-area community will have an opportunity to voice concerns about the upcoming Mifflin Street Block Party tonight.
City Council President Mike Verveer, whose district includes Mifflin Street, and members of the Madison Police Department will be on-hand to answer questions at the meeting.
MPD officials are also expected to explain their plan for maintaining order during the alcohol-heavy festivities.
The meeting will be held at the Madison Senior Center, 333 W. Mifflin St., at 7 p.m. tonight.
Verveer has held this community meeting every year for the past decade, and said it is a useful tool to make sure police and residents go into the event expecting the same things.
"The students that live in the neighborhood have tons of unanswered questions," Verveer said. "A lot of them are scared because they know about the hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines that people received last year."
Students are especially encouraged to attend this event, Verveer said, because police officials often take feedback more seriously if it is from actual residents of the community who are affected by the event.
Sgt. Dave McCaw, who will be attending the meeting along with other members of the MPD, said he expects many of the event's questions to focus on house party-related issues.
"Usually people, when we do this, will have very specific questions, and it's usually got to do with music and alcohol," McCaw said, adding he and other members of the Central District's Community Policing Team have been going door-to-door in the Mifflin area with pamphlets on how to throw small, safe parties during the event.
Verveer said he hopes this meeting will result in a few changes in this year's event.
"Frankly, I thought the police have not been as accommodating to our bands and DJs as they could be this one day of the year," Verveer said, citing instances when officers have written noise violation tickets to bands who performed at the event.
The community meetings began after the 1996 Mifflin Street Block Party ended in a violent riot. The party has been more peaceful in recent years — something Verveer in part attributed to the better resident-police communication made possible through the neighborhood meeting.
Anonymous (May 2, 2007 @ 1:56am):
I think people should drink, but safely. Riots are bad.
- Germain Q. Stemme
Anonymous (May 2, 2007 @ 3:03am):
The police are two sided. They'll tell you your party is okay, and then later come in with a raiding party. Don't trust officer friendly when she knocks on your door to see if you will be having a party.
Anonymous (May 2, 2007 @ 3:04am):
Oh, and if I remember correctly, officer friendly comes around at about 4:20 on April 20th.
Gabe Horstick (May 2, 2007 @ 9:02am):
I was one of the residents who was fined substantially last year. The truth of the matter is that the Madison PD is a bunch of Stalinist. They talk about the "good" communication between the police and residents before hand, but thats just a bunch of hog wash. We were honest last year that we were having a party and they slammed us with fines as hard as they could. Our party wasn't only fun and safe, but we had hired security personel, fencing, and no tresspassing signed. Didn't matter to the Madison PD. They are a shamless bunch of Stalinists.
Anonymous (May 2, 2007 @ 2:25pm):
9:02am
I wonder what you would think of the cops back in 1971. Mifflin Street was heavily armed, because the police were going apesh!it on students everywhere on campus (e.g., Dow Day).
Anonymous (May 2, 2007 @ 3:58pm):
Won't Mike Verveer protect us?
- Germain E. Stemme
Anonymous (May 2, 2007 @ 6:35pm):
Verveer? Hopefully he'll protect us from Germain E. Stemme's sharp and witty insight! Oh that Germain!
- Germain Q. Stemme
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