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City asks for no party on Mifflin
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Negotiations took place Wednesday night between Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, and the student organizers of an unregulated party scheduled for Saturday night on Mifflin Street.
The grassroots group started advertising “Mifflin over Freakfest” by chalking and posting fliers throughout the week for the unofficial block party this Saturday — the same day the city-sanctioned Freakfest is planned.
Verveer contacted organizer Alex Kaufer to meet with the group and ask them to put an end to their plans.
Christian von Preysing-Barry, one of the group’s organizers, said it is too late for them to make any significant changes.
“We’re going to go ahead with what we’re doing, and if the city wants to talk with us at any point, we can do that,” von Preysing-Barry said. “That doesn’t change what we’re doing right now.”
The meeting was productive in the sense that the two parties agreed to continue a dialogue, Verveer said, adding he is trying to set up a meeting with city officials and police for the group to voice their concerns.
Despite the meeting with Verveer, von Preysing-Barry said the group would continue to carry out the plans they have for advertising the event.
Prior to the meeting Wednesday night, von Preysing-Barry went door-to-door up and down West Mifflin Street to talk to residents about the unofficial block party on Saturday, reminding them to protect any valuables, especially on their porches or in their yards.
In response to the possible party on Mifflin Street, Joel Plant, spokesperson for Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, said the Madison Police Department as well as the city of Madison are aware of efforts.
“I would just like to reiterate that there is no alternative formal party,” Plant said, though he had no further comment on the city’s plan to deal with the potential Mifflin party.
Plant also said no street permits have been signed to have a party on Mifflin Street. He related the proposed party to the efforts in 2006 to move the Freakfest celebration to Langdon Street, which ended up being withdrawn.
UW sophomore Alexandra Demitrack, one of the Mifflin Halloween party’s promoters, said she thinks students should not accept having their celebration regulated.
“Our goal is not to be violent … [it’s] to provide an alternative,” Demitrack said. “Not everyone wants to pay $7 to walk on a street they walk on everyday.”
The group wants to provide a free and unregulated holiday, UW sophomore Britney Tripp said, echoing Demitrack’s sentiments that students should be able to do what they want.
“We want to have it run by us and not by cops and businesses,” Tripp said.
The group’s plans do not consist of any alcohol or entertainment, Verveer said after meeting with the organizers.
“They aren’t trying to replicate the Mifflin Street Block Party,” Verveer said, adding a meeting with police would be beneficial to understand the potential consequences.
Madison police do not appear to have major concerns with the possibility of a Mifflin Street party.
“We are not seeing anything that raises the level of havoc or threat right now,” Madison Police Department Capt. Mary Schauf said, adding, “The lack of plan speaks for itself.”
She also said the MPD’s main focus will be downtown where the celebration is occurring, but they are prepared for any surprise event that may take place.
von Preysing-Barry said he has no idea what sort of attendance Mifflin Street will have but told Mifflin residents there will be “at least a presence.”
A number of residents said they already have plans for having friends over, but von Preysing-Barry said as he approached residents saying he did not want to come across pushy by asking them to have parties.
Schauf said the MPD is aware of the private parties occurring each year and asks people plan safe parties. According to Schauf, house parties are considered part of the “Halloween culture.”
While walking door-to-door, von Preysing-Barry told residents the police would be present in the area. However, he said he is not concerned about police cracking down too heavily on house parties.
“Parties get raided all the time,” von Preysing-Barry said, adding there should not be problems as long as things do not get out of hand.
The sponsorship of Freakfest has lowered the number of arrests in the past few years, but there is a price, Dave Maynard of Frank Productions said, adding the cost of the event has yet to be determined.
“The event is a partnership, so we work with the city,” said Maynard. “It is not our event solely; it is not the city’s event solely. We’re a partnership, so we’ll see where the costs lie.”
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Of course the city would try to shut down a party started and ran by students. I wouldn’t be shocked to see if they arrested people like crazy on Mifflin this weekend to try and teach us a “lesson”.
Police wanting “safe” parties is a bunch of BS. Last year my house, consisting of all legal roomates, got over 7,000 in tickets on halloween for having a “safe” non disruptive party… Watch out residents of mifflin street… your about to get screwed royally!
I have no intention of paying to go on State St. But i might swing by Mifflin to see what’s going on.
grow up kids. get over it and cancel your stupid party.
I live on Mifflin, I say lets have the party. I’ll go see O.A.R then rage on Miff. frank productions can blow me
You know they’re going to cry like babies when they get cited or arrested Saturday night. Such over-entitled little suburban brats.
Kids need to grow the fuck up and realize the truth: Halloween in Madison is never going to be what it once was because drunks in previous years ruined it. The city and the school cannot afford to openly allow an event where 100,000 drunk roam State Street without significant regulation. People seem to think that they’re above rioting and vandalism but when you put the entire student body (and their countless friends that swarm the city every year) in the extreme binge drinking environment you can’t be that surprised when these things happen.
So this is the student body’s response? Too whiny to live with the fact that Madison authorities have tried to control students’ ridiculously intoxicated behavior so you move to a residential street.
There is a reason the Mifflin block party gets shut down at night. This is gonna be a shit show.
I can understand why people wouldn’t want to party under bright street lights, police, barricades, cameras, and paid admission, but there was a reason why city officials went to this length. People got way out of control busting windows, street fighting, bottle throwing, and starting fires. Now another “No Restrictions” party is happening on top of the authorized party. How many more police will be needed to watch that it doesn’t grow out of control? It’s not just UW Students either. Freakfest & Halloween on State Street is legendary with college students elsewhere, not to mention the infamous Sports Illustrated article spreading the word that it’s a great place to riot. Once they hear there’s a “free unregulated” co-event, they’ll be joining in. Good luck this weekend Mifflanders. Hope I’m wrong and that the turnout is fun and peaceful.
I say we find out where Von-what’s-his-name’s hometown is, and then take over his parent’s street with a bunch of drunk rowdy kids until all hours of the night, preventing cars from driving down it, and all without a permit, and then see what kind of attention that draws. Am I correct that none of these “organizers” (roughly used term) even live on Mifflin?
My kids enjoy Halloween. They’re 6.
So you won’t pay $7 to enter State Street, but how much are you going to pay for a cup of stale beer at a Mifflin house party?
Madison Police Department Capt. Mary Schauf said, adding, “The lack of plan speaks for itself.”
Hmm, have you met the students before? They are pretty capable of having a party in the absence of a plan. Have fun, don’t break stuff, prove we can be responsible and young at the same time!
LETS RAGE!
It doesn’t bother me at all that people want to have a different party to “screw the man.” Im all for getting wasted.
I just hope its safe on Mifflin. Its dark over there, and the crazy homeless people and muggers (that the police should be protecting us from, instead of worrying about underage drinkers) will be out in droves to do their usual creeping, mugging, and assaulting.
Thats the only thing that keeps me from full on endorsement of the second party.
^^^^^^Is this some over protective parent?!? WTF really dude? Maybe you should go to an all kool-aid party school, you’d enojy it more.
9:22am - alright mom you can blow me. the city of madison has completely ruined halloween. i say rage on mifflin. rage on.
It seems unlikely that the people promoting the relocation even live on Mifflin Street, which makes their decision all the most inconsiderate. Did they even think for one moment that perhaps the people who actually reside on Mifflin may not want an unruly party invading their space? Yes, we choose to live on Mifflin with the tacit understanding that most of our neighbors will be douche-bags and there’s a yearly party, but we didn’t sign our leases to host Halloween for you. If you want to “beat the system” then do the logical thing which should have started two years ago and move the party to Friday night on State St. You promoters are just being bastards for inviting people to our street without any consideration.
They are completely right that we shouldn’t have to pay $7 to go on the main street in Madison. Last year I argued with a cop about that and he got me a POLICE ESCORT across the street. Completely unnecessary, but kind of funny.