The Badger Herald: Opinion: Crowd control

Opinion

Crowd control

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By Badger Herald Editorial Board
Thursday, September 16, 2004 12:00 a.m.

5 Vote 0 Votes

As Halloween rapidly approaches, campus and city officials have once again demonstrated that common sense will not be a part of the event planning.

Members of the Halloween committee, who include the Madison Police Department as well as other campus and city officials, want to implement several “control” measures that will likely create more disorderly behavior and pandemonium than they will deter.

One of these measures includes using barricades to limit the number of people on the 500 block of State Street, where the riots in 2002 and 2003 originated. The idea behind these barricade is that police officers would stop letting people into the area when the block becomes too congested. While this may sound like a way to control the “mob mentality” that led to riots the past two years, what it will really do is anger alcohol-fueled crowds who aren’t allowed access to State Street. This has the potential of creating a mob of party-goers who won’t be afraid to get physical in order to make their way to the hot spot of the night. A stampede could easily form, and students could become trampled and severely hurt. Halloween committee members should strongly consider this before attempting to blockade one of the most popular party locations of the weekend.

The committee is also considering renting large lights that will be turned on at a designated party ending time of 3 a.m. Once again, this measure is not effective because it will create a crowd rather than disperse one. Encouraging all State Street party-goers to leave at one time rather than allowing the crowd to disperse gradually on their own is a recipe for disaster. The committee is already concerned with large numbers of students leaving the bars at the same time, so why would it implement a measure that essentially creates another mass exodus from State Street? Instead of having all students leave once the lights come on, committee members should focus on making sure party-goers gradually leave the downtown area.

If committee members want students to act like mature and responsible adults, they need to treat them accordingly. Setting up barricades and turning on “time-to-go-home” lights does nothing to achieve this. These “control” measures will only serve to further hype the event and the possibility of riots, potentially drawing in even more out-of-town visitors. This defeats the whole purpose of what the committee is trying to achieve.

Where the committee really hit the mark was on the fine increases it is working to impose. In this proposal, the fines for several citations will substantially increase. Public urination fines will increase from $65 to $184, open intoxicants from $102 to $288, disorderly conduct from $164 to $412 and selling alcohol without a license from $350 to $660. The increase in these fines is meant to discourage students from engaging in dangerous behavior and, according to the Madison Police Department, hopefully deter house parties. This is exactly the type of policy that makes sense for an event like Halloween. This proposal does not control or baby-sit students, but gives police the upper hand in punishing those party-goers who engage in dangerous behavior. It will also make students think twice before they act.

Now it is time for Halloween committee members to think twice and — and treat students like the adults they expect them to be.

5 Comments | Leave a comment

Trent Steele | September 16, 2004 11:42 AM | Reply

Treat the students like adults? Where have the students shown the precendent that they deserve this treatment? I am just waiting for a crackdown on Halloween similar to Mifflin Days circa '97. All because morons can't hold their liquor. When there is a crackdown, we will hear the typical refrain of the "destructive out-of-towners". At some point, the students have to take responsibility for their actions and the actions of those whom they invite to attend the largely student Halloween party. This is the adult thing to do. Dumbasses.

Anonymous | September 17, 2004 5:42 PM | Reply

I agree with Trent Steele. When you turn 21, you are considered to be mature enough to drink responsibly. Unfortunately, there are many who aren't. Also, there are many who forget what responsible drinking is after they've had a few.

Remember that lots of property wound up damaged and people got hurt. The police, who are also human and therefore worry about their own safety, have to act. Many police officers have families who are always scared that they may not come home again because they were injured or killed in the line of duty.

All because a bunch of stupid college kids went crazy, started a riot and tried to blame it all on out-of-towners. Most of these "out-of-towners" are actually UW-Madison students who originated from out-of-town, by the way. There driver's licenses have their home addresses, but their student IDs have a different address. Oldest trick in the book.

It's because of past experience with unruly crowds that the city has to take such extreme measures, so you best get used to it...kiddies.

Anonymous | September 18, 2004 9:57 PM | Reply

Let's not forget that a large proportion of the drunken idiots are underage. I say if they're caught drunk and causing damage, throw 'em in jail and kick 'em out of school. Let the bastards flunk out of some other school.

Anonymous | September 20, 2004 11:03 AM | Reply

actually, the majority of students arrested in the past have not been UW-Madison students but out-of-town friends that UW-Madison students have invited.. otherwise, you would have seen a lot more students suspended and expelled by UW-Madison..
I believe it's due to Plan 2008 bringing people from the inner city who might be great students but have shitty thuggish friends ;) damn caucasian thugs..