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Unprovoked

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by Badger Herald Editorial Board

Monday, October 31, 2005

By most accounts, things were going smoothly on State Street in the early morning hours of Sunday. Sure, a few people were arrested for bearing open intoxicants, engaging in some inappropriate behavior and treating police horses in a manner that would make most PETA members go running for their vegan Pepto, but these were the exceptions to the costume-toting rule.

And then the police decided to disperse the crowd.

Holding an entire Caesarian mob accountable for the actions of a few bad apples who constitute a minuscule portion of those in attendance is not among the brightest of ideas to ever be propagated along State Street. The police decision to disperse the crowd at a relatively early hour was largely unprovoked and marked the first step toward the completion of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Once riot gear was donned and a massive, not-yet-tired mob shepherded along the downtown corridor, the use of pepper spray and force became inevitable.

And yet there can still be no forgiving the mob itself. While police may have proved a group of overzealous Officer Krupkes, students, local residents and out-of-town guests still had a duty to obey authority — no matter how errant it may have been — and follow dispersal orders. Numerous announcements were made and those who elected to stay behind don't much fit the character of victims.

The force used by police, following fair warning, was, in most cases, wholly justifiable. A mob turned sour had to be dealt with and that is just what police did. But still, anecdotal cases of officers using gross overkill and wholly capricious attacks on civilians are gaining attention. Members of the press were physically assaulted by officers for doing their jobs and otherwise obedient civilians, in rare cases, found themselves on the wrong side of an officer's temper. Police are professionals and we, rightfully, expect them to be able to contain their emotions, not take out frustration with a disobedient mob on undeserving members of the press and public at large.

However, it is our firm belief that Halloween was a notable improvement this year over some of the riots from years past. But for an overzealous police force and a few bad apples who could have been otherwise contained, we see this year's event as a success. The people of Madison and the students of the University of Wisconsin have proved that they can responsibly hold large-scale festivities and, as such, we see no reason to even contemplate the cancellation of the event for next year, a decision that would carry untold economic and social consequences.

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Anonymous (October 31, 2005 @ 12:06pm):

This editorial seems to wholly discount the fact that people were throwing all sorts of things at the police. That fact alone seems enough justification for clearing the street.

The arbitrary deadline for clearing the street did create an unnecessary sense of tension, though.

Anonymous (October 31, 2005 @ 2:37pm):

I'm all for the cancellation of Halloween next year. This isn't a 'celebration' or a 'party', it's a lot of wasted people in a large area with the intent of instigating police intervention, and it's wholly unnecessary. It makes the city look bad, the school look bad and we students look bad. I would support the mayor whole-heartedly in a sealing off/shutting down of state street next year in order to avoid another embarassing fiasco. This doesn't need to go on, it's not a tradition to be proud of, it's just an ugly display of excessive drunkenness and police bating.