What happened to the good old days? Where are the days when the
Badgers advanced to the Final Four and students instinctively fled
to State Street to celebrate? We danced and yelled and screamed and
drank the rest of the night in celebration. No windows were broken,
no cars overturned and I certainly do not remember anyone being
arrested on State Street for disrupting the crowd and carrying a .9
mm gun.

Things have changed for the worse over the last four years. Last
year, rioting destroyed Halloween. This year, at least two cars
were overturned after the victory over Ohio State. What possesses
people to get so excited about a win that they have an
uncontrollable urge to overturn a car and cause thousands of
dollars of destruction?

Halloween was going well this year. Friday night was a typical
fall evening, and State Street was filled with happy drunks.
Saturday evening brought the rain, but it seemed to be a peaceful
evening for the most part.

Then Sunday morning came and the weekend’s bad news hit the
city. Apparently, a UW-Whitewater student was arrested Friday
evening on State Street with not only a .9 mm gun but, even more
frightening, he was carrying an extra clip of ammunition.

I remember being disappointed Saturday evening with a small
crowd of students who, around 1:30 a.m., were moshing on State
Street and chanting, “Fuck the cops.” The police had been acting
appropriately all weekend — allowing students to have fun and only
stepping in when laws were being blatantly broken or there was a
real safety risk. The behavior of this small minority of
college-aged people was disrespectful and totally
inappropriate.

It turns out that later in the evening, that same crowd or a new
batch of students near the same area decided to continue moshing
and throwing things at windows. In total, eight businesses had
their windows broken, resulting in thousands of dollars in
damage.

Thankfully, no one was seriously injured, but what was the
purpose of this immature and illegal behavior? Are there really
people out there that simply want to ruin Halloween for the vast
majority who go out to have a great time and finish the night
without throwing a single stone?

Some city officials have blamed the problem on Minnesota
residents who came to party in Madison this weekend. However, it
wasn’t Minnesota students who overturned the cars after the Ohio
State game, and Wisconsin students were, in fact, involved in the
rioting at last year’s Halloween festivities, so it would be
na�ve to say no Wisconsin students were involved in this
year’s disturbance.

To blame Minnesota students for opening their window at the
University Inn and singing the Minnesota fight song is an equally
bad excuse, because it is likely UW students will sing the Badger
fight song this weekend on the streets of Minneapolis, and Madison
would be outraged if Minnesotans started throwing objects at our
students simply for singing the school fight song.

Halloween is one of the most exciting weekends in Madison each
year, and the reputation of the party continues to grow. But the
problems that occurred this past weekend absolutely must stop.
However, they will likely not stop unless a few policy changes are
made.

First, no more bands performing in Library Mall at night. If you
really need bands, have them perform on the Terrace, where it is
easier to control the crowd. While it was a novel idea to have
these bands play, it only brings more risks and the possibility of
more problems.

Second, Madison must get tough on those who were involved in the
Saturday night disturbance and other felonies that occurred over
the weekend. These offenders should be made an example of — no
more light sentences or probation, because it only encourages
misbehavior.

Next, the police should make it perfectly clear that for next
year’s Halloween celebration, anyone moshing on State Street will
be subject to immediate arrest for attempting to incite a riot.
Police have this power, and if students and visitors know the
police are serious about enforcing this law, people will think long
and hard before trying to start trouble.

Finally, bar time should be eliminated. It should be eliminated
all 365 days of the year, something for which Chancellor Wiley has
voiced support. But if that is not feasible, at the very least bar
time should be eliminated Halloween weekend. If there is no bar
time, the crowds on State Street will be substantially less at all
times than the size of the crowd is at around 2 a.m. under the
current law. If the crowds are smaller, it will allow the police a
better opportunity to control the crowd, keeping it safer for
students and hopefully preventing the problems that have occurred
over the past two years.

Halloween is a wonderful experience in Madison, but the rioting
must stop. This behavior is embarrassing for the university, and
the city and students should feel ashamed.

Matt Modell ([email protected]) is a senior
majoring in journalism and political science.