After a wild and debauchery-driven day on the streets of Mifflin last year, Mayor Paul Soglin said he was in favor of scrapping the party entirely. Two people were stabbed and 162 were arrested, and in the words of the mayor himself, “By noon you had kids who were staggering drunk.” Soglin’s meteoric rise to power in Madison politics began in 1969 when he was arrested at the first Mifflin block party, which was at that time organized by students to protest the Vietnam War. Yet the times they are a-changin’, and last spring he explained that such a dangerous event with an alcohol-centric party culture had to end.
Soglin, never afraid to go against the grain, is a man apart in his wish to put the proverbial kibosh on the great Madison end of the year event. Not surprisingly, a strong majority of students is in favor of maintaining the block party as an annual tradition. Students have found support in neighborhood organizers such as Alders Scott Resnick, District 8, and Mike Verveer, District 4, as well as organizations such as Capitol Neighborhoods, Inc. and the Mifflin Neighborhood Association. On his District 8 blog, Resnick wrote, “I disagree with the mayor and police department’s response,” and “I continue to support the Mifflin Street block party.” The Mifflin Neighborhood Association has held discussions of the future of the block party, and on Thursday, students met with campus and city officials to search for a compromise.
At Thursday’s meeting, the Associated Students of Madison released the results of a student survey concerning the party. Seventy eight percent of respondents plan to attend Mifflin, and 70 percent agreed that the party is “necessary.” On the other hand, 30 percent acknowledged that last year’s block party was “out of control,” and 64 percent agreed that “outsiders caused the problems last year.” Fifty four percent agreed that the purpose of the party is to drink.
Mifflin is a necessary part of student life at the University of Wisconsin. However, last year’s event got completely out of hand. The drunkenness quotient was through the roof, and the motto of the day may have been “Well, it’s five o’clock somewhere.” Mayor Soglin has vowed to put a stop to the block party if it continues to revolve around binge drinking.
When tens of thousands of drunken party-goers, some of them visitors who came from far and wide to take part in the festivities, are crammed onto a couple of city blocks, safety is at risk. The most appalling stories of last year’s party were the two stabbings, one of which left a UW student with life-threatening wounds. The suspect was a 22-year-old man from Green Bay. Students and city officials have pointed to out-of-town attendees as the instigators of violence at the block party. In the most prominent and life-threatening case of violence last year, this is true.
If Mifflin is to live on, Mayor Soglin, city officials and students must reach a compromise that finds a balance between the necessity of an end of the year party and how to reduce its inherent safety risks.
Mifflin has a long and colorful tradition that began as a countercultural protest movement and has morphed into the penultimate expression of Madison party culture. Both of these are important elements of Madison’s identity as a community. More importantly, Mifflin is an opportunity for students to blow off end of the year steam before running the gauntlet of spring semester finals. It is also one of the only parties organized for students, by students, to which everyone is invited, making it a quintessential part of student life. I remember my first Mifflin fondly, with a twinkle in my eye.
At the same time, recent block parties have been plagued by elevated numbers of arrests, trips to detox and violence. Part of this may be the result of last year’s removal of the ban on open containers, and the increased presence of out-of-town party-goers. If Mifflin is to continue, it should be framed as an event for UW students and neighborhood residents. As much fun as it is to have thousands of high school friends sleeping on the floors of apartments throughout Madison that weekend, they can find their own party. Mifflin is first and foremost an end of the year celebration for the Madison community.
Soglin has expressed concern over widespread intoxication at last year’s event. This is hardly reasonable, because in lifting the ban on open containers at last year’s party, the city did not even make a token effort to limit alcohol consumption. In order to pacify the mayor and keep this year’s party more manageable, the open container ban should be reinstated. Students will still drink to their heart’s content, and the city will have a party that is, at least on the surface, more contained.
Most of the 162 arrests last year were for public intoxication, underage consumption and public urination. The city can address these issues by reinstating the open container ban and providing public restroom facilities. Students must also take initiative to encourage partiers to mind their Ps and Qs and treat the police with respect. This type of compromise is necessary to keep Mifflin alive for generations to come. An emphasis on good music, good food and moderate drinking are all part of a viable plan for the future of the Mifflin Block party. I hope to see you there next spring.
Charles Godfrey ([email protected]) is a sophomore majoring in math and physics.
