[media-credit name=’AJ MACLEAN/Herald photo’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]More than 20 representatives from the police departments, the University of Wisconsin and the local business community met with Madison Police Chief Noble Wray, Captain Mary Schauf and Mayor Dave Cieslewicz Thursday afternoon, pushing the upcoming Mifflin Street Block Party aside to discuss Halloween 2005.

“I am as angry about the event today as I was the morning of Nov. 1,” Cieslewicz said. “If we can make [the Halloween celebration] go away entirely, that would be wonderful. I would be for that.”

Surveillance videos of last year’s event were shown at the meeting, highlighting Saturday, Oct. 30, when partygoers danced around bonfire flames, feeding the fire and jumping over it as crowds numbered a dangerous 85,000 at the peak of the night.

Although Wray said last year’s party did have some successes, especially from a “planning group perspective,” Cieslewicz disagreed.

“That is not a successful event. It’s still a disaster. It’s not acceptable,” the mayor said, pinpointing “horrible” behavior such as when horses were kicked and punched by the crowd and objects were thrown at police officers.

Cieslewicz said the city needs to “employ every tactic we can” to reduce the “outrageous behavior” and make sure it does not happen in the city again.

“The public has had it up to here with the costs of these events,” he added, alluding to the current public controversy over the date change of the Mifflin Street Block Party.

Wray said there are a few aspects of the celebration that must be changed: increasing accountability for those who act dangerously while decreasing anonymity of the large crowd, preventing over-consumption of alcohol and decreasing congestion on State Street by making sure there is a constant flow in the crowd.

The tone of the party needs to be managed, Wray added, and the length of the party, which expands over the two to three days, running later each night, must be lessened.

Wray and City Attorney Michael May released a report to the mayor last December illustrating seven different strategies based on how other cities deal with large-scale events that could possibly be implemented in Madison.

Options ranged from blocking all entrances to the city to closing down State Street businesses early, to using barricades on the 500 block of State Street.

Cieslewicz asked the committee to consider options including admitting only University of Wisconsin students to the event, or requiring partygoers to pay an entrance fee to State Street.

Under the Emergency Powers Act, the city has the authority to ask bars on State Street to close early Halloween weekend, the mayor added. The two main problems of the party are too many out-of-town guests and too much alcohol, Cieslewicz added.

ASM representatives Kristina Mueller and Matt Rink suggested a large-scale national music act performing at Camp Randall to draw crowds away from State Street.

Dan Waisman, owner of Poster Master on State Street, questioned the police department’s handling of the event, citing other cities that successfully hold big events — such as the New Orleans Mardi Gras celebration — and never have to use tear gas.

Wray called Waisman’s comment “inappropriate” and said the police officers do as much as they can during the event to ensure it is as safe as possible.

“This is the time to focus on the people and hold them accountable,” Wray said.

Schauf added the crowd at Mardi Gras is completely different from the crowd attending Madison’s Halloween celebration.

“It has unique participants, and Madison likes to do things the Madison way,” Schauf said.

The committee will continue to meet at least once a month until Halloween to discuss what worked well at the event and what needs improvement.