City officials and representatives from the police and fire departments made one final effort to clarify any confusion on policing policy for the upcoming weekend at a meeting with Mifflin neighborhood residents Wednesday.
At the neighborhood meeting, the Madison Police Department presented the city’s new procedure for dealing with house parties and clarified details over the enforcement of city ordinances that worried some of the attendees.
“The city government…as made the determination that the Mifflin Street Block Party in its current form has, frankly, outlived its useful life,” Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4 said.
Madison Fire Department Division Chief Ron Schwenn said the block party poses physical hazards, particularly fire hazards.
Schwenn recommended party hosts check their apartment’s interiors for stray cigarette butts, keep barbecue grills away from buildings and cars and limit the number of people who stand on exterior porches and balconies.
“What we’re trying to do is help you guys have a great Sunday morning,” Schwenn said. “Having a party on Saturday is one thing, but surviving it is another.”
Many attendees of the meeting were particularly interested in MPD’s stance on alcohol.
MPD Lt. Kelly Donahue said her department will be approaching this Saturday with a zero tolerance policy for violations.
“Behavior is what draws our attention,” Donahue said. “If you draw our attention by behaving poorly or behaving in an illegal manner, we will be dealing with it in a way that might be a little bit more strict than we have in the past.”
Donahue said the change may seem harsh, but given the 2011 block party stabbings, fights and sexual assaults, MPD’s stance was warranted.
In regards to drinking outside, Donahue said that police do have the authority to enter private yards and balconies in order to check IDs. An open container of alcohol from any point starting at the sidewalk through the street was grounds for immediate arrest, she said.
Verveer said based on city ordinances, MPD has a right to do this, and the policy is not unique to the department.
Donahue said MPD may also enter the public hallways and stairwells of multi-unit apartment buildings without a warrant, but not the units themselves unless they observed a safety or legal violation. She said MPD already has the approval of approximately 95 percent of rental property owners on the 400 to 600 blocks of Mifflin Street to do this.
Verveer said the meeting was the smallest he had moderated, which he took as a sign that either the weather was nice or a letter MPD distributed to residents in April was effective. He said he hoped that the meeting would clear up rumors and answer attendees’ questions about safety and alcohol.
Mark Saint Francis, a Madison resident, said he thought the measures were counterproductive. He said MPD should try to have a real block party again, instead of excessive alcohol restrictions.
“I think that to condemn these people is wrong because I was there in the ’70s [and] it was an important part of my life,” Saint Francis said. “It doesn’t have to be this way. I don’t think you’re looking at options.”
