Although Saturday’s Mifflin Street Block Party may have seen a jump in arrest numbers from last year, numerous city officials and representatives from enforcement agencies agreed this year’s event was one of the largest and most successful in recent years.
Arrests for the event totaled 206 as of 8 p.m. Saturday as the command center housing representatives from the Madison Police Department, Madison Fire Department and various other emergency services began to be taken down, an incident report from MPD said.
Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, who represents the West Mifflin Street area, said around half a dozen additional arrests were recorded by the time the command center was finally taken down, bringing the event total to 212.
“I’m not terribly surprised at the number of arrests; I think given the conditions and attendance it’s not terribly surprising that the number of arrests was larger,” Verveer said. “I’m still pleased they were well below the 2008 figures.”
Last year’s event saw 164 arrests, while 2008 saw 440. Police supervising the event said the attendance was much higher than expected early in the day. Verveer said getting an accurate count of event attendees for the event is difficult given the fact that much of the celebration goes on in house parties or in backyards, often away from the view of police officers.
The day did see three particular events requiring larger police intervention and response.
Reports of a sexual assault that took place in the basement of a Mifflin street home are currently under investigation, and the main suspect had been located and taken into custody shortly after the event. An event as serious as this, Verveer said, had not been reported in a number of years at the event.
A ramp leading to a back porch had collapsed during the day, Verveer said. Overloaded porches and balconies had been a major concern going into the event but luckily there were no serious injuries reported as a result of the collapse, an MPD report said.
Additionally, a 911 call was received Saturday evening requesting assistance to a reportedly pulseless and non-breathing individual. Although the initial report turned out to be false, the man was able to walk to the ambulance on his own thanks to the assistance of those already on hand and the quick reaction of police, Verveer said.
Even Mayor Dave Cieslewicz was able to take in some of the sights and sounds of the block party. He too agreed the crowds present were largely friendly and good-natured and he had not been alerted to any major issues. Overall, he characterized the event as “pretty mellow.”
“Big crowds, big backyard parties, not a whole lot of alcohol in the streets. That’s been one of the things that we’ve really been hitting hard the last few years and getting education out,” Joel Plant, assistant to Cieslewicz said. “We’re seeing what we want: Voluntary compliance; people are doing what we expect them to do.”
