Mixed feelings over this year’s Mifflin Street Block Party stemmed from increased arrests and stricter rules, but an overall safer atmosphere.
Madison Police Department spokesperson Joel DeSpain said as of 5 p.m. Saturday, there were 282 arrests that were almost all due to trespassing, underage drinking and open intoxicants. In contrast to past years, everyone issued a citation was arrested.
He added that last year at Mifflin at the same time, there were only 118 citations written, which was largely due to people being allowed to drink on the street and sidewalk.
“Overall I think people did get the message. The number of people at the event were down significantly,” DeSpain said. “Our estimate of the crowd was about 5,000 this year, and last year was 20 to 25,000.”
According to DeSpain, the majority of the arrests were of University of Wisconsin students, with small numbers from other UW System schools.
DeSpain said at that point in the evening, there had been no reports of any violence, such as stabbings, sexual assaults or battery.
According to MPD Lt. Dave McCaw, the nuisance party ordinance was not enforced at all this year and the detox facility was not completely filled, which is a change from previous years.
According to Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, the most common citation issued was for having an open intoxicant on a street or sidewalk, which was a citation of $303.
McCaw said the most noticeable difference at the block party this year compared to previous years was the “no trespassing” signs located on the front of the houses on and around Mifflin Street. He said the signs acted as warnings for people who were on a property without permission from the owner, which can lead to an arrest.
He said the street being open to traffic was one of the biggest differences as well, because no one could drink in the street. He added that drinking was not allowed on the sidewalk or on a private property unless given permission to do so by the owner.
UW senior Becky Rupel lives on Mifflin Street and signed her house up for the protection plan. She said the plan worked well because this year is less chaotic and crowded than previous years, which is due to the decreased number of out-of-town students and the helpful police force.
“There’s fewer people from out of town and it’s more just housemates and their friends having fun, which is, I think, what it should be,” Rupel said. “This year seems like a good turning point as long as people are able to have fun but still stay safe.”
The block party was more challenging and disappointing for out-of-town students than in past years, according to UW-La Crosse alum Jerek Obry.
“We came two years ago and it was fun and we thought there would be more people here this year but there’s not,” Obry said. “You’ve got to know people to be on their property, and that’s the biggest [challenge].”
UW senior and running back for the Badger football team Montee Ball was arrested for allegedly violating the city’s no-trespassing ordinance and was issued a $429 citation with a court date in June.
UW senior Nicole Halpern said she liked being able to walk in the street in previous years because it made the school seem smaller with everyone together in one area.
She said she understands why the rules were stricter because of the unfortunate events that took place last year, including stabbings and sexual assaults, but that she was expecting it to be similar to the Mifflin she remembers from two years ago. Halpern called this year’s event the “worst Mifflin” she has ever experienced.
McCaw said MPD is still trying to get used to the difference in this year’s event and make an assessment on it.
“It’ll take a moment to digest to see if it was a success, and I guess when everything settles out everyone will have a better opinion about how things went,” McCaw said.
