Police deem Cedar Fest a riot

I do not care about cedar fest. I came to MSU to study and develop professionally and intelectually. MSU is one of the best academic institutions in the World and I think it is a shame that a stupid group of students do things that go against the values that MSU stands for. What should MSU do about this? Well, basically, what I have been waiting to happen for a long time: increase admission standards; pass legislation that any students with an MIP, or two, cannot be accepted into his college of preference (Social Sciences, Music, etc.). Also, I think that these are the consequences of MSU being more selective in its graduate programs than in the undergraduate programs. MSU should use this as a motivation to be more selective. After all, being more selective benefits everyone. It makes MSU’s degrees more valuable, it increases the amount of money available for scholarships per student, it increases the quality of the academic programs, it reduces the faculty:student ratio, and benefits many other aspects of the University. On the other hand, this means that costs would increase and the tuition, too. There is no problem. I do not care paying more, even when I am an Out-of-State Student, if this assures me a more valuable and recognized degree. Not to mention that events like this, not only damage the reputation of MSU, but also reduce the possibility of receiving donations from alumni and other individuals because they do not feel proud of things like this ocurring. I love MSU with all my heart. I came to MSU because of its many advantages. MSU’s beautiful campus, the great people, excellent faculty and academic programs. But its not fair that a few people damage the reputation of this institution. The vast majority of the Spartans work very hard academically, within the community and globally to maintain MSU a great institution but I thing the University needs to do something regarding admission standards. Go Green!! Go White!! Go State!!!

“I do not care about cedar fest. I came to MSU to study and develop professionally and intelectually.”

Ahaha. Well you are not doing a great job. You can’t even spell “intellectually,” considering you probably aren’t one to begin with. Hit the books harder young Skywalker…or at least open up a dictionary.

I agree majority of those people out there were not MSU students. Quit looking to blame the students whenever something goes wrong!

Actually, it says that 5% of the MSU population was THERE. That means that of the 40-some-thousand students we have altogether, 5% were there that night.

I just want to say thank you to the East Lansing Police Dept. The police officials let the festivities continue throughout the entire day without interfering until it was absolutely necessary for the safety of the police officers and the people within the mass. I am appalled and ashamed after seeing the various pictures of rioters mooning police officers and hearing the stories of objects being thrown at the officers on duty last night. It is incredibly ironic that certain individuals are so quick to yell derogatory comments at the police officers, but as soon as the situation escalates and they are in need of assistance, the police officials are the first people they run to for help. I think that it is necessary to understand that the police officers are there for your own protection and after witnessing the emergency room at Sparrow Hospital last night, it was entirely necessary for the riot to be broken up immediately. It is a shame that the police officials have been disappointed yet again by the behavior of choice individuals who cannot contain themselves and everybody else has to pay for it.

dear Oh please,

read this again: “Police estimate between 3,000 and 4,000 people from MSU and other areas crowded into the 200 block of Cedar Street for the event. About 5 percent of the MSU student population was there, East Lansing police Chief Tom Wibert said.”

5% of the 45,000+ student population was there, not 5% of the 4,000.

Sounds like the East Lansing police got it right this time — 13 rounds of tear gas this year vs 299 in 2005.

I agree that the students aren’t completely to blame, but there were a fair amount of MSU students that were arrested and I hope that the university uses the strictest of punishments against them. We were given a huge lecture at Academic Orientation freshman year telling us that there are major consequences to being in a riot. Some people just DON’T learn.

I was at Cedar Fest last night, and let me say that this is being completely blown up way worse than it was. There were no cars overturned, stores looted/broken into, or couches even burned. It was not as out of hand as it was made out to be. It seems like everytime a large group gets together, the cops make it worse by throwing tear gas and Stingball grenades (Why are those necessary in this case anyway? Anyone have an answer for that?). As an MSU student I received many emails and newsletters specifically telling me how to handle being tear gassed, is that not the police/university openly admitting that they were planning to use it? Also, about the tear gas, I stood, in a non-threatening manner, about 20 feet behind the ELPD in riot gear filming them throwing tear gas at students. When one officer saw my buddy and me standing there, he or she (could not tell) threw a canister at us. I was simply standing there recording this event and I was blatantly singled out and gassed. How is that right at all? And the worst part of it all is that I cannot make a big deal about it because I can be expelled from MSU for just being there, which is ridiculous.

On another note, Police officers, by law, are required to identify themselves and give their badge number to whomever asks for it. Another friend of mine approached a female officer, who was, to quote a spectator, “having a field day with the tear gas”, to get her Badge number, she refused to give him it and threatened to arrest him for even asking. The ELPD did not respond to this situation correctly in my opinion.

sry, got cut off, here:

http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/
gallery?Site=A3&Date=20080406&Category=NEWS&ArtNo
=804060801&Ref=PH&Params=Itemnr=1

At times I am embarrassed to be associated with this University because of the misguided (drunken) actions of others. MSU’s image has been rapidly deteriorating for the past ten years. MSU needs to re-embrace a tradition of excellence for all of the colleges and not just a select few. As of right now, the College of Education will not admit any student with an MIP or other legal offense and receiving one after admission can risk your position. I think the entire University needs a similar policy. Perhaps a two-strike policy, first instance you get a warning, the second you’re outta here; depending on the severity of the crime.

As for those who were arrested last night or even got ticketed, the University needs to make an example of them and expel the students. That way those of us who are graduating from here will have less association with these delinquents. MSU needs to have stiffer admission and punishment policies.

I’ve been on the faculty at MSU for 25 years and my wife and I have raised our family in East Lansing. We’ve loved it. I’ve had opportunities to go elsewhere, but I’ve chosen to stay at State because it’s a privilege to teach and to do research here. I’ve always enjoyed my students and I think they enjoy my classes. I wear green when I travel around the US and overseas.

Sometimes, however, it’s less fun than other times and then I travel without my green hat. This is liable to be one of those times.

You see, I hate it when MSU ends up in national media for this sort of thing. I explain to people that it’s a huge community and that a few thousand idiots don’t reflect the university that I know, but I cannot help but be personally embarrassed. I hated it when the police went too far a few years ago, and I hate it when too many students make too many bad choices… like last night.

Because, in the end, it’s about choices – whether to remove clothing, throw things, or even show up for the experience. All unnecessary. Now I hope and expect that the the City and the university administration will make some difficult choices of their own because even I have had enough.

Cedar fest last night was the best party of the year so far.
All those of you with your heads up your asses, just go suck dick.
Everyone would have stayed perfectly peacefull if the “riot police” hadn’t showed up and angered everyone. Nothing happened UNTIL the riot police came. i was there, i’m glad i was, and will be next year!

To all you worthless slimeball students attending this worthless piece of chit function….

You are the lowest of the low, and are an immediate problem the country faces today. You make attending an institution of higher learning appear to be nothing more than one party after another, and receiving an education to be secondary.

The police should have beat everyone attending this worthless function in their heads.

This was not a riot, I was there… just a large party that got out of hand. The City of East Lansing is always quick to say “riot” and pick up national headlines. I was there the entire night, having a great time, really just enjoying the atmosphere. Though I do not agree with the use of the stingballs, the police did what they had to do to disperse the crowd. It was 2 am and it couldn’t go on all night. No one was aggressive until the police began firing off the flash bangs. There is no reason to deem this a riot and put a black mark on the university.

Whoever was making reference to Hash Bash… That dump of a university in Ann Arbor (kidding) is where all the hippies hung out yesterday. This was a completely different event.

For all of you knocking on the people attending this party:

What is wrong with you? The event was licensed by the city and like a registered block party or tailgate, people were allowed to walk around with booze. Yes there were a select few, likely only around 10-20 people who threw bottles and ripped out the stop sign. Do problems go on at mass events like this all of the time? Yes, I’m pretty sure they do. It really upsets me that the police force can so quickly announce Cedar Fest as a riot, because anyone there can clearly tell you that it was not a riot at all until the police began getting agressive to kick everyone out.

What do you expect the kids to do? The police, the city, and the university no longer allow students to have a good time without getting harassed. This “riot” was simply a bunch of students expressing their frustration with the leaders of this town.

I am expecting to attend MSU for fall 2008, hopefully I don’t get caught in this mess, it all seems unnecessary, maybe I should save myself the drama and go to UC San Diego….Naw, I’ll stick with MSU, I’m sure people are blowing this “riot” thing out of proportion.

To “Spartan”: This event was absolutely not licensed or registered with the city or sponsored in any way by city officials. Get your facts right.

who cares CF isnt a bad thing. its a big party, u ppl who are all against this are gonna say u didnt party in college? pleaseeeee… the drinking has gotten out of hand their it seems msu takes anything with a pulse now…

I agree with Class of ’81…perception is reality. And the reality is that you are sullying the reputation of MSU.

Hundreds of thousands of MSU grads do not appreciate having their diplomas turned into depreciating assets because of morons like this.

@thankyou: You are naive if you don’t think politics are involved with respect to the arrest reports, and comments made by the ELPD. Of course they’re going to make it seem like a lot of the ‘trouble’ wasn’t MSU students – it’s called spin.

I went to Cedar Fest just to experience the event. I did not take a drink of alcohol and remained sober the entire night. I was present from around 10:30pm to about 1:30am. I saw students taking pictures with police and an all around good time. Obviously I left before the “riotous” events, but what I saw was not a big problem.
What really gets me though is all the alumni up on there pedestals telling MSU students to be ashamed of themselves and how this University has been tarnished. MSU is MSU, we all know it for being a “party school” I’m sorry if you believe that label didn’t exist during the years you went there, because it did. It’s not like employers are waking up to the news today saying, “Oh My God, MSU is a party school?” The fact that you threaten that your children will never attend MSU because of incidents like this are entertaining. Are you afraid your perfect child will get caught up in the evil world of alcohol and “riotous behavior?” I can say that attending MSU has prepared me for the real world much more that a U of M or small liberal arts college can because I am able to see the dangers of alcohol and what it can do to people. Situations like these give me experience in dealing with people and situations like this. Things you cannot learn in a classroom. Oh no you won’t donate money? All those hall events that residence hall directors work so hard on for about 1% of the hall population to attend that aren’t given an ounce of respect by many of my peers. Students are students, they want to party and they want to drink. If alcohol use and MIP’s were not given so much attention by MSU police and Administrators I would definitely expect less conflict and problems. Unfortunately MSU and the ELPD has “perfect” alumni and city residents like you guys to breath down their necks and dismiss the views of students.

“Because your graduating class’ record was so spotless as well.”

Never said it was. A bunch of retards screwed up our first Final Four celebration that year by burning cars and smashing windows. And ya know what? I said the same thing then that I’m saying right now.

Matter of fact, I even turned some people in to the cops for rewards back then that were shown on camera turning over a car. They got criminal records…I got hundreds of dollars. Seems fair to me!

I was there last night and it was the most peaceful mob I’ve ever been in. Me and a couple of girl friends were in the middle of were the guys were pushing and jumping around, and we barely even got stepped on. Everyone was just celebrating the warm weather and being together with their friends, it was just annoying to have the police there ready to get anyone that put a toe out of line. thanks a lot for the media and police depicting this as a riot. no cars or couches burned, no fights… yeah right, that was a riot

This is ridiculous. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t at all condone the out-of-hand behavior that supposedly took place at Cedar Fest, but damaging the image of MSU? Isn’t Umich known for having hash bash on a yearly basis? Their graduates don’t seem to be worried about their degrees. Neither should Spartans. Yeah, maybe it got out of hand (I wouldn’t know, I wasn’t there). But come on. MSU is an excellent school and will remain an excellent school…and I have no doubt in my mind that people who caused serious problems were/will be punished accordingly. The ELPD was patient for a while because they could be. MSU will continue to be an amazing place both socially and intellectually BECAUSE IT CAN BE.

Above all, if any employer SERIOUSLY wants to label all MSU students the same, then their business probably isn’t great, because that’s just ignorant.
SPARTAN PRIDE.

Whatever, STUDENT. You’re just covering up for the fact that last night was ALL YOUR AND YOUR DRUNKEN FRIENDS FAULT. YOU AND YOUR DRUNKEN FRIENDS ruined this university for the alums, not I.

This is ALL ON YOU. Your hands are dirty from this one, not mine, and not the alums.

And for the record, you unintelligent hack, I voted for Kerry and Gore. Go back to your vodka and failing grades.

Many of you are lying. I was there and there was not one sober person at Cedar Fest. Also part of the problem of the growing mob was the fact that the police starting breaking up the parties, and as a result people started leaving parties and gathering in the streets.

And last time I checked from a resume stand point if you can 4.0 all your classes and still “riot” on the weekends that means your a well rounded person, something any employer is looking to hire.

Time management, multi-tasking, team work, healthy personal life…. come on hasn’t anyone ever taught you it’s all how you spin it?

Any student who was arrested and is found guilty should be dismissed from school. The state should revoke any state scholarships they were on.

For those of you blaming the police, please stop. If those that were there last night had control, and those whose friends lost control would have opened their mouths, a lot could have been avoided. Being in the workforce now with people from many schools, I can tell you it DOES matter when something like this happens. Those that haven’t yet graduated will learn – you will be judged when this stuff happens. We can’t have a disturbance in ’99, and then in ’05, and then in ’08, and expect that people will laugh it off and say there was a lot of non-MSU students there. Employers and coworkers and others are reading the papers. It’s time to start accepting responsibility and saying that we as a school will not accept this. It’s not time to blame EL or the police. A lot of us had a good old time when we were at State, and sometimes, we drank. But there is a difference between drinking and having a good time vs. throwing bottles at cops and starting fires in dumpsters.

MSU students were warned this party was coming and it would be wise not to be there. If you were there and got tear gassed you got what you deserve. It is no wonder the City of East Lansing wants to get rid of these student apartments and they can do it. What a shame that would be for the law abiding students who just want to live close to campus. My child came home last night because she is not in to assenine immiture behavior. I believe there are a lot of young people who are ruining it for the smart, hardworking students at MSU. I appreciate the East Lansing Police Dept. for trying to maintian order for those who deserve it.

As usual it is the minority of the group ruining it for the rest. Now days you need at least a 3.4 GPA to be accepted at MSU. It think that will help weed out the people who just want to party. When my kids went to college I told them “if you see a very large gathering stay the heck away from it”. That advice has served them well. You folks who want to party go ahead. My kids need people to supervise. Losers!

Class of 2008. Good for you. You were not drunk. You are still lucky you didn’t get hit with a bottle or worse.

Who in gods name authorized this cedar fest?? What did they think was going to happen with an open party with intoxicated and stupid people in a spot that is notorious for rioting???

And I hear that the city is denying all responsibility???? Well someone authorized this party. I’m not saying the people involved weren’t drunk or just plain stupid, but that sized crowd isn’t just going to say “hey let’s have a party on the streets of east lasing”. The cops would never allow that big of a crowd to gather unless someone gave permision for this. Whoever authorized this should be punished as well as the stupid people.

What an utter lack of stupidity on that persons part!

To “Grown Up”,

I have already acknowledged that I should not have been where I was when I was filming the Police. My intentions were not to post my video on YouTube, and they still are not. I was trying to get to my friends apartment to get to safety, as I live very far from Cedar Village, and I stopped for two minutes to film the Police. In the past, ballsy people with video cameras have captured many incidences in which Police Officers were blatantly not-following the very laws they enforce, violating Americans’ rights. The great thing about this day-and-age is that most people have a camera or video-recorder of some sort with them (through phones, mostly), it keeps everyone in check that needs to be kept in check. Everyone, including the government (Police) is responsible for this or her actions if it is caught on camera. My hopes were to capture these actions if they occurred. Now I completely admit I do not feel I caught any right-violations, but I did hear stories from friends that the ACLU would have a field day with, if they pursued the stories. Though I feel that my gassing was unnecessary, as I was not standing in a threatening manner, I don’t feel like they were completely out of line by doing so; as you said, I was in the wrong place. But to quote the United States’ Constitution:

“whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”

That would be the most extreme way of doing so, but standing up for others rights by filming the Police in action to keep them in check, that is an American duty I feel at least one person can do.

And Yes, I am thankful I was “ONLY” tear-gassed.

Wow.. how embarrassing, not just for the university, but especially for those caught on pictures flashing people and getting arrested.

Okay, everyone on here is complaining about how bad this makes our University look. Have any of you older people ever heard of “Hash Bash”? Yeah, it happens at the University of Michigan every year and it is literally thousands of people smoking pot all day. Now which do you think is worse, a bunch of MSU Students drinking alcohol (WHICH IS LEGAL) or UofM Students doing drugs at their parties. Which looks worse? The ELPD at least care about our safety enough to take the drunkest more idiotic people out of the crowd. THe Ann Arbor Police have been known to not only allow this event to play out, but stand around and “breath the air” as you could say. But I guess no one talks about Hash Bash ever cause for some reason it is better for UofM than Cedar Fest is for MSU... hmm…

guess who, you are a dumbass. maybe if you got hit in the face with a bottle you would shut up.

guess who, you are a dumbass. maybe if you got hit in the face with a bottle you would shut up.

you can’t even spell “DIPLOMA”, you are a worthless excuse for a student. let’s plan ahead – i’ll take my burger with extra tomato, please. enticing police and throwing bricks and bottles isn’t a party, if you think it is – you’re a classic douchebag.

Wow yep I did spell diploma wrong, funny thing is Word seems to think that deploma and diploma are both correct spellings, though I’m not sure what deploma is, and I am to busy to look it up. So throwing bricks and beer bottles constitutes a riot eh? I doubt a yupity like yourself has ever attended a rock/rap concert, so I won’t even bother with this one… Do us a favor stop ruining our country and off yourself.

I really don’t see why it is necessary for people to keep insulting each other on here.

Last night’s events were unfortunate, because of a few choice individuals. Having come back from the JMC Charity ball around Midnight to my boyfriend’s apartment in Cedar Village, we found the cops to be quite amiable. They were taking pictures, and smiling with students, while staying alert and doing their job. Sure there were a few police officers who are quite quick to anger and quick to attack a student, but that’s more of a personality disorder than the ELPD’s over all incompetence. I think they did a wonderful job, and sure it could have been handled better. It can always be handled better, but compared to 2005 and 2001, this was pretty good. I only had to take care of two injured people who we ended up allowing in the locked apartment for safety.

The only unfortunate thing is that the tear gas got into the apartment complexes and we had to sit in there for a good half hour choking on it with no where to go.

Your reputation isn’t tarnished as an MSU graduate, it was 4000 people out of a university of 40,000 plus. It’s obvious that not everyone was there, and there was a large majority of Cedar Village tenants staying in their apartments with locked doors. (In fact most of the building on the corner of Cedar and River was locked apartments) Don’t yell to tear down Cedar Village and put up condo’s that the average student can’t afford, don’t yell to raise the tuition, don’t yell that the ELPD caused this, because they didn’t. They came in swat gear because it protected them no to provoke students.

I didn’t attend, but I observed behind a nice locked door, and I’m still not ashamed to be an MSU student.

I dont know what people are complaining about. When I joined MSU I was told i will be handed two degrees

Bachelors degree in Business and
Masters degree in Rioting

I thought the “riots” in 2005 will be last but i was wrong, but MSU lived up to its name. I am so proud of my school…...GO GREEN...

I am getting so annoyed by the students being mad that the alums are saying this is embarrassing. once you graduate and are in the real world, you will realize that you are in college to learn something so you can get a JOB. it is hard enough finding a job as it is, and having this bad press isn’t helping the university, it isn’t helping with sport recruiting, it isn’t helping students find internships, and graduates find job, it isn’t helping bring in monetary donations, or university recruiting, or having pretigious profs come here to do nationally recognized research. there is a butterfly effect here that people need to realize, and that there are consequences for the whole universitiy’s image, even based on just 5% of the student population. let’s act shocked when we maybe don’t get as much grant money from the state, and MSU raises tuition.

This message was sent by the creator of the “Cedarfest” facebook event. Anyone who was had made an RSVP through that site by last Friday would have this message still:

“This is some information on how to act appropriately this weekend and certain
consequences.

1. Every post on this site is being archived and folks need to know that
anything said in the posts may be used for investigative purposes if there is a
disturbance, property damage or any laws violated. 2. This will not be your
‘father’s Cedar Fest’. If people think they are going to be anonymous in this
day and age, even at a big gathering, that’s just not going to happen. With the
number of cameras and videos that may/will be rolling if this happens, the
majority of people will be immortalized on a memory stick and may be able to be
identified later. 3. Law enforcement people are not looking for a fight, riot
or any encounter so planting any idea to the contrary only incites people to
act otherwise. 4. From what I know from past celebrations on this campus
(2000-2008), most of the people in attendance and those arrested for breaking
the laws were not, and will not, be MSU students. Do you really want people
from outside of MSU determining the image and tone or your party ! or the
aftermath. 5. If people just come to witness the event and something goes
wrong, they become part of the event. There is no such thing as just being
there to watch. 6. The consequences to such things as riotous behavior and
inflicting property damage are real and is something you really do not want to
encounter.

If people are doing stupid stuff don’t follow them or marvel at them. lets just
go out and have a good time.”

I’m just saying that maybe that guy shouldn’t be condemned for “inciting a riot” and police should focus on the idiots who were stupid enough to throw things at officers and vandalize things, since these are the people whose actions deserve consequences. And to defend my university’s image, I will say that there was a significant portion of non-university affiliated individuals there. I saw some of the people tearing down signs and one of these was some high school kid that I had heard babbling earlier.

I am a currently a junior at Michigan State University and am still proud to say so. The events that unfolded Saturday night are incredibly discerning but by no means constitute what Michigan State really is and what employers recognize it for. Obviously an event like this draws embarrassment to the school but to say it detracts from the credibility of your diploma is a little far fetched. Every year Michigan State University contributes to advances in nearly every subject of the academic community and is highly recognized in scholastic circles around the world. A party such as this years Cedar Fest is viewed as a massive disturbance, a block party that was just too big but all one must do is recognize the ratios involved. There are universities and colleges all over the nation who have parties on a regular basis, parties that could potentially but deemed riotous, but few have the ability to draw as many to attendance like a school such as Michigan State. By no means am I justifying the outcome of Saturday’s events, I’m merely putting logic behind what most categorize as “a bunch of ignorant MSU students”. You have a campus with 46,500 students, of course you are going to get a crowd larger than the average college party, not to mention, it fell on the nicest day of the year yet. Couple this with 12 hours of entertainmentless drinking and a large portion of non-MSU bodies and things are bound to get out of hand. The irresponsibility of a few should not be attached to the masses that attended. If you were not there and did not see the events unfold, your negative and malicious statements are completely moot and bear absolutely no meaning. You can make statements towards current Michigan State students, about how you will never send your kids here but thats just feeding into the false image that MSU is a riot school. Those that were involved in serious illicit behaviour should be rightfully punished and I agree that steps may need to be taken to deflate the over exuberant party mentality of some students, but to demean your alma mater and scold all who are currently attending, you are the Spartan who should be ashamed. Maybe this town would be better off without mindsets of the like.

“bout 5 percent of the MSU student population was there, East Lansing police Chief Tom Wibert said.” – I HIGHLY doubt that…...Cedar Village can’t even fit 5% of the student population…..

As the parent of an MSU student, I would like to thank the ELPD for taking my injured son to ER after he fell and cut his face. Fortunately, the injury was minor, and the police did what they had to do with a person who was bleeding. My son has no health insurance, so he will be paying a hefty bill for a night of “fun”. Thanks again to all who did what they had to do to assist the injured and get the “party” under control.