Police: Crowd celebrated ‘peacefully’
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Despite an increase in arrests from last year’s Cedar Fest riot, police said they are happy with the “peaceful” celebration that lasted until early Sunday morning in East Lansing following MSU’s Final Four victory Saturday night.
East Lansing police Lt. Kevin Daley said police never considered declaring the gathering of about 2,000 people on Cedar Street an unlawful assembly due to the celebratory mood of the crowd. Police made 60 arrests during the night, but no felonies were committed.
“I’m pleased the kids had a very good time and they celebrated the Spartan win with very few issues,” Daley said.
Daley said police used Saturday night and Sunday morning as a “dry run” for an anticipated gathering after Monday’s national championship game.
The crowd that gathered in East Lansing after the Spartans claimed the national championship in 2000 was “humongous, but happy,” East Lansing police Chief Tom Wibert said.
Gallery: Final Four victory ...
Video: Final Four Celebrations: ...
Revelers filled the streets Saturday in the Cedar Village area and downtown East Lansing shortly after MSU defeated Connecticut 82-73. Police blocked off Cedar Street by 8:37 p.m., and cries of “Go Green, Go White!”, “M-S-U,” and “UConn who?” filled the air until police dispersed the crowd shortly before 2 a.m.
Wibert said the crowd peaked at about 2,000 people at 10 p.m. He said the final number of arrests is a citywide tally which, along with the longer time that streets were blocked, accounted for the increase in arrests compared to Cedar Fest in April 2008, when 52 were arrested.
“The people trying to do harm were doing harmful things to the crowd, punching people and throwing cans and bottles,” Wibert said. “The majority of people saw who we arrested and understood why we were doing it and, I think, were happy to get those people out.”
Wibert said police have not compiled an estimate of how much damage was caused by the celebration, but said he observed a minimal amount. The East Lansing Department of Public Works cleaned the areas where the crowd gathered shortly after the crowd dissipated.
Robert Frisk, a biochemistry and molecular biology and biotechnology junior, said at about 8:45 p.m. that he didn’t expect the celebration to get out of hand. Frisk lives in Cedar Village and wasn’t worried about the effects the crowd might have on the complex.
“It looks like Cedar Fest, but I imagine it’s much more of a positive feel,” Frisk said. “There’s not any reason to riot; it’s not destructive.”
As was the case during Cedar Fest, observers from the American Civil Liberties Union, or ACLU, were on hand to observe police and crowd actions. Theresa Melendez, one of at least a half dozen ACLU observers who were present, said the group was thrilled with the way both the police and the crowd behaved.
“It’s going great; everyone’s behaving really well, it’s not a problem,” Melendez said. “No issues out here (with police), and it’s much more peaceful than last year.”
Daley said the most serious crime committed was an attempt to burn property, when offenders were caught pouring lighter fluid onto a chair. Most of those arrested during the celebration spent the night in jail and arraignments will begin on Monday, Wibert said.
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America
(04/06/09 5:55am)Report
A FRIGGIN’ JOKE
“ .. As was the case during Cedar Fest, observers from the American Civil Liberties Union, or ACLU, were on hand to observe police and crowd actions ..”
Gee .. is the ACLU going to start patrolling areas with LARGE NUMBERS OF VIOLENT CRIMES?
Of course not. They like to harass police officers. Not deal with VIOLENT FELONS. That would be real work.
Bozos.
Carlos
(04/06/09 9:25am)Report
Generally speaking I support the ACLU (anyone American who values their personal liberties should), but their involvement here does seem a little ridiculous, like a bunch of aging baby-boomers trying to look relevant.
Instead of casting a wary on eye on the cops, maybe the ACLU should look into this question: Why do we need to employ a force of 230 police officers to keep a group of middle-class white kids from trashing their own university over a basketball game?
Um... think!
(04/06/09 11:33am)Report
Carlos,
That’s a ridiculous statement. Do you think that 60 police officers would be able to handle a crowd of 3 or 4 thousand people? ABSOLUTELY NOT. I understand that you have no idea when it comes to staffing levels for crowds at major events or other police logistics, but please use your brain.
There’s so much that goes into the logistics of policing an event like this. Police to crowd ratio (about 17:1 ratio), significance (huge), potential for unrest (drinking all day = huge), history (1999 riots the police weren’t prepared which led to the destruction of hundreds of thousands of dollars in property), etc.
230 cops may seem like a lot, but when you’re facing 4,000 unruly drunk mob-mentality students, it may be just enough.
Better to err on the side of caution.
ACLU GO HOME
(04/06/09 11:52am)Report
Glad to hear that everything went smoothly, but we don’t need the ACLU to give us their approval. As far as I am concerned they are the most anti family, anti American group in American! They feel they need to Patrol everyone. They are far from true Americans, beware of them and their agenda!
common sense
(04/06/09 2:58pm)Report
The ACLU is the only group out there fighting to keep the Bill of Rights relevant, though they were probably wasting their time at Cedarfest. I know you inbreds who think Adam and Eve rode around on dinosaurs disagree, but oh well.
Carlos
(04/06/09 3:04pm)Report
Reply to Um …
I think you misunderstood my point. I absolutely agree with you that deploying 230 cops was an appropriate response to the events of Saturday evening. I’m glad the ELPD did that.
As someone who’s not from these parts, though, it’s still difficult for me to understand how we got to this point. In most parts of the world, riots are the work of mobs of working class soccer fans or disnenfranchised groups whose political rage has been pushed past the breaking point. They’re usually not comprised of university students with no particular political beef.
Also, here in the US, it’s unthinkable that there would be a similar response at schools like Stanford, Northwestern, or Harvard (if Harvard won the Frozen Four, say). I’m just trying to understand what’s so different about places like that and MSU.
In-bred Commies
(04/06/09 5:45pm)Report
FUNNY
“I know you inbreds who think Adam and Eve rode around on dinosaurs disagree, but oh well.”
Tenured radical red-diaper-doper-babies — 99% of Big Ten soft-side academia tenure ranks — and non-Commies are the in-bred?
You one stupid moron. Try math — it won’t hurt. Much.
To Common Sense
(04/06/09 10:09pm)Report
THE ACLU OPERATES UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT THEY ARE FIGHTING FOR OUR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS. BUT IN ACTUALLITY THEY ONLY FIGHT FOR CAUSES THAT ARE TO THE LEFT. THEY EVEN HAVE GONE ON TO FIGHT FOR A MAN WHO TRIED TO LURE CHILDREN FOR SEX BY ACTUALLY BY RAPING THEM. THEY BELIEVED THAT HE HAD THE RIGHT TO FIND OUT HOW TO DO SO OFF THE INTERNET, AND FOUGHT FOR HIS RIGHTS. GET TO KNOW THEM, STUDY THEM WELL, YOU WILL BE SUPRISED AT THE TRUE FACTS!
Bleed Green
(04/06/09 11:17pm)Report
@“To Common Sense”
1) Stop writing in all caps. It makes you look like even more of an idiot.
2) Don’t make ridiculous claims if you’re not even going to attempt to back them up.
3) I’m thankful for the ACLU, and hope to never be in a position where I need their help.