UND Springfest turns into rowdy riot http://www.vastlane.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=575&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0 Springfest 2002 (My Version) Posted by: webmasterzero After yesterdays events, I think something needs to be said about Springfest. This is surely the last Springfest. If you weren't there, you have no idea. Here's what happened, told by me: First off, large crowds frighten me, AND this was my first Springfest. I showed up at around 1pm, found some friends and proceeded to drink. After three beers or so, I felt nature calling, so I decided to go to a friends house nearby and use her bathroom instead of wait in line forever. As I made my way to the University Park sign, I saw some guy, with police officers on each arm, being helped to an ambulance. This was the first incident I saw that could've ended badly. Luckily, the police were being really cool. One of them was actually chuckling at this poor guy. I made my way to my friends house, did what I had to do, then headed back. I found a cell phone as I entered the park, so I picked it up. I found some friends and began sipping on some more beer. An hour or so passed, and things started getting crazy. There were people throwing glass bottles across the crowd. Beer cans littered the entire park. People were arguing about who knows what. Tensions began mounting. I headed to the bathroom across the street once again, tipsy, but in very good spirits. I kept running into people that I wouldn't be able to see normally, which was really cool. I assume this is what Springfest is SUPPOSED to be about; seeing friends one last time before the long summer. I did my business, and made my way back to the park once again. The traffic on University Ave was insane. Drivers were being courteous, although the park patrons were getting rowdy. I saw a glass bottle hit the side of a passing car just after I made it back to the University Park sign. This was pretty uncalled for. I ran into some friends from high school and hung with them for a while. Meanwhile, the once friendly intoxicated crowd kept getting less and less friendly. People started getting pushy. Some fights started breaking out, although they were small at first, they kept getting bigger and bigger. At some point I decided to retreat to the safety of the inside of the park. Then the fires began... Chaos ensued. From my vantage point I couldn't tell what was burning. The way the fire was burning it seemed possible that it may be a car. As I walked toward the warming house, I heard someone talking about a girl getting hit in the head with an empty liquor bottle that some asshole decided to throw. "She went down like a ton of bricks, there was blood everywhere..." was exactly what I overheard. I also heard today that there were people getting pushed closer and closer to the fire. Some poor guy fell down and someone kicked him in the face so hard that he spit his teeth out everywhere. My backpack got stolen. I also somehow got a huge burnhole in my pants from trying to put out a couch that was trying to be set on fire. Finally, a police officer came over to us and said, politely, that everyone should get going because it looked like a riot was about to happen. I hightailed it out of there pretty quick after that. I looked back as I walked home and the whole place looked like a battlefield. I didn't see, but heard today that the riot police showed up in riot formation. People were throwing bottles at them, fighting with each other, being loud and crazy. All in all, I would say that this Springfest will probably be the last one. Not only did the UND students show an incredibly bad display of respect to the city of Grand Forks, and the people living near University Park, but to each other. This event is supposed to be about fun, getting a little drunk, seeing your friends, etc, not about starting a fucking riot, burning public property, and least of all, hurting your fellow classmates (no matter how drunk or annoying they may be). That's my 2 cents. Add your comments below. ---------------------------------WMZ

No Excuses for riot http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforksherald/news/opinion/3211806.htm Posted on Tue, May. 07, 2002 EDITORIAL: No excuses in GF park OUR VIEW: Community leaders, including students, should take firm steps to make sure future music festivals stay under better control. Let everyone agree on two things: It shouldn't have happened this year. And it absolutely will not happen again. Then let the Grand Forks Park Board, Grand Forks police, Grand Forks City Hall and UND students and administrators make sure the job gets done. Some young people at the "unofficial Springfest" gave themselves and the university a black eye on Saturday when they let the music festival get out of control. About 80 people were cited for underage drinking and disorderly conduct. Police dispersed the crowd after the young people lit a large bonfire, using picnic tables and other Park Department property for fuel. Clearly, the lion's share of the blame here lies with the people who misbehaved. (UND is hurt by association only.) Young people routinely ask their elders to treat them with more respect to treat them more like grown-ups and less like boys and girls. Suffice it to say that ruining a music fest by drinking too much, vandalizing public property and inspiring police to don riot gear, does not exactly win adults' hearts and minds. If UND students want any kind of festival in the future, then student organizers will have to work much harder to earn authorities' trust. Bar or liquor store owners who indiscriminately advertised for the event or helped supply it with alcohol, also should be ashamed. Society depends on such establishments to show special restraint in these always-high-energy situations. And the Grand Forks Park Board reportedly is discussing a new permit system for large gatherings in University and other parks. Good. Officials shouldn't hesitate to make the requirements strict, to make sure that every such event has a clear leader who can help keep the mood on an even keel and who can be held responsible. As for the city and university, both also should voice their dismay at what happened and pledge their good-faith efforts at seeing that any future events stay under control. Having fun is one thing. But torching picnic tables, breaking glass bottles and getting arrested is something else. There's no excuse for such conduct, and the young people who acted maliciously on Saturday know it. They, as well as the adults in this community, should take firm steps to make sure it doesn't happen again. Tom Dennis for the Herald allout from Springfest riot http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforksherald/3211802.htm Posted on Tue, May. 07, 2002 City, Park District ponder new, more stringent ordinances to prevent future disturbances : Springfest's riot fallout By David Dodds Herald Staff Writer University Park was a tranquil place again Monday. There were few signs of the drunken melee that broke out on the site Saturday. The fires were extinguished, the crowds dispersed, cans and bottles picked up, shards of broken glass removed and debris hauled away. A hefty bill to taxpayers was all that remained of the 2002 rendition of the so-called "Springfest." More than 40 officers from the city, county, UND and the North Dakota Highway Patrol squashed a small riot that erupted in the park after a few hundred of the 4,000-plus in attendance began burning couches, picnic tables, plastic garbage cans, and even a foosball table. Witnesses reported a number of fights between those acting out and others trying to keep order. Bottles and other projectiles were hurled at people, law enforcement and fire crews fighting the blaze. That was in addition to the hassles that happen every year during Springfest, such as public drunkenness and indiscriminate urination in streets, alleys and private property near the park. New ordinances All told, the damage to the park and costs to the various responding agencies totaled more than $10,000, including $6,300 to have the Grand Forks Police Department on the scene. About 80 citations were issued mostly for underage drinking and disorderly conduct and police Chief John Packett said three times as many could have been given. About a half-dozen people were taken into custody. "It's a tradition that's time has come for a change," Packett said. "It's a wake-up call for all of the government entities involved." Packett said he expects revisions to current Park District ordinances on the use of the city's parks, stemming from past Springfest disturbances and re-ignited by this past weekend's events. Some of the ideas up for consideration that have been in the development stage for years include requiring a permit for activities in city parks ensuring that large events have a sponsor and requiring hold-harmless agreements with event-holders. Prohibiting glass containers in city parks is another option. "We're pretty unique here in Grand Forks in that we even allow alcohol in public parks without permit," Packett said. At Monday's Grand Forks City Council meeting, Mayor Mike Brown set for Wednesday a tentative meeting with top officials from the city, university and Park District to discuss new ordinances. Not just UND UND Police Chief Duane Czapiewski said he's seen the Springfest celebration become more and more disorderly in recent years. And even though UND students front most of the blame, Czapiewski said, they get a lot of help from non-UND students who live in Grand Forks, and busloads of people from other towns and colleges across North Dakota and the region. "This is not an organized event; there is no sponsor," Czapiewski said. "All of a sudden, everybody just shows up. "We're not saying that all these people are bad, but when you get people who are under the influence and in a large group, you get a spontaneity and a reaction that causes people to do things they never would have dreamed of. But when they start throwing bottles at fire and rescue workers and law enforcement, then that's gone too far." Cleanup help The first batch of those arrested stood before municipal court Judge Henry J. Eslinger on Monday. On top of the various fines, they were each told to pay a restitution fee of $75 that will be turned over to the Park District for the cost of cleaning up University Park. A court official said that police officers took it easy on the municipal court system by scheduling appearances for those arrested over the next two weeks. The official said that on average, municipal court processes 35 criminal complaints after each weekend. This past weekend, there were nearly 120 complaints issued, and driving under the influence charges were up, too. Springfest, sometimes mislabeled as the "unofficial Springfest" there is no official Springfest takes place each year before final exam week at UND. Though it's perceived as a UND event, the school hasn't sanctioned or sponsored it for three years after it was deemed the event no longer reflected school values. And though it often is described as a longstanding tradition, in reality, Springfest at University Park only has been around since 1991. It started out as a small event, where people sat on the grass and watched bands perform. People assumed drinking alcohol at the park was illegal since Springfest was a university event. But over the years, students realized they could bring beer and other alcoholic beverages to the event, which became more and more popular. New tradition Three years ago, UND and its University Program Council decided to part ways with Springfest, and they came up with an alternative event called the Spring Concert. The concept allowed UND to hold a student-centered event on school land, with no alcohol allowed, but with a big-name musical performance. The first Spring Concert, held on the same day as Springfest, drew about 300 people; everyone else was partying at University Park, said current Student Body President Jonathan Lovseth. UND further separated its Spring Concert from Springfest by holding the concert weeks before the party in the park. This year, the concert, headlined by rock group Sugar Ray, actually drew many more people than Springfest. Lovseth doesn't feel Springfest will be going away anytime soon, and that's not exactly a bad thing. It's too important to students, he said. "So many people see it as a release, and they really look forward to it," he said. "I'm sure students don't want to see a tradition like this end, but people have to realize that there is a limit." Unfortunate result Bob Boyd, UND vice president of student and outreach services, said that it's unfortunate that UND students as a whole will get a black eye from this past weekend's Springfest debacle that was carried out by a few. He said it overshadows the good that students have done for alcohol awareness on campus and providing alternative nonalcoholic events. But he readily admits that there isn't much more the school can do to prevent future Springfest disturbances. "It's very difficult to determine how much the university can do," Boyd said. "Our students and other students in the state are welcome to come to any park in Grand Forks anytime they want. And I'm not about to say they should not." Responsibility Boyd said that some local businesses that sell alcohol must have a higher degree of responsibility when it comes to promoting free alcohol samples and overconsumption on the day of Springfest. "I am not blaming those businesses and dismissing the behavior that is unacceptable; they're not mutually exclusive," Boyd said, "but for some reason they come out unscathed in all of this." Boyd did not rule out the possibility that students found to be in violation of UND's Code of Student Life could receive additional disciplinary action from the school. "It's a dilemma for us, because while it may be an event that some of our students choose to go to," Boyd said, "it is not one that we have any control over, with the exception that we make sure we are not sponsoring the event or encouraging students to attend." Herald Staff Writer Tu-Uyen Tran contributed to this report. Reach Dodds at (701) 780-1110, (800) 477-6572, extension 110, or at ddodds@gfherald.com

GF City Council debates options for future Springfests http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforksherald/news/local/3219059.htm Posted on Wed, May. 08, 2002 SPRINGFEST: Park Board debates options Something must be done — but what? By Ryan Bakken Herald Staff Writer Grand Forks Park Board commissioners agreed Tuesday night that they need to do something to prevent a recurrence of Saturday's Springfest riot at University Park. But they're not sure what their move should be. It shouldn't be banning alcohol in city parks, commissioner Brian Westlund said, even though alcohol was at the root of the mayhem. “I'm opposed to a nonalcohol ordinance in parks because it's not an issue the other 364 days of the year,” Westlund said. The Park District sustained $5,000 in damage to property, namely the picnic tables, benches and garbage cans that were thrown into the bonfire at the park. Steve Mullally, superintendent of parks, said the damage should be recovered by an extra $75 restitution fine to be assessed those who are found guilty of breaking the law at the park Saturday. The restitution fines will be given to the Park District by the courts. Police issued 81 citations. Mullally suggested that Springfest needs a sponsor, from UND or somewhere else, for accountability. “We need a group to take ownership and leadership, people who will clean up and pay damages,” he said. He also suggested an ordinance banning glass in city parks. Probably the worst part of the melee was that glass bottles were being thrown at police officers and other participants in the party traditionally held the Saturday before final exam week. Board and district officials were split over whether a permit system would help matters. Mullally said Grand Forks is the only community in the Upper Midwest without a permit policy. “A permit gives the police some tools, some control over who can come into the park,” Mullally said. But board members said UND students and other participants wouldn't take out a permit to hold a party of that magnitude. They'd just show up, making an ordinance useless. Mullally said UND needs to get involved, even though Springfest isn't a UND event. That's one of the issues to be discussed Monday, when UND, city and Park District officials will meet. The meeting was originally scheduled for today. The story was told of how one female neighbor of University Park spent $131 for private security to sit in her driveway because she was petrified. “I've had a number of people call. They were all angry that a showcase type of park could be treated in that way,” commissioner Nikki Seabloom said. “The people want something done.” Complaints about behavior at Springfest have been an annual event for board members, who have taken a tolerant attitude in the past. But they agreed that this year's conduct was over the top. “The majority of the participants are fine, but the percent that is respectful to public property seems to be dwindling,” board member Bill Hutchison said. “Something has to be done to stop that from happening again. And it needs to be done soon, not a day before next year's event.” Mullally said 7,000 pounds of debris were removed from the park. “A couple of years ago, the Park District got the black eye from what happened at Springfest,” Mullally said. “Not this time.” Bakken reports on local news and writes a column. Reach him at 780-1125, (800) 477-6572, ext. 125, or rbakken@gfherald.com.