Things got a little out of control @ OSU last night..

[Wingate1217]

I agree with JBaney, seems a bit premature to douse kids with pepper spray. Most of them were NOT doing a damn thing wrong. Just because there's a bunch of kids all in once place gives them the right to do that? IMO that's ludicrous. Thank god I don't live on Woodruff anymore, but if I was there and I got hit with pepper spray because of cops doing that for no reason, they'd be hearing from me.

It appears the officers perhaps over-reacted, although Mili is right we don't know what happened before and during the incident since one video shot does not tell the whole story. However I can tell you if it was serious the cops would not have been wearing shorts to the ball they would have been in riot gear.

I will give a call to my brother tomorrow to find out what really happened as he is a Columbus detective.

 

[JBaney45]

The lantern article, along with the photos of a couple of the arrested students and some of the stories in the comments are more then a little bit interesting:

http://www.thelantern.com/campus/po...47&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_term=The_Lantern_2

 

[3074326]

Rookies indeed. I was on campus back in '79 when we beat Michigan and took over High Street. A car was set on fire and the drunken crowd tried to push it into Papa Joes. Cops finally came back in numbers with riot gear and over 700 arrests were made that night....

Keep in mind this wasn't a Michigan game day, it was a day in the middle of May with no real cause for celebration. :p

Sounds like things weren't handled very well from everyone I've heard from. They're students, maybe biased.. but I feel like it was a little unnecessary from what I heard.

 

[Gatorubet]

Matthew Coleman, a 19-year-old majoring in biology, Brian Witt, a
21-year-old majoring in civil engineering, and Michael Shivak, 21, were
arrested for assault on a police officer following the block party. All three
were charged with assaulton a police officer, and Coleman was charged
with two counts of assault on a police officer. Coleman and Witt tried to
evade police and sustained "minor injuries" in the process.

Photo courtesy of Columbus police
Brian Franklin Witt

Witt beaten like a red-haired step child by police for running, so charged with battery or resisting arrest

Photo courtesy of the Columbus police
Matthew Jason Coleman

Coleman beaten like a red-haired step child by Police for running, so charged with battery or resisting arrest

Photo courtesy of the Columbus police
Michael Earl Shivak

 

[DaBears]

My two cents

I was out last night and walked by Woodruff at about one in the morning. The street had been cleared by then, I think that happened at about midnight, but there were still 50 plus police and 10 plus cruisers completely blocking and occupying Woodruff. I know a lot of people who weren't able to get back to their houses/apartments on Woodruff. I was standing there for about ten minutes and saw some idiot throw a bottle at a police officer and get chased down the street.

From what I've been told, it seems like the police did a pretty poor job of attempting to clear the crowd before they started spraying everybody. Obviously, the students are at a fault for throwing the giant street party, without police approval etc, but I don't think mace everybody, ask questions, use sirens etc later is the best idea.

To anyone who graduated before 2004, I'm sure all of this seems extremely tame, but Ohio State has calmed down, and changed, a lot in the last few years. On another note, the relationship OSU students have with Columbus police is pretty terrible right now. Most of the people I know who live off campus have resigned themselves to a life were cars and houses are frequently broken into, students get robbed (sometimes at gunpoint), and the Columbus police don't do much of anything to stop it.

I'm not anti-police and they have a truly difficult job with a limited budget, but from a students' perspective, cops are there when people get arrested for underage drinking and are hard to find when any other laws get broken.

 

[Mike80]

(1) When you see the wagon with flashing lights, it's time to get inside and call it a night. Or...
(2) You can throw beer bottles, get douched with pepper spray and complain about it on the internet.

This....

 

[Saw31]

So, the new students are obviously fucking pussies. This was every warm weather weekend I was at TOSU. The cops used to walk down high street (or ride horses) and spray mace down at the curb of the sidewalk. The fumes would clear everyone out. 43 bars on high street back then iirc. Jesus Christ! Grow some nuts. Partying in the middle of a street, while certainly a college thing to do, may get you maced. Quit crying and check your balls for signs of puberty...

 

[BUCKYLE]

Fuck the police. Fuck 'em.

 

[Buckeye86]

I agree that when you are in a crowd like that and the cops show up, if you are too drunk or stupid to get the fuck out as soon as possible you can deal with whatever happens next without bitching about it.

Hell, if I was in a crowd like that I would want to get the fuck out before the cops showed up. Drunk dumbasses in a crowd like that are just as likely to punch someone in the face as cops who may or may not be on an unnecessary power trip surrounded by a bunch of drunk dumbasses.

You live and you learn though, and college is the time to be a drunken moron and get punched in the face. Now a bunch of people have a good story to tell.

 

[cincibuck]

Now this was a riot:

 

[Apache]

Armed cops say, "Step back", you step the [censored] back...period. I don't care if you're in the right, it's not worth getting doused with pepper spray and getting rubber cap busted in your ass. If you're stupid enough to launch projectiles at a group of policeman, then you're due the Rodney King treatment...

I totally agree with this quote. College kids would never disobey. College kids would never throw bottles, rocks or anything else. College kids would never be out of control.

Yes sometime police over-react but not if you obey now and question later.

Just a thought.

 

[3074326]

I totally agree with this quote. College kids would never disobey. College kids would never throw bottles, rocks or anything else. College kids would never be out of control.

Yes sometime police over-react but not if you obey now and question later.

Just a thought.

I think the issue is that most of the people who got maced weren't doing anything. Just standing there. It's pretty unreasonable to expect that many people to disperse immediately.

 

[Buckeye86]

I think the issue is that most of the people who got maced weren't doing anything. Just standing there. It's pretty unreasonable to expect that many people to disperse immediately.

I was on the balcony at Ugly Tuna on a Friday night before the Penn State game in 2008. At closing time some drunk asshole Penn State fans were jumping around doing their zombie nation bullshit down in the courtyard area outside of McFaddens. The cops maced those bitches and it was fucking hilarious. I assumed it had something to do with not dispersing fast enough... or something.

 

[Apache]

I agree with that Mountain Man. I just have no use for the mob mentality.

 

[AKAK]

Getting pepper sprayed is a part of the college experience in my IMO...

Amen, looks like a good party.

I won't call them pussies though, that's what I call them when the cops DON'T show up with pepper spray.

Well done.