WSJ: Arrest totals from Saturday's annual edition of the Mifflin Street Block Party are expected to exceed 500, said Capt. Carl Gloede of the Downtown district. A majority of those arrested are UW-Madison students, police said. "If there were about 5,000 people there, you can do the math," said UW-Madison Dean of Students Lori Berquam … Attendance was a quarter of last year's 20,000. Scores more were arrested — last year's event netted 167 arrests. The rash of violent crimes didn't return this time.
Despite no violence, no stabbings and a dramatically smaller,
more controlled crowd, Wray had nothing better to do than arrest students.
Tough guys. The crime….
Most citations were for open intoxicants, followed by underage drinking violations, glass containers in a ban area, trespassing and depositing human waste … Police Chief Noble Wray … was unimpressed by this year's tamer Mifflin, telling the State Journal on Saturday, "I don't think in any measure this could be considered a success."
Bullshit. Wray did just what Soglin wanted. The kind of drinking
that was once mostly ignored, wasn’t, and the kids got cuffed. And where was
the mayor, conveniently out of town.
Mayor Paul Soglin, who called for the event's end after last year, was out of town Monday and unavailable for comment. Students cited at the event could face additional punishment by the university.
Soglin did what the Fitzgerald’s wanted to
do to the protesters at the Capitol; make an example of them. Mayor Soglin ditched
his legendary liberal past to follow his new mantra, “with old age comes great irritability.”
I expect the Mayor and police to apply the same standards to the next Badger football game. That should garner a few thousand arrest for open intoxicants. To do otherwise would imply selective enforcement of the law.
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