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Squads of police in riot gear mobilized four times Saturday to break up large groups of revelers participating in this year’s Blarney Blowout, each time making arrests as they moved in on groups that assembled in dense crowds.
The confrontations grew violent at times with participants throwing bottles and cans at the police, who in turn sought to single out individuals whom they wrestled to the ground, often twisting a limb if the person wasn’t submitting to arrest.
In all, 73 people were arrested on charges ranging from minor alcohol infractions to assault and battery on a police officer. Another 28 were to be summoned to court.
The University of Massachusetts is not the only college that deals with Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations. Different measures are being put into place at colleges on how to handle the holiday that is so often celebrated with alcohol. Penn State may have found an effective way to handle unruly Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations. Penn State has paid licensed liquor establishments to stay closed during the pre-Saint Patrick’s Day celebration there, called State Patty’s Day. This is the second year that Penn State has done so.
Tom King, chief of state college Pa. police, said that this measure, along with a fraternity ban on parties, led to a significant decrease in arrests and citations. Arrests and citations are down 75 percent from 2011. Last year Penn state offered $5,000 to establishments willing to close their doors during the fake holiday. This year has been a little different. Penn State offered to pay from a range of $2,500 to $7,500, with the amount determined by occupancy.
For the 73 arrested by Amherst police in the Blarney Blowout, their college career is now in the hands of UMass as they await review. Amherst resident, Raul Colon, who helped to clean up the destruction, said that Saturday’s events looked like, “a revolution, like in the countries that have revolutions between the students and the government.”
Agencies/Canadajournal
