M ANY PEOPLE may have been won- dering where the police force was after the Dave Matthews Band concert. Or, where the police were during the many after parties and tailgating, and patients with alcohol poisoning were being taken to the emergency room. The students involved in the University's Spring Fling activities learned the answer to this question.
Spring Fling is an annual tradition of the black community at U.Va. During this primary minority recruitment weekend, prospective students from all over the country fly and sometimes even drive from far distances to be a part of this amazing gathering of current students and alumni. From step shows to forums to parties and dancing, this is the weekend that students wait for. This is a time to go out with your friends and to show prospective students the ropes. Something, though, went wrong Saturday night.
Every year on the Saturday evening of Spring Fling, a fashion show is held at the University as a part of Spring Fling festivities. After the show, a party culminating the weekend and celebrating the fashion show is held. This weekend the fashion show and after party were held on the same evening as the much anticipated Dave Matthews Band concert. Most of the parties for both of these festivities were held on Rugby Road. However, even though these parties were held on the same street, they could have been worlds apart.
The breakdown of what ensued seem to be unreal for those who witnessed it. Here is second-year College student Sam Sangobowale Jr.'s account:
"My friends and I approached St. Elmo's [the location of the Spring Fling party] at 1 a.m. Upon arriving there were about 10 to 15 police officers standing outside directing people away from the frat house. I thought a fight might have occurred inside, but one had not. Fifteen to 20 minutes later the police officers actively started directing people off of the street entirely, threatening students and alumni. Police officers had dogs and billy clubs. One of my friends approached a police officer asking why people were being directed off the streets and the police officer said, 'Get out of here right now or I will arrest you for unlawful assembly.' Everyone then proceeded to leave. I was absolutely outraged at the way in which the Charlottesville police handled the situation."
Fourth-year College student Tehama Lopez was physically accosted and harassed by one of the officers. "As I was trying to talk to one cop, he refused to listen to any of my concerns and told me very firmly that I had to go, that I couldn't stay and that I had to get out of the street. Before I knew it, he took my arm, twisted it, and put me in a position as though he were going to handcuff me. He then walked me over to the sidewalk and said 'Get off the street or get arrested'."
I felt there was no imminent danger for any of the persons at the party or its surrounding citizens. Many of the attendees of the party questioned why this type of force was necessary or needed. It is the opinion of the party's organizer, fourth-year Architecture student Andre Llewellyn, that although the police might have been well-intentioned, their force and execution was overly aggressive, and the number of resources used, including dogs, was excessive.
Charlottesville police Seargent Rich Hudson explained that the reason for the police presence was strictly a safety issue for the pedestrians in oncoming traffic. He explained that persons in the street waiting to get into the party were impeding traffic, and they had to be cleared out. According to Hudson, the party was cleared out twice, once at around 1:30 a.m. when the traffic was being blocked and again at 2:00 a.m. when the party had ended. He said the party down the street at this time was not disruptive or causing any safety issues.
Juxtapose the Spring Fling party with this party down the street composed mostly of white students not affiliated with Spring Fling weekend. At the same time that Hudson said that there was nothing troubling going on at 1:30 a.m. at the party down the street, third-year Engineering student Dawn Herndon had a different account. She said she had witnessed those students consuming alcoholic beverages and throwing bottles. She said this party was overcrowded, and many of its participants were probably under age. The Charlottesville police officers drove by this party and all of its illegal activities, driving straight to a party filled with minorities, with no alcohol, no crowding in the lines and no imminent danger to its participants whatsoever.
The question is, why were the Charlottesville police officers there from the get-go? Why were policemen with dogs breaking up a harmless party, when down the street illegal actives were ensuing that threatened the health of many of its participants? Why was something so innocent broken up, and broken up with such force? The answer to this is one I do not like to think about, but it is obvious.
We live in a world of racial profiling and the students of U.Va are not an exception to that. Saturday night, students were infuriated and saddened by the way they were treated on what is supposed to be the most fun weekend of the year. Why did this happen? One wonders, on a night that is billed months ahead to be the night of Dave Matthews, why the Charlottesville police did not harass and break up all parties. It is important to add that the University police did not think this party merited a visit, as they never showed up. But the Charlottesville police force was there in full force from the beginning waiting for something to happen. And when nothing happened, it simply didn't matter. I have been to other minority parties here when the crowd was so large I thought I could not breathe. Where were the police then?
I am deeply saddened by this night because I realize that no matter where you are or what college you go to, this color never escapes you. We try so hard to be politically correct on this campus. We think that this institution can protect us from outside forces. However, tonight many learned that this is not the case. Sadly, a night of celebration, a weekend built for incoming students, ended in confusion and anger. I want to apologize to all of the prospective students who witnessed and experienced this. I want to say sorry, but I don't know what to say. I can't say if you go here it will not happen again.
(Christine Chambers is a second-year College student.)
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