Halloween In Madison Has Rocky Past

MADISON, Wis. -- As this year's Halloween celebration on State Street draws near, city and law enforcement officials are bracing for an event that has been marred by rampant property damage, violence and rioting in past years.

Madison's Halloween woes took front and center in 2002 when police used tear gas and pepper spray early to break up a crowd of 65,000 revelers, including some who were looting, throwing bottles, pulling out street signs and smashing windows.

Over the last four years, city officials have tried to devise a plan to control the massive crowds and reduce problems -- with varying success. Plans and strategies get tweaked each year, but the constants have been large crowds and a big tab for the city to police the annual event.

Police said the 2002 riot began when people began fighting with bottles; when police tried to help some injured people, others threw bottles at officers. Others ripped out street signs and bike racks, threw bricks, tipped trash barrels and newspaper vending machines and started a small fire, police said.

Police said young females who were flashing the crowd triggered the 2002 melee by putting drunk men into "frenzy."

"I've worked many Halloween celebrations back when we've had 100,000 people (on State Street)," said Luis Yudice in October 2002 when he was a police captain. "But it has never been to this extent where the people had began to damage and began to hurt others within the crowd -- and where they turned on the officers. This certainly has to be one of the worst."

Madison alderman Mike Verveer, who witnessed the 2002 riots, said it was sickening.

"It was heart-wrenching," he said. "(It was the) same way I felt witnessing the 1996 Mifflin Street Block Party riot. (They were) ripping up traffic signs throwing them at the cops, throwing trash cans at the cops, picking up bicycle racks with bicycles still attached to them and throwing them at the cops."

Glass Ban Passed For 2003 Party

As a result of 2002's riot, the city passed a new ordinance before the 2003 event that banned glass on and around State Street on the Friday and Saturday of Halloween weekend. Police said they feared glass bottles would be used as weapons.

A glass-free zone will be in affect again this year, and partiers will not be able to have glass containers on or around State Street between 9:30 p.m. and 6 a.m. Oct. 27 through Oct. 29, 2006.

Despite the city's preparations, violence erupted again at Halloween bash in 2003 and police in riot gear used pepper spray to clear the 500-700 blocks of State Street at about 3 a.m. after revelers started breaking windows, looting various businesses and ripping trees from the ground. Police said the crowd got out of control after a free concert wrapped up and some in the crowd started an impromptu mosh pit.

Police noted that many had come from out of state for the Halloween festivities, and several from the University of Minnesota were arrested. There were reports from some witnesses that a contingency of Gopher fans singing the school's fight song ignited the melee.

"The violence and property damage that occurred at this year's Halloween celebration was unacceptable and those responsible need to be prosecuted," said Mayor Dave Cieslewicz in November of 2003. "I am disappointed that an otherwise peaceful and fun event was marred at the end."

The tab for Madison police overtime stemming from the 2003 Halloween riot on State Street was $53,000, nearly $20,000 over budget, WISC-TV reported.

2004 Halloween Bash Gets National Attention

In September of 2004, Sports Illustrated added fuel to the fire by promoting the event and labeling it "anarchy," upsetting city officials who were working hard to turn the event around.

"Mark Oct. 31 on your calendar with an anarchy sign. We'll be in Madison, Wis., for its annual Halloween party.. in which up to 100,000 revelers parade on state street. Warning, this is not standard trick or treating, there have been riots the last two years," read a passage in Sports Illustrated's "On Campus" edition.

"(This is) absolutely the last thing we need. We've been working hard since last year to change the tone of the event -- make it smaller, more homegrown. We don't want a lot of people from out of town looking to party hard and the Sport Illustrated article really flies in the face of that," Cieslewicz said in September of 2004.

The 2004 event saw the addition horses to help control the crowds. About 20 mounted patrols worked State Street on Halloween. It was the first time Madison police officers, Dane County deputies and state troopers trained together for Halloween, and most had never worked with mounted patrols.

The University Inn, one flashpoint in 2003, also voluntarily shutdown, and the owner turned it over for police to use, instead of students.

Despite new strategic planning, for the third year in a row the party grew violent and pepper spray was used.

Police in riot gear again used pepper spray to clear Halloween revelers from downtown Madison after some in the crowd started a fire. Police in 2004 said that people started throwing objects, taunting officers, lighting small fires and starting fights.

After 2004's melee, the mayor encouraged Halloween to be shut down in 2005. Although as some have pointed out, actually cancelling or banning the event would be difficult to carry out with tens of thousands of people descending on Madison.

"I have had enough of placing our police officers and firefighters in danger," Cieslewicz said in November of 2004. "I have had enough of the black eye these disturbances give to the reputation of our city. I want to send a very clear message to everyone who came to Madison to cause trouble this weekend: Stay away next year."

In 2004, the city alone spent more than $255,000 in an attempt to control the Halloween crowds. Police arrested 519 over the 2004 Halloween weekend, mostly for disorderly conduct, underage drinking and open intoxicants. Police said the fines totaled about $125,000.

In October 2005, the University of Wisconsin-Madison instituted a new rule banning any guest in the dorms on Friday or Saturday night of Halloween weekend. The rule was meant to discourage out-of-town troublemakers.

Police statistics over the past three years showed, by and large, that out-of-town guests are the ones who set fires on the street and smashing windows, WISC-TV reported.

Authorities said the crowd at the 2005 event was generally peaceful, but police still used pepper spray to disperse a belligerent mob that refused to leave State Street between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. Sunday.

A visibly disappointed Mayor Dave Cieslewicz said in 2005 that after three years ending nearly the same and at a $350,000 price tag, the event may need to be ended for good. "Every year there's a certain group of people who come hellbent on starting an altercation of some kind and we can't seem to shake that," Cieslewicz said.

The total cost of responding to crowds for all law enforcement agencies was about $580,000 for the Halloween party in 2005. Madison police spent nearly $100,000 more responding to the crowds in 2005 than in 2004.

City Tries New Plan For 2006

For the 2006 event, the city is trying another new approach.

The new city-sanctioned Halloween celebration will include performances by several bands.

This year's event, rechristened "Freakfest on State Street," will require a ticket to enter and boasts a series of new security measures to stem some of the problems that have plagued the annual ritual. It will be held on Saturday, Oct. 28, WISC-TV reported.

The $5 tickets went on sale for Freakfest earlier this month. A ticket kiosk is selling the tickets until Halloween on the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Library Mall. Tickets are also available through the city Parks Department WISC-TV reported.

Another new feature this year will be the fences around State Street that the city will be erecting.