Police Blame Halloween Riot On Female Flashers
Police Costs Surpass $80,000
Posted: 8:56 p.m. CST November 4, 2002
MADISON, Wis. -- Madison police are defending their action in handling the Halloween State Street riots, while eight officers recover from injuries.
They say female flashers triggered the early Sunday morning melee.
Police say they started patrolling Saturday night with 40 extra officers trying to keep the State Street peace, but by the time the tear gas cleared, that number had more than doubled.
The riot started about 1:30 a.m.
Police believe they've identified the trigger that sparked the scenes of chaos and and beer bottles sailing through State Street taverns' windows. Police said Monday that young women put young men, who police say were very drunk, into a "frenzy."
"Women who, uh, would flash, uh, you know, uh, various body parts to the crowd," said Lt. Bill Housley.
Mayor Sue Bauman wanted answers Monday about why police weren't better staffed to handle the crowd estimated at 60,000.
"Madison's Halloween celebration is the comparable of the Mardi Gras of the Midwest, but I'm not sure we want it to be advertised and celebrated in a way that people will come and act ... not in manners that are not safe and not healthy," Bauman said.
The estimated police cost for the incident is $83,000.
Police say that because Halloween fell on a Thursday, they had no real way of predicting which night might bring the biggest or rowdiest crowd.
Following some of the escapades of females, police found themselves being pelted as they tried to rescue a man down in the mass revelers.
"(They threw) bottles, bricks, street signs, bike racks, pieces of flaming debris," said Capt. George Silverwood.
When police tried to help some injured people, others threw bottles at them, police said. People threw bottles at apartment windows, and some residents retaliated with bottles, injuring at least two people, police said.
Others ripped out street signs and bike racks, threw bricks, tipped trash barrels and newspaper vending machines and started a small fire, police said. The crowd smashed windows in nine businesses and looted two, police said.
An estimated 400 to 500 revelers then surged around officers who were, by this time, donning riot gear.
"It was at that point that I authorized CS gas to be used," Silverwood said.
It worked. The crowd dispersed -- some busting glass as they ran. The riot, which spanned about two blocks, was over by 4:30 a.m., police said.
Police said they had 100 officers on the street, but more would have been nice, commanders admit.
"The reality is what happened would not have been stopped by having more officers down there, said Lt. Bill Housley.
Chief Richard Williams promised his department would be ready next year.
"We really don't know (what will happen next year), but we obviously think that we will be able to rise to the challenge and do a better job," he said.
Police ticketed or arrested 11 during the riot -- all but three were from out of town.
State Street was still closed late Sunday morning for cleanup.
Capt. Luis Yudice told News 3 that it was the worst riot he's seen in 20 years.
"I've worked many Halloween celebrations back when we've had 100,000 people (on State Street)," he said. "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."
Despite eight officers sustaining injuries, Yudice said it could have been worse.
"One officer had a rock thrown at his face, and he was protected by the shield, and it was shattered," he said. "Other officers were hit by beer bottles, rocks, pieces of concrete. So the situation could've been much worse."
Madison Alderman Mike Verveer said he witnessed the riots and 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."
Business Owners Criticize Police
A store owner and others are criticizing Madison police for the way they handled the melee. The critics say the aggressive tactics of police only worked to inflame the crowd.
Stop n' Shop grocery store manager Brandon Hicks says police should have planned better for Saturday night.
Many retailers had to close their shops for at least a day to clean up the mess of broken glass and rock.
Some said the loss of business and repair costs hit hard, but say it's worth it for their location.
"We lost a day-and-a-half of business," said N.J. Niemuth of Jamba Juice. "Sundays aren't necessarily the biggest day of the week down there, but you definitely lose some money when it happens."
Niemuth said his store suffered nearly $4,000 in lost business and repairs.
He, like others, said they realized locating to State Street could mean a broken window or two, but never fathomed anything like this.
"People have problems with whether it was the police or whether it was with each other or whatever," Niemuth said. "The businesses on State Street had nothing to do with it. I think it was disrespectful of what happened, and I don't necessarily know that it was kids from UW."
Brenda Larson, general manager of Heartland Birkenstock, just moved to State Street last month.
"We expected a broken window at some point, but we didn't expect it within the first 30 days, and we didn't expect something of this magnitude," she said.
Most storeowners don't blame police or themselves for Saturday's troubles. They said it's just a classic case of mob mentality.
"You put 65,000 people ... mix it with alcohol, put them on the street, it's inevitable that something's going to happen," Larson said. "Obviously, it got way out of control, but we're still very positive about being down here."
The owner of Princess of India Imports said the problem lies in Peace Park, which supplied the rocks to shatter many windows.
Business owners said they are aware this could happen again.
"I'm sure now, next year, when Halloween rolls around, it'll be in the back of everyone's head, 'Well, what's going to happen this year?'" Niemuth said. "Is the same thing going to happen all over again?"
See images of riot
Police say they started patrolling Saturday night with 40 extra officers trying to keep the State Street peace, but by the time the tear gas cleared, that number had more than doubled.
The riot started about 1:30 a.m.
Police believe they've identified the trigger that sparked the scenes of chaos and and beer bottles sailing through State Street taverns' windows. Police said Monday that young women put young men, who police say were very drunk, into a "frenzy."
"Women who, uh, would flash, uh, you know, uh, various body parts to the crowd," said Lt. Bill Housley.
Mayor Sue Bauman wanted answers Monday about why police weren't better staffed to handle the crowd estimated at 60,000.
"Madison's Halloween celebration is the comparable of the Mardi Gras of the Midwest, but I'm not sure we want it to be advertised and celebrated in a way that people will come and act ... not in manners that are not safe and not healthy," Bauman said.
The estimated police cost for the incident is $83,000.
Police say that because Halloween fell on a Thursday, they had no real way of predicting which night might bring the biggest or rowdiest crowd.
Following some of the escapades of females, police found themselves being pelted as they tried to rescue a man down in the mass revelers.
"(They threw) bottles, bricks, street signs, bike racks, pieces of flaming debris," said Capt. George Silverwood.
When police tried to help some injured people, others threw bottles at them, police said. People threw bottles at apartment windows, and some residents retaliated with bottles, injuring at least two people, police said.
Others ripped out street signs and bike racks, threw bricks, tipped trash barrels and newspaper vending machines and started a small fire, police said. The crowd smashed windows in nine businesses and looted two, police said.
An estimated 400 to 500 revelers then surged around officers who were, by this time, donning riot gear.
"It was at that point that I authorized CS gas to be used," Silverwood said.
It worked. The crowd dispersed -- some busting glass as they ran. The riot, which spanned about two blocks, was over by 4:30 a.m., police said.
Police said they had 100 officers on the street, but more would have been nice, commanders admit.
"The reality is what happened would not have been stopped by having more officers down there, said Lt. Bill Housley.
Chief Richard Williams promised his department would be ready next year.
"We really don't know (what will happen next year), but we obviously think that we will be able to rise to the challenge and do a better job," he said.
Police ticketed or arrested 11 during the riot -- all but three were from out of town.
State Street was still closed late Sunday morning for cleanup.
Capt. Luis Yudice told News 3 that it was the worst riot he's seen in 20 years.
"I've worked many Halloween celebrations back when we've had 100,000 people (on State Street)," he said. "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."
Despite eight officers sustaining injuries, Yudice said it could have been worse.
"One officer had a rock thrown at his face, and he was protected by the shield, and it was shattered," he said. "Other officers were hit by beer bottles, rocks, pieces of concrete. So the situation could've been much worse."
Madison Alderman Mike Verveer said he witnessed the riots and 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."
Business Owners Criticize Police
A store owner and others are criticizing Madison police for the way they handled the melee. The critics say the aggressive tactics of police only worked to inflame the crowd.
Stop n' Shop grocery store manager Brandon Hicks says police should have planned better for Saturday night.
Many retailers had to close their shops for at least a day to clean up the mess of broken glass and rock.
Some said the loss of business and repair costs hit hard, but say it's worth it for their location.
"We lost a day-and-a-half of business," said N.J. Niemuth of Jamba Juice. "Sundays aren't necessarily the biggest day of the week down there, but you definitely lose some money when it happens."
Niemuth said his store suffered nearly $4,000 in lost business and repairs.
He, like others, said they realized locating to State Street could mean a broken window or two, but never fathomed anything like this.
"People have problems with whether it was the police or whether it was with each other or whatever," Niemuth said. "The businesses on State Street had nothing to do with it. I think it was disrespectful of what happened, and I don't necessarily know that it was kids from UW."
Brenda Larson, general manager of Heartland Birkenstock, just moved to State Street last month.
"We expected a broken window at some point, but we didn't expect it within the first 30 days, and we didn't expect something of this magnitude," she said.
Most storeowners don't blame police or themselves for Saturday's troubles. They said it's just a classic case of mob mentality.
"You put 65,000 people ... mix it with alcohol, put them on the street, it's inevitable that something's going to happen," Larson said. "Obviously, it got way out of control, but we're still very positive about being down here."
The owner of Princess of India Imports said the problem lies in Peace Park, which supplied the rocks to shatter many windows.
Business owners said they are aware this could happen again.
"I'm sure now, next year, when Halloween rolls around, it'll be in the back of everyone's head, 'Well, what's going to happen this year?'" Niemuth said. "Is the same thing going to happen all over again?"
See images of riot
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