Although Halloween is still over a month away, Madison police and community members are already putting a plan in place to avoid a rehash of the drunken riots that plagued last year's celebration on State Street.
This year organizers will try to lure partygoers away from bar stools and beer bongs toward two stages of live music near State Street and events at both Union South and Memorial Union.
A work group of police, city and university staff, business owners and community members has studied the issue for months and come up with preliminary suggestions to subdue drinking-related violence.
\[We are] giving the crowd something to look at and be involved in rather than just pushing each other and milling around,"" work group member Will Komassa said at a group meeting Tuesday.
Komassa, a second-year law student at UW-Madison, joined with four other friends to form a group called Madtown Events which is organizing music and entertainment for the Saturday, Nov. 1 Halloween celebration. Madtown Events is not contracting with the city, but they are helping the group find ways to control crowds.
Last year a brawl started Saturday night on the 500 block of State Street. The crowd threw bottles and smashed store windows. Police responded in riot gear with pepper spray and tear gas.
Since Halloween fell on a Thursday last year, Police devoted the bulk of their staff and budget to Friday night, leaving them unprepared for the riots Saturday.
This year police emphasize they would like people to come out for the big celebration Saturday Nov. 1. They will put more officers than usual out Thursday and have equally beefed-up forces Friday and Saturday, Central District Captain Luis Yudice said. They have not decided on exact numbers yet.
Police will also send letters to liquor store owners encouraging them to put out displays of canned instead of bottled beers to minimize the number of bottles that could be turned into weapons on the street.
Riley's Wines of the World Manager Tom Harris said his store would co-operate with police, and they would not be having unusual keg sales Halloween weekend.
""It's fine with us if [police] want us to just push cans and take the bottles off the shelves for the weekend,"" Harris said.
Bar owners will also be asked to do their part in reducing the amount of public drunkenness. Dick Lyshek, owner of Bullfeathers, 303 N. Henry St., said many bars will try to maximize profits over the weekend by charging covers, which will also deter excess bar hopping and drinking.
""Most bars are usually going to be raising prices Friday and Saturday nights,"" Lyshek said.
