At 2:00 a.m., pre-daylight savings time Sunday morning, the 500 Block of State Street looked like a bad case of dAcjA vu. A frenzied crowd of partiers alternatively chanted ""Fuck the police"" and ""We want tear gas"" while throwing chunks of pumpkin and debris from the street.
The police response, however, seemed more geared toward the desires of the city government and a peaceful majority. Two mounted officers rode into the middle of the chanting crowd, not waving batons or threatening with pepper spray but with a jovial ""meet and greet"" demeanor. The would-be rioters, baffled by the deflective response, eventually lost momentum and dispersed.
The crowd, estimated by police to have peaked at around 35,000, was both smaller and tamer than last year's, resulting in less than half as many arrests and far fewer detox cases.
Excusing the determined minority who tried doggedly to spark a riot, the event was a success from all perspectives.
The event's planners, the police and the largely compliant crowd all deserve credit for the positive and nonviolent outcome. However, the city's ticketing policy and the restrained response of police officers seem to have been the two main factors.
A smaller crowd and reduced presence of alcohol on the street ensured partiers were in less of a mood to riot and the restraint exercised by police deprived the crowd of any spark that could set them off.
The sole regret about Saturday's celebration is that, by forcing structure onto the event, the city has taken control away from students. Next year, students must give the city more input before the barricades go up in order to take back the identity of the State Street party.
In the mean time, the city should be commended for reducing the violence that has marred Halloween weekend in the past. Hopefully, this non-violent tradition continues in years to come.
