By Caitlin Knudsen
the daily cardinal
May 5 brought another Mifflin Street Block Party, but this year proved that the glory days of Mifflin past are far-gone.
As a crowd of about 10,000 gathered, students consumed copious amounts of alcohol, police arrested more than 300 people and the only inkling of the political atmosphere of the original Mifflin was a zombie uprising sparked by the closing of the Mifflin Street Co-op on 32 N. Bassett St.
The closing of the Mifflin Street Co-op clearly signified a profound change in the Mifflin Street Block Party. Originally, the co-op sponsored the event, which was born in 1969. When the co-op ceased to sponsor the block party in the mid-1990s, it was still involved in the festivities by selling beer and snacks to the attendees.
However, the co-op was not the only staple of Mifflin that disappeared throughout the years. Music also decreased its prevalence as students saw the amount of bands playing decrease to two this year, located at 517 W. Mifflin St. and 417 W. Mifflin St..
Even though the zombies came out, their numbers did not compare to the party in 1969, which was comprised of those who disagreed with the U.S. presence in Vietnam. Back then, students came out to dance in the streets and take a stand against something they believed in. The zombies did too, but they were just a small reminder of what Mifflin used to stand for.
Although change is inevitable in this case, change was not for the better. Police presence has always been a controversial issue, and while the recent crackdowns on Mifflin and Halloween disappoint many students, these alterations in the safety protocol are completely justified because they are meant to target irresponsible drinkers and rowdy behavior.
These types of behavior do not serve any higher purpose and is not necessary for block party attendees to enjoy themselves. They are either self-destructive or destructive to somebody else's property and if the police want to make logical attempts to stop them, then the city and students need to comply.
Furthermore, the method in which the police attempt to crack down on unruly individuals is in a positive manner. For example, for Halloween and this year's Mifflin, the presence of police forces on horseback was well received.
Unfortunately, events such as these have turned into showcases of some of the worst aspects of college lifeâ_â_""girls wearing outfits that could scarcely be called clothing, individuals far exceeding their bodily limit for alcohol, resulting in digestive pyrotechnics and students getting caught up in the atmosphere and destroying property for the sake of destroying property.
While all of this is a reality, we must accept because college students will do what they do, it is interesting to think about why so much as changed.
Originally, students used Mifflin to make sure the authorities knew they were opposed to the Vietnam War. They were passionate about their beliefs and used the block party to show that. Is it the context of living in the United States during a war that changed? No, the context has not changed.
There is a war going on right now and it is not that students on the UW-Madison campus agree with it. Throughout the course of the war, various protests occurred nationwide, some even in Madison.
Mifflin does not necessarily have to return to its original purpose of war protest, but hopefully it will stand for something more in the future than what it is now. Right now, Mifflin is still just a festival of alcohol.
