The low turnout and peaceful, law-abiding nature of 2013 Mifflin Street Block Party attendees allowed police to send officers home earlier than expected, lessening the cost to tax-payers and inspiring the city to look into decreasing patrol levels at future Mifflin Street Block Parties, according to Madison Police Department Lt. Dave McCaw.
Although the official number of arrests and citations have yet to be released, Ald. Mike Verveer, District 8, said it is tentatively “less than a dozen,” down several hundred from last year, when the city arrested or cited 545 people.
Despite record-low attendance at this year’s event, Verveer said the turnout exceeded his expectations considering the “rumors that were flying that the cops had declared martial law” following the city officially canceling Mifflin.
McCaw said MPD, along with the city, will analyze the success of this year’s block party and “come up with suggestions on how to dial back police presence if we think we can.”
Students in attendance seemed hopeful about Mifflin’s future but echoed concerns that swirled throughout the student body weeks leading up to it that the city is trying to crush a Badger tradition.
One University of Wisconsin-Madison senior and repeat Mifflin attendee said his three older siblings, all alumni, called him Saturday morning to wish him a “happy Mifflin,” because “it’s something that you look forward to when you say you’re going to be a badger.”
“For them to try to knock out something that’s deeply embedded in the tradition of UW Badgers,” he said. “It’s hard for them to do that.”
Another student in attendance, who wished to remain anonymous, agreed, saying for everything the students bring to the school, they should be allowed to let loose the Saturday before finals because “the world doesn’t perceive us on Mifflin Street, they perceive us as the great university that we are.”
He also said Saturday was a testament to how tame Mifflin can be and has been. He said 2011 was the only year there was a problem, and it was because the city sought a sponsor for the event, promoted it and sold beer on the street.
“2010 Mifflin,” he said. “Go back to that.”
