P-Safe Alert: Attempted Mugging on Pearl

Not to strike excessive fear into the hearts of students living at the edges of campus, but there was an attempted mugging at gunpoint on Pearl Street last night. From this morning's P-Safe alert:

Public Safety would like to inform the community that on Friday 12/5/08 at approximately 1:00am a student was approached outside their residence on Pearl St by an individual who began asking the student questions about where they lived and what was in his pockets. The individual then attempted to strike the student and a scuffle ensued.

The subject got to his feet and pointed a handgun at the student and demanded they empty their pockets. A vehicle then approached the area and the subject fled. The student went to a friend's house and later called Middletown Police. The student did not receive any injuries.

It should go without saying - Wesleyan is physically not a bubble. Be vigilant, avoid walking alone at night if you can, and if you do, at least be aware of the possibility of danger.

Meet PSafe and MPD officers tomorrow

Because we all know it's good to have friends in a pinch.

Plus, this will be a great opportunity to learn about what PSafe and MPD do here on campus, discuss policy and enforcement issues, and hear about what a career in law enforcement is like, all in a relaxed, snack-and-coffee-filled setting.

Who: The Wesleyan community, including PSafe, MPD, and WSA members
What: Open Community Forum
Where: Daniel Family Commons, Usdan 3rd Floor
When: Thursday, 7pm

P-Safe & MPD to host forum for students

The WSA's Community Outreach Committee (COCo) has been working with Public Safety and the Middletown Police Department, and has set up a forum for students to sit down with P-Safe and the MPD and ask them questions. P-Safe and the MPD will also discuss their jobs, as well as policy and enforcement issues, which—as we all know after the Fountain debacle—are critically important to student life at Wesleyan.

Date: Thursday, Dec. 4
Time: 7:00 PM
Place: Daniel Family Commons

Shooting at Major League Barbershop

View Larger Map

Helicopters have been circling LoRise and HiRise for the past twenty minutes. No specific details yet: students saw P-Safe telling children and their caretakers in Traverse Square to clear out for safety reasons, because there was just a shooting.

[edit I: 6:35 pm] The shooting took place at Major League Barbershop, at the intersection of Williams and Broad streets (map above). Eyewitness News says that:

"three or four black men wearing red and black entered the barbershop, shot the person, then fled. This isn't the first time this barbershop has seen gunfire. In 2005, 26-year-old Marcus Perry opened fire at the business."

Shit! And I have such fond memories of my nonviolent MLB head-shave freshman year.

[edit II: 7:06 pm] Looks like Wesleyan picked the right day to start testing the phone/text security alerts - I just got a text message, robo-call from Dean Mike, and email about the incident with the following info, as well as worried phone calls from three separate family members who assumed I was there and barely escaped with my life:

Middletown Police has notified Public Safety that a shooting occurred off campus on William St between Broad and Main streets at approximately 5:25pm today 10/1/08. 5-7 individuals fled the area and several possible subjects have been stopped. There are no Wesleyan community members believed to have been involved in this and Public Safety has deployed several officers in the area while Middletown Police continue their search for suspects.

Brrrr! Probably not the best day for Middletown bar night. Although from my ostensibly safe two-block distance from the MLB crime scene, I will say it is pretty funny that the alleged perpetrators were wearing Wesleyan colors. More details as they come.

[edit III: 9:51 pm] P-Safe update:

Middletown Police with the assistance of Public Safety and State Police helicopters have completed the search of the area for possible suspects in this incident and there is no imminent threat to the Wesleyan community. Middletown Police are continuing their investigation into the shooting of one individual and anyone with any information is asked to contact them at 860-344-3200.

Also, Middletown Eye says that the only damage was one man shot in the leg, who was taken to the hospital. So you can tell your parents that yeah, there was a gang shooting two blocks off campus, but at least nobody's dead.

Photo below from Ed McKeon, at the scene earlier today:

P-Safe, Freshman Class's New Best Friend

Public Safety has begun to implement its new Adopt-a-Dorm initiative this semester, in which one P-Safe officer will be assigned to each freshman dorm in an effort to "foster closer relationships between students and officers":

“It’s a program where we would interact with students on a friendly basis to help with crime prevention and fire safety, and be more involved to stay on a positive note,” said Public Safety Officer Thomas Harrington. “I consider myself approachable. This uniform is just something I wear to work.”

“The intentions of the program are not to catch students in the act of violating policy, but, like any University official, if [Public Safety officers] notice a policy violation, they are obligated to confront it,” wrote Associate Director of Residential Life Maureen Isleib in an e-mail. Hopefully, improved relationships will allow students to feel more willing to approach officers if they encounter a problem.

...The Adopt-A-Dorm program will also offer activities such as poster-making contests to get students involved in safety and crime prevention. Officer Harrington has already memorized the names of many residents and RAs in his designated building, Butterfield A.

“I think it’s a good idea,” said Jessica Bowen ’11. “It takes away the idea of PSafe as an ‘other.’”

Oh, if only I had one P-Safe Friend to make posters with during my freshman year, instead of being repeatedly "othered" by various different officers when busted for egregious noise violations and other bad decisions.

Argus: Public safety program seeks to improve relations

P-Safe Alert: Townie Ruckus on Pine

Altercation! Gunshot! Hand injury! Overall, a P-Safe alert full of exciting buzzwords.

Public Safety would like to alert the community that on Sunday 9/7/08 at approximately 2:30 am Public Safety and Middletown Police responded to a reported disturbance on Pine St. Initial investigation revealed that a group of approximately 10 non-students attempted to enter a small party and when denied a physical altercation occurred. During the altercation a reported gun shot was heard and all individuals fled the area. There was no reported injury from the gunshot but one student was treated for a hand injury that occurred during the altercation.

This incident is under investigation by the Middletown Police and Wesleyan Public Safety. Anyone with any information is asked to call Middletown Police at 344-3200 or Public Safety at 685-2345.

Anyone care to share details?

Campus Progress: Quieting the Riot

Hilary Moss '08 wrote a piece for CampusProgress.org revisiting the Fountain incident, comparing it to a similar student "riot" at Michigan State University in April, and discussing the implications of both for college community relations with local police departments:

Using force on college students isn’t new. In the ’60s and ’70s, most college events that required police presence were political protests. But today, most college events requiring police presence are parties or “convivial gatherings” as described by professors John D. McCarthy, Andrew Martin, and Clark McPhail a sociological essay published in Social Problems. The authors found that the lack of social organization, or no specific event leader, at large parties poses a threat to police officers. The lack of a leader and the presence of alcohol mean the police are more likely to use methods of escalated force.

Wesleyan may be able to look to MSU in East Lansing, Mich., a school that is still grappling with an incident that happened on campus this spring. In contrast to Wesleyan, public schools fall under state jurisdiction so MSU’s university officers are trained police. On April 5, 3,000 to 4,000 people jammed the Cedar Village apartment complex creating what was later classified as a riot. East Lansing and MSU police launched 24 smoke grenades, 20 flash bangs, 20 stingball grenades, and 13 rounds of tear gas. The official police report said 52 MSU students were arrested.

Despite the demonstration of force, some students think the actions of the police officers were warranted in this case. “For the most part, students seemed receptive to how police handled the situation,” remarked MSU student Jacob Carpenter, 19. “The only complaint that I heard was that the warning they were going to fire tear gas was not loud enough…I think they were very restrained as opposed to in previous years.”

This spring wasn’t the first time a party got out of control at MSU. In 2005, The East Lansing police department responded to a disturbance involving 3,000 people after MSU’s basketball team lost in the NCAA playoffs. A group of officers from East Lansing, MSU, and other areas set off 299 rounds of tear gas while wearing riot gear. As a result, students, residents, local officials, professors and the ACLU formed a commission to make recommendations on how to deal with future crowd control.

According to East Lansing Police Chief Tom Wibert, officers kept the commission’s recommendations in mind during the incident this April. “One of the recommendations was that we don’t start out the night in riot gear, so this time, we started out in our regular uniforms. After the crowd took the street and glass was flying, we put on helmets, but kept our padding off. We learned to think about how we are viewed,” Wibert said.

There is no proof that the use of tactics like tear gas on college campuses is increasing, but we can learn from the rare instances where the community perceives police force as getting out of control. According to Jerry M. Lewis, professor of sociology at Ohio’s Kent State University, it’s an age-old problem. “Look at histories of universities—students have been clashing with townspeople since the 1600s,” Lewis said. “It’s a lifestyle clash. Parties don’t start until 11 at night and the workingman has to go to work. It’s a tough problem to solve.”

Lewis attributes some of the recent interest in police presence at parties to the omnipresence of technology. “Nowadays if anything happens it’s going to be recorded,” Lewis explained. Wesleyan students and Public Safety officers recorded the May 16 events using handheld cameras, and footage of April 5 at MSU can be viewed on YouTube.

While there might not be a trend, the incidents at Wesleyan and MSU have shown how easy it is to cross the line between a peaceful gathering and what police officers classify as a riot. Nearly every college student has a story about the time cops crashed a party, but perhaps it’s time to seriously consider the repercussions. “It’s a wake up call,” Trancynger said. “It pops the college bubble a little bit.” University students at Wesleyan—and across the country—will have to communicate with local law enforcers and the community at large to maintain student safety.

CampusProgress: Quieting the Riot

Roth Issues Statement re: Fountain Ave

...And it's remarkably level-headed, concise, and fair to all parties involved in light of all the accounts of what took place.

Contrary to some student concerns that the administration would try and brush the incident under the table, it seems clear that Michael Roth understands the extent of student outrage and is doing his part in reacting appropriately:

I have now reviewed police and public safety accounts and dozens of student eyewitness reports of what occurred when Middletown police, supported by other local and state law enforcement, broke up a student gathering in the early morning hours of Friday, May 16. Although it is clear that a few students acted recklessly, and perhaps illegally, and while it is also clear that some students decided to remain in the area despite warnings to disperse, I am seriously concerned about what seems to me to be the disproportionate use of force in this incident. I have communicated my concern to Middletown’s Chief of Police. She has assured me that there will be a thorough investigation, and I will be following up with her and with Middletown’s Internal Affairs Officers to investigate the matter fully.

Students that night on Fountain Ave. were celebrating the end of the semester when they were ordered by Wesleyan Public Safety, and then the Middletown Police, to clear the street. From the evidence I have seen, there was no “riot,” as has been reported, nor was there any obvious public danger. However, it is clear that many students ignored requests to clear the street, and there are very disturbing reports of bottles or other projectiles thrown in the direction of police or their vehicles. We take this very seriously, and any students found in violation of the law or of Wesleyan rules will be held accountable for their actions.

It is apparent that some students decided to ignore the officers’ orders, but it is also clear that many, if not most, never heard the police demand that they leave the area. In any case, I am deeply troubled by what seems to have been an indiscriminate use of pepper spray and dogs to clear an area where students were peacefully gathered. Reports of unprofessional and violent behavior by some police officers are alarming. Again, I will be working with appropriate authorities to address these matters.

We are examining the policies and operations of Wesleyan’s Public Safety Department, and its relation to the Middletown Police Department. We value our positive relationship with Middletown and with the MPD, and we are grateful for the assistance the department provides our community on a regular basis. But let me be clear: we will not tolerate abusive behavior by the police any more than we will tolerate it by our own students.

I deeply regret that these events took place at what should have been a joyous end to the semester. Our goal will be to ensure that these kinds of incidents do not occur in the future, and I have already begun working with Middletown and campus leaders to address our mutual concerns and interests.

Read the whole thing at its source, or leave some non-anonymous feedback, at the Roth Blog.

Fountain Avenue Video Footage

Priya Ghosh '09 sends in footage from Thursday night. You can see the pepper-gas-ball gun in action at 1:52-2:10ish, firing in a semicircle. Also, the K9 Units are visible though their actions are somewhat obscured by the lighting. This all took place approx 35 minutes after the arrival of cruisers, and some time after the initial volley of teargas and pepper-gas-ball things.


Everyone keep in mind that there are still A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT WENT ON.

911 calls released; police chief says officer attacked

WFSB has obtained copies of ten 911 calls made by students during the Fountain Ave. incident, and has made them available on their website.

Also, WFSB quotes Middletown Deputy Police Chief Patrick McMahon as saying that the attack by the police dog was due to a student attack:

One of the students remained in the hospital on Friday after being bit by a police dog.

Police Chief Patrick McMahon told Eyewitness News that the dog attack was an accident. He said that a student attacked an officer, and the dog did what he was trained to do: fight back.

Students protest with caution tape display

Katie Fabac '08, a resident of 57 Fountain Ave., sends us photos from a student protest today on that street:

Students put up caution tape and signs proclaiming phrases like "Trigger finger?" and "End Police Brutality: Keep Wes Safe" and "Safety in Numbers?" (the last of these signs is a reference to the message relayed from Public Safety to the students asking for rides back to campus after walking down to file police reports around 3:30 am. Public Safety told students that we should walk back to campus as a group as there is "safety in numbers."

The installation today is intended to draw attention to the event and ask students, administrators, and the greater community to consider the culpability of authority figures in the events of last night.

Middletown Press reports on arrests

The story ran in today's issue. Interesting excerpt:

Police said the students were partying in the street, blocking traffic, dancing and drinking alcohol and that they were warned to disperse and given 40 minutes to do so. When the students did not comply, police took non-lethal measures to get the situation under control, said Sgt. Scott Aresco. Those measures included dispersing pepper balls.

“If they would have done what they were told to do, none of this would have happened. It appears that the officers followed rules and regulations; they handled themselves with great restraint,” Aresco said.

Usdan Forum: the Wesleying transcript

Very good student turnout, but Where is PSAFE?!?!? why aren't they here to answer questions and explain things to us?
Mike Pernick president-elect gives an introductory speech.
Izaak Orlansky moderates.
Saul Carlin reads concerns from people who are off-campus, including concerned parents.

Question directed at PSafe: what's the policy for crowd control?
no answer from Psafe or administration. (PSafe not here, neither is Middletown Police)
Student recalls asking a police officer what they're doing and if we're supposed to be intimidated by their presence. The reply was "yeah, I guess so."

Parties: not to let this hinder future parties and senior week.

List of Issues at the meeting (no answers, though):
media bias-- portrayed as necessary violence by the police.
Communication: No communication between students and police. Student was threatened by tasers while he was trying to communicate and ask why they were there.
Why were the police called? Not sure why THIS night was different from every other nights-- past parties have been larger with larger crowds. Paranoid Conspiracy Theory: this night was at the end of the semester when it would be harder for us to organize a response
Magnitude of the force: Student was attacked by a dog on the living room floor of a friend's house. Knocked to the ground, begging police to get dog off, the police hit his head, started bleeding, still didn't call the dog off.
Disrespect: Went to the police station, ask for copies of the police reports. Wouldn't give it to them until they got a camera and began recording. People at the police station were laughing and making light of the situation. Also, history of PSafe and Police using students as target practice.
Videotapping: what's with the videos? what are they for? No one knows.
Police brutality doesn't just affect Wesleyan students: general concern for everyone living in Middletown. Not an isolated incident.
Alex Gelman delivers a beautiful speech about love, dehumanization, and how proud he is of the Wesleyan community.
16 police cars: took an ambulance half and hour to get here after being called-- it was impossible for paramedics to get to the wounded because of the 16 police cars blocking the street.
Next Steps: archived collected documentation, someone should talk to the freshmen next year at orientation, committees should be set up, Engaging alumni and trustees who will be here next week, etc
Getting the cops riled up: whoever threw that beer can at the police car screwed it up for the rest of us
Officer Clark: "how many people do you have to abuse before you get thrown out?"... and officers in general being very excited to shoot some students.
Party was Not a Riot: the riot procedure was misapplied and police officers were not responsive and threatening, students felt paralyzed and voiceless, violated.
Conflicting policy: people apparently couldn't be in the street, or the backyard, or the houses.
Increased police presence on campus over the last few years, and tension and animosity between police and Wesleyan students (privilege and resentment?). Dean Mike agrees that there is increased police presence on campus, due to us hiring them to help us for burglaries and assaults. (of course the ultimate irony is that they're now assaulting us.)
Not only was the police force excessive, it was ineffective: they didn't actually break up the party. We watched them leave.
Know your rights: they will try to intimidate you out of them.
Past action against similar incidents and meetings with PSafe and the MPD: those meetings were very silencing, and very small. If this group of people had been there, things might've been different already.

Wesleyan Parent says: really concerned and emotional. This whole group was radicalized against the police-- that should not have happened, that is not their job. Wants the university to have an ongoing relationship with the MPD, to make clear that it does not want a repetition of this event under any circumstances.
Call to show PSafe's video publicly, or on the film series.

Dean Mike is sorry he wasn't able to give answers, but hopefully will answer them soon. Repeat: more firsthand accounts! Send your pictures to Argus for the special issue tomorrow (and Wesleying!)
Mike Pernick wants everyone to send everything to WSA (However, it's been my experience in the past that the WSA is really bad at archiving-- this better change. Pernick, this is a warning: we won't just "trust you" like you tell us to. Don't screw up)

PARTY ON FOUNTAIN!!!

WFSB makes up for lost time

WFSB, CBS's Connecticut affiliate, has started reporting on the Fountain Ave. arrests, after initially slacking off. Among the new details as of their last update at 10:34 AM:

... University police called for backup from Middletown and state police.

"There were approximately 250 students in the streets," said Sgt. Scott Aresco. "When officers arrived, they threw bottles at the officers as they were trying to disperse the students.

Students accused police of using excessive force, and said officers used pepper spray and pepper balls.

"That's only used a last resort," Aresco said. "We told them to move along and they refused. At that point, that's when the pepper spray and pepper balls were used."

And now, I must sleep...

Roth Statement Video Q&A Coverage

MAJOR Update: Since the video coverage didn't happen, the content of this post is being completely overhauled. The video embeds and chats were removed.

What was going to be a meeting/press conference with Michael Roth at 9am turned out to be an informal--and apparently unfilmable--meeting with students, Dean Mike, and President Roth. As I say in the comments, I think it's pretty crappy that I was asked not to film/broadcast the meeting, but I politely complied. A reporter from the Argus covered the event, and WSA President and Vice Presidents elect Pernick and Carlin were there as well. They will follow up I am sure, and I overheard them informing Dean Mike that they would like to be included in meetings regarding the event.

So I got to the Q&A a bit late. When I arrived early to set up my camcorder, I was told that no meeting time or place had been set. I was promised a phone call with details when they were available, but that phone call never happened. It pays to follow up, so thanks Anon 9:04. When I arrived, I was told that the meeting could not be recorded.

The meeting was smaller than I expected it to be, with only about 22 students in attendance. This is understandable considering the move-out deadline is fast approaching, that many students have already left, and that many others need some sleep. Still, there were a handful of students present who provided first-hand accounts of over-the-top police action. Unfortunately I was unable to keep up with the conversation well enough to provide detailed notes.

Rather than try to summarize the meeting (read my piece-meal account in the comments section), I will wrap this up with a list of things you can do:

• Send your first-hand account
  If you don't have a first hand account, but you heard something from a friend, get that friend to send hir first-hand account to President Roth and Dean Mike (mroth@wes and mwhaley@wes respectively).


• Send a complaint
  [Edit] Jacon provided a helpful list of names and addresses of people to whom complaints should be addressed in this post.


• Write a Wespeak
  I seem to recall reading somewhere that Wespeaks will be published on the Argus website over the summer, but whether my memory is faulty or not, you can submit a Wespeak online here.


• Contact Pernick and Carlin
  Because they are the incoming President and Vice President of the WSA, they are going to be able to represent studnets in places/conversations/meetings where the rest of us can't go--whether because we're off campus or because there are too damn many of us. They were at the meeting this morning and I think they will also take accounts from students.

Hartford Courant reports on Fountain Ave.

The Hartford Courant has published what appears to be the first newspaper account of the events that took place earlier this morning:

Police say they arrested five students at Wesleyan University who were part of a large crowd on campus that lashed out at police early this morning.

[...]

Campus security called Middletown police around 1:30 a.m. today, asking for help in breaking up the crowd on Fountain Avenue, police said. The crowd of roughly 200 students refused orders to disperse. Some yelled obscenities and threw bottles at officers, police said.

Due to the size of the crowd, police requested help from state police, Cromwell police and Portland police.

Update (Mad, 2 am 5/17): The Courant ran another article, this time about the disagreement between Wes students and M-town police on how to view the night's incidents.

FOX 61 reports on "chaos at Wesleyan U."

FOX's video system doesn't play nice with Blogger, or something, so embedding the report isn't working. Check it out at the FOX 61 site.

It looks like WFSB is slacking off this morning...

Initial WSA response to Fountain incident

WSA President Mike Pernick '10 and Vice President Saul Carlin '09 sent an email out to students regarding the Fountain Ave. incident:

Several hours ago, an incident occurred on Fountain Ave involving an unusually large police presence. Over a dozen state and local police vehicles were present. There were multiple arrests and medical transports. Student witnesses cited the use of excessive force, including a canine unit, tear gas, rubber bullets, and tasers.

The WSA will respond to this situation. As more details are confirmed, we will work with students, the administration, and local law enforcement to address tonight's events. Please contact us at wsa@wesleyan.edu with any specific concerns regarding the situation.

WTNH news story @ 5 and 5:30

Sorry it's so quiet. Sleeping housemates.




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Edit (Justin, 5:50 AM): I've uploaded audio from the WTNH reports at 5:00 and 5:30. Recordings courtesy of Brian Jordan '10.

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Edit (Justin, 7:18 AM): WTNH has posted their story on their own website, with accompanying text and photos.

WTNH also allows users to comment on their story.

What Happened

As many of you have noted, the news coverage does very little justice to the events of last night. I am going to do my best to summarize my experience, the excellent liveblogging done by other Wesleying staff, and various comments, etc.

First: 5 students were taken into custody during the events I have described. Three have been released, 1 with a $5000 bail (although no felony charges), 1 with no charges, and the third I am unsure about. Two remain in the hospital and will be charged when they are released. The exact extent of their injuries is unknown.

Second: Michael Roth is holding a meeting/press conference on these events this morning at 9 AM. He has invited everyone to participate.

Contributors: please edit this to your hearts content. I know I missed a lot, and certainly I got some things wrong.

Last night at approximately 1 AM several hundred students congregated outside of 25 Fountain. PSafe was there, and it was certainly a party, but hardly rowdy. There was no music except for some that which was drifting in from various house parties--Buru Style had gotten broken up earlier in the evening. PSafe was actually very friendly and approachable, greeting and joking with students they knew. However, they were trying to clear students off the street for quite some time.

At around 1:15, 7 Middletown Police cars arrived. As they were arriving, a bottle thrown by a student struck the windshield of the front police car, which instantly stopped. The police were unable to apprehend whoever threw the bottle.

(Note: WTNH is reporting that P-Safe called in the MPD and State Police to try to break up the party. -Justin)

For the forty-five minutes or so, the police tried to break everyone up. Most of the time, they just stood in the middle of the street talking to each other and walking around. Very few people left, and several chants and renditions of the fight song broke out at various times. Someone's car alarm kept going off. Near the end, a smoke bomb exploded amid the police cars - probably a student action.

A K9 unit arrived (comprised of none other than Officer Douglas Clark, of Sour Patch fame), and several officers started suiting up with paintball guns, which would later turn out to be full of pepper balls (ie, they're full of pepper spray, which releases on impact). The police then made an announcement over the loudspeaker of the front car, telling everyone to disperse. Nobody left.

If you want to picture the scene, think a typical packed Fountain party on a misty night. Line the entire street with MPD cars. Both sides of the street were flanked with curious/bewildered students with digicams and camera phones, and right in front of the first MPD car in the middle of the road is basically a clusterfuck of maybe 50-100 people. It's this cluster that's doing most of the chanting/singing/clapping.

About five minutes later, the police formed a line and started moving forward with their dogs and firing their paintball guns. A canister of tear/pepper gas was fired into the air. At this point it was pure chaos--One person made a run for it and was promptly brought to the ground by five MPDs. Picture people screaming at the police, students physically restraining other students, and one of the arrested kids kicking a patrol car's door so hard that it bent the frame from the inside and nearly knocked out the window (EDIT: I should clarify that this is from inside of the car, AFTER the shooting/gassing started and he had been tackled/restrained/handcuffed). MPD began menacingly shining the laser guides of their tasers at people. Five students were apprehended for various reasons (I saw at least one running). Of these, two were tasered, and at least three were viciously attacked by the dogs. Many people suffered from the pepper gas because the wind blew it across the crowd, towards Church Street. There was a lot of coughing and people covering their noses and mouths with their shirts. At some point, maybe out of spite, someone went into a house and turned up the music even louder. Students began asking for badge numbers and for reasons for the police presence and why their friends had gotten arrested. At some point state troopers showed up, but by then most of the action was over.

Twenty minutes later - nobody had left. The police got into their cars and drove away, to the crowd's applause. Gradually the crowd began to disperse, with many wandering over to senior Fauver, outside of which Michael Roth (who was awoken by an enterprising pair of students) was giving a speech. Several news vans were in attendance. At this point, Fountain cleared and remaining psafe officers went around speaking with students, offering medical assistance and generally doing damage control.

Later, a crowd of about sixty-five students congregated at the police station, with nearly every one filing a complaint (I've addressed the efficacy of these complaints in an earlier post; let's start writing some letters!). At approximately 4:30 AM, the remaining two students in custody were released.

Two students remain hospitalized, and the hospital is unwilling to give out any information on their condition except to family members. It is likely that at least one of these students will be facing more severe charges than the rest.

At 9 AM, Michael Roth will be holding a meeting/press conference in his office in South College. He has invited anyone interested to attend and participate.