4,000 in riot near MSU; 52 arrested, others ticketed

Sunday, April 6, 2008
Police use tear gas to disperse 4,000 in riot near MSU; 52 arrested, others ticketed
Santiago Esparza and Christina Stolarz / The Detroit News

EAST LANSING -- Police used tear gas, smoke grenades and other devices that make loud noises and emit bright flashes of light to break up a huge crowd of 4,000 people near Michigan State University that erupted into a riot early Sunday.

People began partying at the privately owned Cedar Village apartments across the street from the campus' northeast border about 1 p.m. Saturday and the crowd steadily swelled into the evening. East Lansing and campus police on Friday started warning people to stay away from the area after learning that an effort on the social networking site Facebook.com to resurrect Cedar Fest -- a wild street party that often ended up in heavy drinking and burning couches -- after a 20-year absence was under way.

Early Saturday evening, witnesses said, people already were throwing beer bottles and women were flashing their breasts to the crowd as revelers chanted "Tear gas us."

By 10:30 p.m., police said, the crowd took over Cedar and Waters Edge streets. Within 20 minutes, officers donned helmets because they were being pelted with bottles and other debris.

"The volume of glass that was coming in was ridiculous," East Lansing Police Chief Tom Wibert told The State News, Michigan State's student newspaper. "The amount of people being hit was ridiculous."

An inch of glass from broken beer and soda bottles covered the streets, police and witnesses said.

At a Sunday news conference, Wibert said nearly every of the 80 officers from various jurisdictions who responded to the incident was struck with something.

"A lot of the people tossing bottles and cans had already tossed down bottles and cans," said MSU spokesman Terry Denbow. "It is not an excuse. It can be seen as a reason for some (who got out of hand)."

Kevin Koerner, a 21-year-old MSU student from Grand Ledge, said he went inside his apartment when the tear gas was used. He said some students want out of their way to provoke police.

"Absolutely," he said. "The students were trying to bring it on."

Vanessa Schultz, a 20-year-old MSU student from Clinton Township, said she stayed in her apartment. She said she saw a classmate cuffed and sitting on the ground. She said the early buzz form some partygoers was they wanted police to use tear gas.

"I saw riot cops. I didn't really want to go outside," she said. "I felt like everyone wanted to get tear gassed. Just an experience, I guess."

Beginning at midnight, there were reports the crowd had become violent and Wibert said the partiers were out of control.

An officer had been struck by fireworks on the 200 block of Cedar a fire was reported at River and Victor streets and glass bottles continued to be lobbed at officers.

Police issued repeated warnings beginning about 1:30 a.m. Sunday. When the crowd would not disperse, smoke grenades that did not contain tear gas were deployed about 30 minutes later. That wound up chasing off about one-half of the crowd, police said.

When the remainder still would not leave about 2:16 p.m., tear gas was shot into the crowd. A graphic video on the internet Web site YouTube shows people running and screaming through the streets.

"The hardcore ones wanted to be tear gassed, that's what it is," Wibert told the Lansing State Journal. "Our guys were just taking too many bottles."

Witnesses said that the partiers became upset when police did not immediately use tear gas.

Dakota Cousineau, a 21-year-old who lives in the apartments but is not an MSU student, said he watched the party grow out of control.

"I consider it a riot when people were throwing bottles at the police," he said Sunday. "Once you start using tear gas, that pretty much is a riot."

But Kyle Gulock, a 21-year-old MSU student from Warren, said the police were too quick to act and that the crowd was starting to peter out about 2 a.m.

"It was cool and things looked like they were going to subside," Gulock said.

By 3:15 a.m. Sunday, police had cleared the streets.

Officers made 52 arrests for various offenses; 24 of whom are MSU students.

Students involved in the incident could face a variety of punishment by the university, including expulsion.

But Wibert said the majority of the people involved in the incident were not students.

"A few individuals are responsible for what occurred last night and we will hold them accountable," he said during a press conference on Sunday. "To paint their actions with a broad brush covering all MSU students is wrong."

Wibert said that the majority of students skipped the party and he is not ashamed to call himself a MSU graduate.

"I graduated from MSU and I am not ashamed for what happened," he said. "I'm proud the vast majority of my fellow Spartans had something better to do."

Mayor Victor Loomis praised the law enforcement officers who did a good job handling the partiers, despite being grossly outnumbered.

"It is important to note that they, together, kept the events from last night and this morning from becoming more tragic," the mayor said.

Denbow said the university is taking a hard look at the person who started the Facebook effort. He said university officials contacted the person before the incident to state their beliefs that the person would bear some responsibility if things turned ugly.

But Denbow said the idea of such a party was not a bad idea. Alcohol and people with bad intentions fueled the destruction.

"It is clear this was not an East Lansing or Michigan State University event," he said. "It was not inherently a bad event until the end."

Denbow said the university is also looking at making policy changes to head off future problems. Denbow would not divulge those changes.

In 2005, a crowd of more than 2,000 college students and others swarmed downtown East Lansing after the Michigan State men's basketball team lost in the Final Four. Police arrested 42 people. Damage was estimated at $8,275.

In 1999, property damage was estimated at up to $500,000 when the Spartan men lost in the Final Four. Revelers overturned cars, smashed store windows and set fires. Police arrested 132 people, including 71 Michigan State students.

There also were problems during the Spartans' 2003 NCAA tournament run. But large gatherings during Final Four appearances in 2000 and 2001, for the most part, were peaceful.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. Detroit News free-lance writer Alison Costello contributed to this report. You can reach Santiago Esparza at (313) 222-2127 or sesparza@detnews.com.

You would think MSU was in the Final Four!

A case of absolute idiots!!!! They are lucky somebody did not get killed or seriously injured.

Quote :

Witnesses said that the partiers became upset when police did not immediately use tear gas.

Idiots!

Quote :

Alcohol and people with bad intentions fueled the destruction.

And they wonder why they keep raising the drinking age!

Must have been doing drugs too!

I have been drunk plenty of times in my life ; Never demanded to have tear gas sprayed on me.

I would say you are correct GS! No person in their right mind would be that stupid.

Agreed!


Goodnight!



And GO TIGERS!

BEAT BOSTON!

Oh goody, more embarrassing news out of MI, we just don't have enough....

Early Saturday evening, witnesses said, people already were throwing beer bottles and women were flashing their breasts to the crowd as revelers chanted "Tear gas us."


O-M-G

I missed it!


Darn! Women flashing that is!

Sadly, MSU always has been known for its partying. Even in 1977-79 when I was there, it was a drinking, drug taking haven. I remember students actually growing pot in the windows of their dorm rooms. I even got envolved in a couple pot parties back then in Wilson Hall. Lucky nobody got too wasted and we never had riots then. If there was trouble, it was in the apartments or off campus in Frat Houses. I stayed clear of them!