No, believe it or not, this is not a Saturday Night Live skit########################################
UPDATE: Wednesday 2:30 PM The Facebook group is gone undergound, long live civility. As always, Comments are the best.
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ORIGINAL POST: Tuesday morning
Strike up the ditty "Fight...for your right, to parrrrrrrrty!" The irate lads who live at 23 Tracy Circle have taken to Facebook to rage against the machine. Nice language boys. Gotta wonder if they have family on Facebook who will get to see their diatribe.
Note from screen shot above (taken yesterday) that they had 170 members, but are now down by four (who probably don't want HR pros to know they were once part of such an immature group when they go job searching.)
The Thin Blue Line
125 comments:
Is it possible that this was a parody of student arrogance and sense of entitlement? This can't be what they truly believe about their place in the community.
Please tell me that this was a joke.
first of all we are not boys we are men and secondly i can say fuck as much as i want
Yeah, you're really acting like adults.
Sorry Anon 3:37 PM
No joke.
Unwarranted sense of entitlement on display. I'm going to throw a "Bless the fines" party, but it won't get into the papers, police log, or Larry Kelley's blog.
Where did we go wrong in this country?
I would love to stick these "boys" in a time machine and set the dial for Landing Craft, Omaha Beach, 1944.
Should have titled it "Boys will be Babies". If this is not a parody and they truly feel this way then this should be a wake up call to everyone as to how some of these kids feel about our town. I say fine the crap out of them till they can't afford to go to school here anymore.
These boys could always run for Town Meeting and move to repeal the fines.
Now THERE'S a punishment.
"secondly i can say fuck as much as i want"
Obviously.
"first of all we are not boys we are men"
Not so sure of that.
Products of the Amherst schools.
This is a location on a corner with other houses all around it, modest homes occupied by people paying their mortgages and their high property taxes.
Where do these guys get off thinking they can party and make noise all they want with so many neighbors living so close?
If you want to be loud, try New Salem.
Amherst residents are sick of this kind of student arrogance.
Third of all this guy is a real creep he had plenty of time to drive around our neighborhood and take sketchy pictures of 23 tracy, how much time do you have what do you do for a living Larry Kelley? To everyone who has an issue with the Umass students just remember what this town would be without the university...and my name is Peter just so this is not anonymous
Yes Peter I may still have the police report in my file somewhere so I could publish the full names of all three of you (including hometowns) if I felt like it.
And send the link to your hometown newspaper.
I only live less than a mile from you, so it really took no time at all, no bother whatsoever, to do a drive by.
Ladies and gentlemen please,
This is a silly argument, and no matter what anyone says or does Amherst will always be a college town riddled with young men and women who indulge themselves by partying and drinking on the weekends.
These SCHOLARS, are NOT CRIMINALS, and should not be treated as such.
"The Party House of The Weekend"? Are you kidding me?
Why don't you grow up Larry, and start blogging about some real issues you childish fool.
Wow I guess you got me I'm sure my hometown papers would kill for this story, I can see it now "Amherst Students Have Party!!" Call the fuckin press. And also once again you prove how creepy you are. Our hometowns and full names plus you stalked my facebook? Thats weird man, find something better to do.
Oops, sorry there Peter another nitwit got in the way.
Funny you should mention stalking your Facebook. This afternoon my sitemeter almost crashed under the strain of hits coming from a Facebook link to my "Party House of the Weekend" post.
And I believe some of the Hobart Hoedown's have been covered by the Boston media.
I hear that house is full of Illegal Martial Arts weapons and copies of "The Vagina Monologues".
I little googling tells me Peter isn't the first person to call you a stalker LARRY.
I'm sorry, but if you are so disappointed in the town of Amherst, why don't you move? You are willingly living in a college town- poor decision on your part if you can't handle it.
Oh and by the way sorry to hear about your gym, the umass rec center is awesome.
"IS THIS YOUR HOMEWORK LARRY?!"
Anon Fuckwit,
Have a party that doesn't break the law and quit whining like a baby. Your tuition is not a cover charge to a club. Your rent is not a cover charge. Your $300 fine, maybe that's a cover charge.
Yes indeed Anon 9:04 PM.
And Anne Awad had a LOT more gravitas than poor little Peter, but look how well it turned out for her.
Anon 9:03, Those of us who live here don't need to google Larry Kelley to find out about his photographnic hobby or former business. Google doesn't tell you that he's got a thick hide, but we know that too. We also know how it came about that we have $300 fines. You are willingly living in a college town with these fines - poor decision on your part if you can't handle it.
April 12, 2011 8:00 PM
He's not a product of Amherst schools, he's a Tabor boy....
and He clearly doesn't get that anything you do on facebook will follow you forever.
Larry theres a huge pary on the amherst commons this saturday. why dont you stop by and maybe youll chill the fuck out.
I'll bring my camera.
Larry, a few things. Did you attend college. If so, how many job interviews did you bomb to end up writing a blog with about an equivalent format quality as a powerpoint presentation made by a blind fourth grader. Also, have you ever had sex. With a name like Larry, it seems like you've ben fucking your right hand for the past few years. Lastly, your threat to "entice" our hometown newspapers is quite funny. If I was lead editor, I think I'd rather publish a story about a kitty cat fashion show than report on "drinking at college." The residents of this neighborhood have called the police on this house on weekdays when the sun is up. You really stand by the notion of disruptive college kids, or do you not realize that when you get older, the kid in you dies. Except for the kid in you Larry. You undoubtedly have two or three kids in you right now. This is Suds by the way. Find me on facebook.
Hey Boys,
First you aren't men until you've actually done something on your own with your own money, not mom and dad'
money.
Second, this is a college town, and the town calls the shots on its laws. If you really were a college student, you'd learn something and wouldn't be bitching about the fines. See, those are the fines. If you break the noise law, then you'll be fined.
End of lesson. A third grader could learn that in one sitting. Maybe you're not quite ready for college if you can't learn that.
Third, your neighborhood is a residential, family neighborhood, six miles from umass. It's not southwest.
So maybe you should move to a town that let's you make as much noise as you want without fining you anything.
Good luck with that.
Finally, do you kiss your Mommy with that mouth, little boyyyyy!
"Suds" eh? I like that. Oh the irony.
Did you get that handle because Mom rinsed your mouth out with suds so often when you were growing up?
Of course now it will be interesting to see what time our Party House boys actually wake up in the morning.
This is a good post. Thank you, Larry.
It is interesting that they take their anger out on the police. They are only showing up and doing their job because the neighbors call and demand a response. Be grown ups and be respectful and they won't be calling them!
We had a party house a few doors down when my kids were younger, in the same neighborhood. It was scary to them to wake up in the middle of the night due to screaming and screeching tires. My daughter thought girls screaming meant they were being hurt. That's when we started calling the cops too. Wish the fines were in place then.
$600 dollars? Quite the literacy level.
"My daughter thought girls screaming meant they were being hurt."
My daughter fears the same. She's constantly woken from girls screaming outside and says she knows someone has been raped or killed outside of our house.
Wait till Peter, Peter the party pleaser gets his first real job interview, and they do an online search on him. His attitude towards other people around him will go over real nice. Oh and don't think they won't it is almost a prerquisite to give them access to your facebook accounts these days. The reason is they can then make a judgment call based on your history and how long you've been acting the way you act. Peter is a boy in a man's body, adults don't have temper tantrums when they are held accountable for their mis-behavior. And I agree with one of the above posts. Why attack the police why not have a sit in on your neighbors lawn. their the one's that called the police on you, it wasn't a random drive by and their picking on you.
I don't think we really know the level of annoyance and aggravation and fear and uneasiness created by the noise generated by young people in this community. We don't know because a lot of residents choose to remain silent about it, fearful of the kind of blow-back we're seeing here.
Now we're acquainted with our young neighbors' angry sense of entitlement about it. Partying and vandalism and noise is something that comes with the territory, the territory being "college town". A member of the UMass administration, an adult, told us this a few years ago: in effect, she said "you bought into this, therefore, caveat emptor."
Well I'm mad as Hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!
Maybe I'll start a Facebook group.
This kind of unpleasant experience with student behavior leads to some of the NIMBYism we see in Town Meeting and elsewhere. When we see this kind of arrogance from the recent Tabor Academy graduate (a true credit to the school) and his friends, it's hard to be critical of residents who don't want this kind of drunkenness and noise infecting their still quiet neighborhoods in the way that it has in Orchard Valley.
Many permanent residents are afraid of being stuck with temporary neighbors who have no basic standard of common courtesy, simply because they feel entitled to their notion of the typical college experience. The fact that they are living off-campus is immaterial. Because they are in college, the world is their playground.
See Peter,
See Peter Party,
See Peter get fined,
See peter cry like a baby,
Waaaaa! Peter! Waaaaa!
" ... comes with the territory"
But the very people who move to this town do so to teach these children at UMass. Does UMass truly feel their professors and employees are supposed to put up with a nine-month Fort Lauderdale or year-round Mardi Gras party within their residential community? Most adults don't opt to move to Amherst for their amazing IT or government jobs. I've lived in "college towns" built around massive universities - and this has never, ever been an issue.
And just for the record that would be Peter CLARK, founder of "Fuck the Fines" Facebook group, a whiney gaggle of UMass kids who think the laws of common courtesy do not apply to them.
I doubt the Peter's parents' neigborhood is subjected to this. I sincerely doubt his landlord's neighborhood is subjected to behavior such as this.
Hey Anon at 11:21-- "Suds" it doesnt matter if the neighbors call the cops duringthe weekday when the sun is up. Do you think that noise is only unreasonable during the night? According to town bylaw, any noise that is disturbing during ANY hour of the day can be reported to the police. Sounds like you guys need to grow up. Also.. I think its funny that there's a member of the amherst police on your facebook page.. keeping tabs on you(your not the only one with a fake name..)
.. keep running your mouth lil man..
Larry,
I have been watching this battle since it began, and have yet to say my true feelings. I am a resident of Amherst as well, and the back and forth slandering between you and these kids voids all professionalism to this blog; its completely hypocritical for you to lecture these boys about "growing up" when your releasing their names out into the public for a silly Facebook group, especially when you have false information.
If you read the original article, it explains how each boy was fined for a "nuisance house" violation. A "nuisance house" according to Amherst laws is a house that has multiple noise, underage, or other rowdy violations which the police have had to attend to. The house on Tracy Circle had no previous violations - they were wrongfully fined. Had the students received the proper fine, who knows if they would have created such a group.
Even the court system agrees that the boys were incorrectly fined, as two of the boys attended court, explained the situation, and had their fines reduced. I would one hundred percent agree with you on every level Larry, if only the boys hadn't one their court fight. Yes, they deserved to be fined, but no they did not deserve the fine which the police originally administered.
Also, trying to ruin their future careers is taking this a bit too far. Especially some poor girl who clearly hasn't been on this blog making comments back and forth with you.
Taking this further, if you have knowledge about different types of Facebook groups, upon investigating this group you will see that members are automatically added, without the users permission. This girl may have been added in such a way - one of her friends decided to add her in order to try and gain more members.
I believe for the sake of all involved Larry, you should remove the kid's names and leave their personal lives to themselves. I'm sure you did some pretty erroneous things when you were in your teens and twenties which you regret. I don't believe this "facebook group" should follow the kids for the rest of their lives. Especially some girl who could have been inadvertently added to the group. Maybe if just the boys' names had been released I could have kept my piece, but this has gone to far Larry.
has anyone sat back to think that maybe Peter isn't the only student on here.. just saying... i wouldn't attribute all these comments to one person..
Yeah, considering how Anon 1:28 PM writes, that's a safe bet.
I do believe Ms.Hutchinson--according to her public Facebook page--is "in a relationship" with Mr. Clark, founder of the Facebook group "Fuck the Fines."
So if HE signed HER up without her knowing it, then I would imagine he's in a lot of trouble about now.
And she did give one of the other nitwits a thumbs up to a posted comment as well (or maybe that was Peter)
Anon 1:28- This particular facebook page you ahve to request permission to join, you cant jsut be added.. I've looked into it.. As far as the appeal that was "won".. if it was truly won, then the fine would have been reversed, not reduced... being reduced still shows a part of being responsible doesn't it??? Unless people make their facebook page private, it is public for all to see.. posts.. names... everything. It's their own fault if they dint privatize it. Kids are being kids correct.. but Larry also has freedom or speech...and im sure he knows the laws on journalism too.. I cant imagine the ratings his page is getting right now.. just what he wants.. Kudos to Larry.. stirring up a little controversy to get good rating on his page.. smart man... if only he got paid each time someone went to his blog!!!
Looking at your previous comments Larry, you have no right to criticize how someone else "writes". I see many errors on your part. And I highly doubt Peter cares enough to write out an entire essay, maybe it's just me, but his group is called "Fuck the Fines". That type of illiteracy tells me he's out doing something else and not sitting in front of his computer throwing facts at you. He would have used those facts a while ago had he intended to.
Ok everyone I am done with this, for everyone who thinks that Larry is a cool guy who really got me consider this. He went through the trouble of finding out who my girlfriend is and slandering her name on the front page of this stupid blog. Let me tell you all something. Nina Hutchinson is a straight A student in one of the hardest majors at Umass. She is one of the hardest working students I know. And by the way she has overcome more tragedy and hardship than any of us could even imagine. She has nothing to do with this group or any of the parties that we have had. Ya maybe I hit Larry with some immature comebacks and low blows but I didnt bring his family or his kids into this assuming he has them. If we are little boys than why don't you be the mature adult Larry and take the high road. You really had to bring my girlfriend into this? Well at first this was just kind of a fun debate for me but now im fuckin pissed. Your a real asshole man... get a life and do some research on a person before you slander their name like that. This is between you and me I hope I never see you in person. I demand that you take her name down. Thats bullshit.
Boy with "Friends" like you Anon 1:46 PM Peter does not need enemies.
Although safe to say he's made way more enemies than he needs already in his short life.
Actually it wasn't any trouble at all Peter. She joined (I assume with her own free will) your very public (by now anyway) Facebook group with a link back to her also very public personal page. In fact she even gave one of your fellow Nitwit members a thumbs up for some stupid comment or other.
And since she is a prelaw major I'm sure she can fill you in on libel/slander law.
INot that I"m a Facebook expert, but I would imagine that there's a way to delete or disband a group. You may want to think about that for "Fuck the Fines". And you better think fast.
but Larry also has freedom or speech...and im sure he knows the laws on journalism too..
You call this journalism??? This blog is on a par with the Naional Enquirer, if that. I use this blog during the day for comedic relief.
A proud CAN!
And so it ends. "Fuck the Fines" is gone.
Blogger 1, childish Facebook group zero.
Actually larry, you are wrong.
The group has not been deleted, instead it was made private to stop people like you from viewing it.
childish facebook group 1, old angry necrophiliac blogger 0
Larry, you truly are a clown. That is all.
Childish blogger 1 - childish Facebook Group - 0
At least your math is accurate.
hey it FINALLY ended. good to see these kids standing up for themselves, i respect that a lot.But Larry, your invasion of privacy by posting a link on your front page to this girl's information seriously crossed the line big time and i hope you realize that. In addition, learn to talk shit. the amount of times you use "childish" and "little boys"..? now everyone honestly thinks youre a pedderass. If anyone thinks they won, or there's a score, fuck you grow up.everyone
You know Larry, it's childish fodder like this that makes it hard for many of us to take you and your "causes" seriously. I know you're a competitive guy, but does everything have to be a war with you? It seems so. And the effect is, that the things of real consequence that you try to stand up for (Gateway, The Soar Project, respectful observance of 9/11, etc.) lose all credibility with you as a spokesperson. I agree with the kids on this one. You've gone way too far and for way too mean and vindictive reasons.
You see, Amherst is like the Twilight Zone for these kids, a place beyond space and time and basic decency and respect for other people and common courtesy and parents and people who knew them growing up and the prying eyes of future employers.
It's a free-fire zone of noise and booze and sex and vandalism, and the best part is that it's all anonymous. We don't know them and they don't know us. And you just ruined that, Larry.
And, furthermore, because we who live here year-round would be nowhere without them being here with us right here in the very same neighborhoods, we in Amherst should be grateful.
Anon 5:54 (and yes, I think I know who you are by now):
Peter Clark showed up on my private property around 2:30 PM, knocked rather loudly at the front door disturbing my two young children (and a fidgety guard dog); then after a brief encounter left in a huff while calling me a "fucking asshole" loud enough for both my daughters to hear through a closed door.
Yes, I'm competitive. But I only fight when I'm right and then yes, I play for keeps; and indeed I do love it so.
Peter published a public page disrespectful to my hometown, the Amherst Police Department and especially rude to their neighbors in Orchard Valley.
His girlfriend knowingly joined said public page and even gave one of the other members a "thumbs up" for some rude comment.
And the irony, Oh the irony, that she is a "Social Thought & Political Economy, Legal Studies" major. Coincidentally enough I had just clicked to my blogger dashboard and was about to delete the reference/link to her after Mr. Clark had just nixed his nasty Facebook group page when he came knock, knock, knocking on my front door.
So now we're even I guess. He knows my address and I know his. The Amherst police department also knows us both.
And should they receive a call for assistance tonight around midnight from his or my location, they will respond quickly and dispassionately to either one with equal professionalism.
Hey Peter,
Now you see how it's no joke when your girlfriend is outed on Larry Kelley's blog. Yes, that's crude, but maybe that's what it takes before you get serious. So let's all grown up, ALL take the high road, not just the full-time residents, and keep Amherst from being a pissing match. Respect your neighbors, everyone.
I did not knock rather loudly I rang the doorbell another lie from Larry...
Now that you mention it Peter, I think you did both.
Either way, let the record show you did not dispute the more important aspect of my testimony.
Yet another sign that Peter is new to town.
Pete, Larry's been pissing us off for years, but we have enough self-control not to go to such extreme measures to involve his whole family. You shot your mouth off on Facebook. Did you think that had no consequences?
You need to stop and think a little bit, brother.
Getting back to the original topic, the fines.
What students need to understand is that these fines were passed in our Town Meeting, which heretofore has been populated with many, many residents who opposed such measures that seemed to be targeted against students and their behavior. There was always a group of speakers who argued that the Town needed to be tolerant.
But the cumulative effect of the noise and the public urination and the riots and the vandalism and the Hobart Hoedowns is that the permanent residents are worn down and fearful of having students near them. So the heavy fines passed last year in Town Meeting, remarkably easily.
And the fact that students are so upset about them is some indication that they are working, that is, they are causing students to wrestle with the ethics and the implications of their previously unchecked conduct, especially their conduct when the rest of us are trying to sleep.
No doubt about it: the fines are working.
The comment about it supposedly being the first time called there got me wondering...does the house get flagged because of the address or the tenants? will the next renters get a ticket the first time?
I thought that house, among others, had the party reputation in our neighborhood in the past.
Everything is up to the responding officers. They can give a warning if the kids are responsive and respectful when they coming knocking on the door.
By now APD knows some of the players, so it is more the repeated violations from individuals that are hit with tickets, sometimes noise and nuisance combined to the tune of $600.
And if one address garners 3 nuisance house violations (but they have to be "nuisance") then the town can also cite the landlord with a $300 ticket as well.
And yes, certain houses--owned by absentee landlords--do "get the reputation" and as a result probably garner a ticket faster than another house where it really is the first time.
I entirely agree with the posting about involving Larry's family. However, Larry did start it. He brought Peter's girlfriend into a mess which she clearly had no part in. Sure, she was part of the Facebook group, but so were 170 other kids. This was entirely a complete invasion and stab at Peter's personal life, so why shouldn't Peter have a right to involve Larry's? I'm sure Peter's intention to protect his girlfriend should be better understood now that Larry is complaining about protecting his children. Regardless, you both took it too far, but Larry can't complain when he brought Peter's girlfriend into it first.
No Anon 1:12 AM, Peter Clark started it back in December when he hosted a loud obnoxious party in a quiet residential neighborhood that disturbed his neighbors enough to call APD.
And then when the police responded he continued his obnoxiousness thus he and his two roomies were awarded $300 tickets.
Then they started a very PUBLIC Facebook page, "fuck the fines", which his girlfriend joined and linked to with her PUBLIC page.
If you go to a PUBLIC meeting you are subjecting yourself to the bright lights of public discourse, and these days the internet is one giant public meeting.
Get used to it folks.
Public shaming as a deterrent to this kind of unneighborly behavior.
I like it.
A couple years ago a Judge sentenced a student who had resisted arrest and assaulted a female APD officer at a rowdy "toga party" to stand in front of the police station all morning dressed in his toga with a sign saying he was sorry.
After that he walked the strait and narrow line.
I think once you start using Facebook, Tweeter, or any of the other public websites you knowingly accept the resposibility that someone may bring this info. to others attention. The mistake many people make is they publicly post on the internet then still want to maintain privicy. This just doesn't happen and most everyone should know this by now. Now, is Larry wrong in involving Nina in this debate, maybe that is still a slippery slope in my opinion. But the bottom line is the internet can be, and is a dangerous place to voice information you don't want the world to know. It can come back to haunt you years down the road. Everyone should be reading everything they write very thoughtfully before hitting that send key!
Suave Harold:
If you had not digressed into profanity, I would have published your entire response to 6:19 AM.
But you did make these valid points worth repeating:
"Sure, there are a few bad eggs that attend this fine educational institution, but YOU SIR are generalizing.
There are some really smart people here, Maybe you should stop and think about the countless individuals who were accepted to fancy private institutions but lacked the financial background to attend one, and decided to pursue a PUBLIC education. (Ms. Hutchinson being an example of this.)
There are tens of thousands of people who live in this town and surrounding areas that, like myself, take EXTREME OFFENSE to your comments. These people include students, staff, and faculty.
Do some research next time before you go around belittling The University of Massachusetts, If you had you would have discovered the following:
UMass Amherst ranks among the Top 100 Global Universities and in the top 20 among public universities in the United States. - Newsweek International.
In the past few years, out of aproxx. 30,000 applicants, only about 10 percent were accepted.
In the Princeton Review, the faculty at Umass was ranked 12th in the nation this previous year.
(Not to mention the vital economic impact that this school has on the area, and the entire commonwealth, generating millions in revenue every year.)
These are only a few statistics, there are many and you can see examples here: (http://www.umass.edu/next/pride.php#entrepreneuriallink )"
I still think that F...the Fines must have been some parody of student arrogance, or somebody with a grudge against the crew at 23 Tracy Circle deciding to punk them big-time on Facebook.
It's just too stupid.
Nah, it was for real. That was the only good thing about young Peter showing up at my front door (and he drives the pick up truck that is parked in the driveway in my photo from last December of 23 Tracy Circle). Pretty conclusive evidence.
But I can see where you would find it hard to believe.
larry, by not posting my comments it appears you are no better than your cowardly nitwit anons. it appears you are only posting things that suit your agenda. when people catch wind you are not approving all comments, you will lose much of your readership and participation.
at least i have the balls to sign my posts.
you know i have a lot of very good people that continue to support me and my endeavors. the amherst public arts commission recruited me 3 years before the 250th, then the subcommittee voted my proposal as the one to pursue, the historical commission voted for it unanimously, i was recruited by the class of 56 piece around the minuteman...no one else was consulted...they went straight to me...now in shelburne falls i have a whole host of new people that are eagerly supporting my new gallery, commissioning me and engaging me in public art opportunities.
now who is in the wrong here, me or the town of amherst. me or you?
think about that a little bit, i dont care if you post this or not. in life you surround yourself good people. what are you doing by shunning me? think about it buddy, there are still a lot of people in your town who have a high respect for me...including people like maggie bete there on tanglewood...my patio, my walkway. think about it buddy.
bach
Peter, remember what your mom said years ago:
Inside voice.
Well, after having read this thread it occurs to me that a "teachable moment" is being missed. Peter, the fines that you rail against are what are known as a consequence. Consequences and things that happen as a result of your actions or decisions we make. So your decision to have a party resulted in the consequence of having a fine assessed. Your decision to create a facebook group to protest the fines resulted in the consequence of people seeing how immature you are. I have no way of knowing if you were aware that the town of Amherst has bylaws which govern the noise generated by parties or that there are fines associated with these bylaws. However sometimes our actions have what are known as unforeseen consequences. Most children learn about consequences before the age of two. Apparently it has taken you a little longer.
As for your claim that you and your housemates are men and not boys; a big part of being a grown up is taking responsibility for one's actions and accepting the consequences. Blaming others is a sure sign of immaturity.
I sincerely hope that you will take both of my points into consideration when making future decisions.
y'all expect 20 year olds to act like 40 year olds. 20 year olds party and do things like fuck the fines pages. that is what they should do .... they are having fun with life...at 20!
he'll I am about to turn 45 and still do stupid childish shit. Larry is older than that and does the same . people do dumb shit sometimes, especially when they are young and full of vinegar....big deal.
I wonder if any of those neighbors just walked over there and asked those boys to be quiet....the night of one of their parties, or the next day? there is something to be said for straight forward communication... it usually garners respect and results in positive outcomes. I have asked partiers to quiet down before, and guess what....it worked.
the dumbest thing is the fines. I am in the fuck the fines camp on this one.
Bach
please go back to not posting bachs comments. we've heard it all before, over and over and over again.
Easy for you to say since you do not live in Amherst.
I think Ed, Peter, and Bach would make great soul mates.
Bach can't get paid!
Ed can't graduate!
And Peter can't grow up!
Larry I think you should be thanking 23 tracy circle this is probably the most attention your blog has had in years. Also as much as everyone would like to criminalize Peter Clark we should think for a second that this group obviously was a collaboration of the entire house and not just him. In addition, I happen to know that the residents including Peter Clark passed out their phone numbers to the entire neighborhood and apologized in advance for the noise from the parties that they were going to have. They also assured them that if they received a call from any of the neighbors they would shut down the party. They never received sed phone call. The person that called the police was the only neighbor that they could not get in touch with after multiple attempts. I know why I am came to this school because Amherst was rated the best college town in America, not the nicest quietest place to live. There are five colleges in the area and the parties have been happening long before any us and will continue to happen after we are gone there is nothing anyone can do about that. If you want peace and quiet there are plenty of places to live around here that aren't within five miles of the biggest party school on the east coast. Lastly the Facebook page obviously had sarcastic overtones to it you were all just too stupid to realize and the creators got exactly what they wanted to piss some people off. That is after all a college student's favorite past time. And I would also like to add that if Larry drives past the house one more time, I have seen him do so at least three times in his green minivan with duct tape on the back, the residents have informed me that they will call the police.
No, actually just a couple months ago before Catherine Sanderson announced she was not running for School Committee I was about 20% over Tuesday or Wednesday.
Yesterday, on a completely different topic, about the same.
And last year on election day W-A-Y over any of the above.
Yes, I'm sure Peter noticed the green duct tape on the van when he came visiting me. I have not been on Tracy Circle since December, when I took the original photo (which I reused for Tuesday's post).
These days I try to use only my road bike for any in-town trips.
From the 10:45AM posting, it sounds like students and their allies are still reading these comments, which is good. Break open that cocoon and try to see it from your neighbor's point of view.
A few points, some in caps so they'll jump out:
Transient students don't own this town or decide its character. We who live here don't think this is or should be "the biggest party school on the east coast." We will MAKE SURE this isn't the biggest party school through our town government. The fines have gotten bigger, and they will get even bigger if they need to.
As for this being "one of the best college towns," yes, but that means something different to a mature person deciding where to settle than to a prospective undergrad. To a mature, working professional, it means good restaurants, intelligent neighbors, interesting arts and music scene, not whether there are blow-out parties.
About informing the neighbors, why is giving your phone number good enough? That puts on the responsibility on the neighbors, who may not want to be policing you. How many people are going to want to get out of bed, get dressed, search for a number, call, risk a heated confrontation, to get someone to stop being a noisy asshole? Then, when nothing improves, you're going to call the police anyway, so you might as well call the police first. I hope this clarifies why neighbors call the police.
Finally, a lot of us are here because Amherst historically has great K-12 public schools. We aren't going to move away somewhere quieter and sacrifice the best public education we can get for our kids because EDUCATION IS VERY IMPORTANT TO US. Here's a question--are you willing to go to a different college to get a better party scene?
I'd really like to have some students respond directly to these points.
the story of passing out the phone numbers is utter BS.
-an orchard valley neighbor
With college comes parties it does not matter where you are. Also there are plenty of school districts equal or better than amherst that are not in college towns but this is not my point. Here is a solution for everyone, why not make the drinking age to 18 so that students can go to bars or clubs instead of random houses in residential neighborhoods. Also maybe if Umass hadn't bulldozed half the fraternities there would be a place to go party on campus away from residential areas.
Yes 'Orchard Valley Neighbor', since they lied about me driving by three times I'm not surprised they would lie about that--not to mention now suddenly trying to pass off their (former) childish Facebook page as parody.
I joined the group on Facebook after you posted the link, just for the LULZ. I don't think it's gone. The last comment I got from them was they wanted to change the name to Fuck the Police.
I love the fines idea. When I lived in Belchertown, we called the cops almost nightly, and twice on the weekends. I was a college kid in Amherst, too, but I did my partying on campus. It's time for these kids to grow up.
Anon 12:31 said "With college comes parties." Yes, but we have some control over what kind of parties. We don't have to sit by while blow-out riotous parties break out and grow. The fines that are now law will put a lid on that kind of partying. Maybe quieter parties will become the norm.
As for making the drinking age 18, it is a statewide statute strongly encouraged by the federal government, so that possible solution isn't going to happen.
Concerning the Amherst schools, they are still winning most of the local prizes. So, no, there aren't plenty of equal or better school districts nearby.
You had me worried there for a minute Adam, as I noticed you had joined the group.
But now that they are no longer an "open public group" it is kind of like the tree that falls in the forest without anyone there to report it: it does not make a sound.
Well they did not get very much traction four months ago when they first started as an open public group, so I can't imagine now that they have gone underground a viral response to their immature manifesto.
Now that they know you're a member maybe you will be purged. But they will never figure discover the Amherst police officer who joined four months ago.
Why can't college students have free speech? If they think they don't deserve the fine, why don't they have the right to say so? Hello first amendment?
I think when the people on Lincoln talk about people looking thru their windows, they are talking about people like you, Mr. Larry.
Actually it's Mr. Kelley.
And who might you be?
I am not a college student if you were wondering that. I merely believe that only the "h" is silent in Amherst. Why do some people deserve a voice and others don't? You write this blog. Other people write in the Amherst Bulletin. Everyone deserves an opinion even if they are the drink-sodden brats you think they are. The public voicing of opinions is something every single person should be entitled to.
Actually no, I was not wondering about you, in fact I was trying to ignore you.
And no, everyone does not "deserve" to voice a public opinion--at least not on my private blog or even on the pages of the privately owned Amherst Bulletin.
Yes, you can pitch a soap box on the town common and voice until you go horse. And if the town tries to shut you down, then the First Amendment applies.
Do you really think any newspaper in America would publish the drivel the boys use on their masthead?
"Finally, a lot of us are here because Amherst historically has great K-12 public schools. We aren't going to move away somewhere quieter and sacrifice the best public education we can get for our kids because EDUCATION IS VERY IMPORTANT TO US."
WAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!
HEEHHEHEHEHHEHEHHEHEEEEEEEEE...
Eat it.
And should they receive a call for assistance tonight around midnight from his or my location, they will respond quickly and dispassionately to either one with equal professionalism.
No Larry, they wouldn't. And that is why people like me (who refer to the STPEC major as "SEPTIC, as in Septic Tank") are falling on the side of supporting people whom we otherwise would find repulsive & repugnant.
We are going to have a Kent State here -- likely this spring -- and it doesn't have to happen....
Folks, please read 10:45 am from 4/15 again carefully. This gives you a very good sense of how warped the student mentality can get in this town.
Thanks, 10:45 am, for setting it out so clearly.
Next thing you know, you'll be writing a story about the clock in Amherst being broken, or the call boxes on the highway not working, or some other ridiculously pointless story.
"how much time do you have what do you do for a living Larry Kelley?"
That's the sad thing. This is all he does.
Only thing sadder is someone who criticizes without having the balls to leave his name.
And by the examples cited, one who has the time to come here rather continuously for quite some time now.
"Only thing sadder is someone who criticizes without having the balls to leave his name."
I'd rather be an anonymous person on this blog and have you say I have no balls, than to be you, by a large margin. And I have better things to do than to worry about you stalking me and posting all of my information, simply because you're a tightly wound old guy with nothing better to do, or you happened to 'feel like it'.
"And by the examples cited, one who has the time to come here rather continuously for quite some time now."
This page is much like watching 'The office'; I cringe at the sight of it, but I just can't stop watching, to see what idiotic story you'll waste your time with next. So, congratulations on that. If you've never watched that show, think 'train wreck'.
Actually my wife loves that show.
I was (uncharacteristically) at a gala party last week where a few classy ladies described this site as a "guilty pleasure."
So from now on I'll think of them when I post rather than Cowardly Anon Nitwits like you.
"So from now on I'll think of them when I post rather than Cowardly Anon Nitwits like you."
I'm sure there are way more C.A.Ns on this blog than there are "classy ladies", but whatever helps you sleep at night.
Keep up the great work.
I shall.
I think the partying students have expressed their opinions loudly and for a long time. It is their opinion that:
(1) They can get drunk and risk their lives to alcohol poisoning (knowing full well that qualified EMT's will be in their driveway within 6 minutes)
(2) It doesn't matter if they terrorize the neighbor's children with screaming and noise at night because they are doing what they do best (party), and,
(3) They can call anyone names because they are also doing what they do best by 'satirizing.' Go look up the definition of "satire." It is not calling someone a name or hurling invective and then saying, 'I was just satirizing or making a parody.'
When young neighbors knock on my door (every Fall) to pass out their phone number and let me know they'll be "having a few friends over", I just give this information to the police when I call that evening. It's funny that these kids continue to give me a head's up about their party when it only hurts them in the end.
Regarding parties being a right of passage, that's something I did a few times in high school. But by the time I entered college, those days were over. I'd grown up. I guess that's why I can now afford to live in a town like Amherst in a pretty sweet house.
My kid was walking behind college girls on the way home from school the other day. Smelly drunk frat guys were driving down the road with a flag - screaming out the window. The girls smiled and waved at them, but the minute the drunk guys drove around the corner, the girls looked at each other and said: "What losers."
this is funny. you people live near one of the wildest party schools in the country. get over it or move...
Or enforce the laws NOW on the books to bring the parties under control.
It really is sad if you look at the big picture. UMass graduates some of the brightest minds that go on to incredible accomplished careers. then there is this core group of irresposible young adults take tarnish the school. That most will struggle to graduate and many won't even make it that far. I worked for a local company that hired such an individual. That self admitted that he partied hardy at UMass and it showed. He barely knew the basics of business(his degree was business) and till the time I left was fumbling around like a 1st day college freshman. I would be willing to bet the isn't but a handful of people that are college success stories that are supporting the youngsters opinion of partying. I not saying they don't party as well but they do it with the consideration that there is a world outside theirs and respect that as I respect them.
"get over it or move..."
Really? We worked out butts off to afford a house in a quiet little neighborhood 20 years ago. We still work hard to pay our taxes and contribute to making this town a good place for families. I'm not about to move so an arrogant immature kid can party. Grow up and be a productive part of society.
I second the motion.
I third it.
larry you didnt post my last comment whats the deal biased much? probably becasue for the first time in your life you have nothing to come back with. Check this out, the cops used to come to tracy circle pretty much weekly because all the neighbors hate us, Great.But the cops laugh at them and just tell us to turn the volume down (they also love our 6 person funnel). All the neighbors who STILL have problems and are actually reading this, grow a pair and come talk to us if were disturbing you. we will be considerate. Also, Peter is a Dj and hired to entertain parties elsewhere on campus,no longer at our house, so if you still have a problem come visit. OTHERWISE AMHERST, WERE BRING thE PAHTY TO YOUR NECK OF THE WOODS. come join
Probably because it was rude, obnoxious and had a swear words.
I published this one because it was only rude and obnoxious.
If you're so proud of you activity why not leave your full name?
Sorry for the typos, I'm eating dinner.
Dear Larry, Peter Clark, all other involved parties:
I love this feud. Really. Its just too good to be true.
On the one hand, we've got some 60-year old perp who careens around town in a green van with duct tape stuck to its back- what a detail!- getting all paparazzi on a bunch of college kids because, gosh darn it, they just don't enforce the laws as they should. Shame um Larry, shame um!
Then you have the bros down at 23 Tracy telling their suburban neighbors to sack up (why can't we just talk it out man?) while at the same time getting all righteous about their constitutional right to get obliterated. Fight for them rights boys! Them's given to you by the Lord at birth, god dang it.
But then if that wasn't enough, we even get a confrontation. Peter Clark knocking on Larry's door. Fuming, he imparts some dirty words that, gasp, Larry's poor children should never hear. Now Larry's mad, they disrespected the hometown cops. Man, that's what I call a low blow.
And why did this whole throw down happen? Because the old bugger outed the young wipper snapper's girlfriend for loving the beer bong just a wee bit too much. Or signing up for a Facebook page to fight for them good ole rights. What's the difference these days anyway.
The key question about the whole encounter is this: when Peter confronted Larry did he knock or ring the doorbell.
It's all brilliant stuff I tell you, like a National Lampoons flick, but with the added bonus that its real.
I've only got to say one thing about this:
God bless you all. This is the funniest thing I have read in some time. Please don't stop.
Actually I'm 56--it's a public record. And Peter both rang the doorbell and knocked loudly.
And who might you be?
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