Unlike last weekend, when Amherst Police handed out seventeen $300 noise tickets, this past weekend was, according to detective Dave Foster, "remarkably quiet," with only six noise warnings and three $300 nuisance house tickets issued to one location at 16 North Hadley Road...although the same three individuals were also arrested for underage possession of liquor.
Perhaps it was a recovery pause after the blow out Patriots Day long weekend that included two drunk driving arrests, the death of a 24 year old motorcyclist from a wrong way driver, and a massive party at Puffers Pond that left the recreation area looking like a garbage truck exploded.
Police were of course pro active, with every available officer on duty. They also arrested almost as many college aged youths as last week for underage drinking/open container violations, 24 this weekend ($7,200 worth of fines) vs 25 last week. And unfortunately, like last week, two drunk drivers.
On Saturday early afternoon police called a landlord to inform him a party was brewing at one of his rentals. According to police logs they then: "Returned to speak with residence and advised them that our response there was imminent and that if called we would be taking enforcement action. After being advised of options, parties decided to have an alcohol free picnic with 500 pounds of steak and lobster to eat."
Later around midnight College Street residents called APD to help assist with removal of "unwanted guests." And police were only too happy to assist, removing "Approximately 80-100 from house and yard. No problems, cleared with full cooperation of residents."
The weather was not a factor in the more civilized behavior, as the rain held off until almost midnight Saturday. And the DPW did not spike the water supply with tranquilizers. Maybe--just maybe--the civility sermon is getting through. Maybe.
AFD: calm after the Thursday night Mullins Center fiasco
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17 comments:
Rain was a factor. most of my friends wouldn't go to a party before midnight.
And Friday night you were all studying.
Friday night we went elsewhere, we're not dumb.
What is dumb is shutting down bus lines, and should be avoided in the future for several reasons. Firstly it gives the police an extra set of eyes on where students are going. By observing the crowd (and drunken students are loud) officers can determine by what lines are packed and what stops the crowds get off to where the parties relatively are. If they get off the number 30 bus at Hobart... well they probably aren't going to Fearing street.
Secondly the removal of buses encourages drunken driving. Set up all the check points you want, students are rational (surprise!) and will figure out how to bypass such points. If you think two DUI's are bad for one night imagine how many students drove even buzzed back from the bars to their homes because of the genius ideas.
Thirdly, we pay for the damn things. I had to walk to and from my lab twice Saturday only to be harassed by the idiots at Puffton twice in one day. Do drunk students really carry five foot by three foot thesis posters and backpacks full of texts regarding market integration on their ways to a party? Apparently not.
Lastly, and thankfully I do not need worry about it, but for women's safety. I don't think you'd want your daughters to walk back in the dark from the bars (where they are drinking in a controlled, more responsible environment)among dark alleyways and poorly lit country roads to their houses, all because some out of touch individuals shut down bus services.
Not to mention there is almost always an officer on late night buses.
Is this an example of student writing these days?
"We're not dumb", but writing appears to be a problem.
Disabling the buses only encourages drunk driving.. terrible idea. Need to find other ways of combating the problem then increasing the prevalence of drunk driving.
I thought the writing was o.k.
And I agree: don't shut down the buses. Students in jeans and dark clothing do not realize how invisible they are to drivers -- we don't want anyone to get hit, drunk or sober.
Anyone ever thinking of trusting UHS needs to look at the first ambulance run listed on Larry's sheet.
Two things.
First, they shut down the buses? Would have been nice to tell the UM students -- I didn't know, there was no email to grad students, and I might have actually wanted to use the "service" that I am paying for.
Second, Larry, if there was a 'Mullins fiasco' then why not post the Thursday ambulance run log? I would like to see it for another reason.
anon 12:47 and 10:18 is obviously "ed"... he's always saying weird s**t about our daughters, and about our cops getting ganged up on, and so on.
will you PLEASE LEAVE, ed?
Amherst shut down the bus service? Why were local residents not notified? There are many elderly and low-income families that depend on public transportation. UMass has gone too far. They do not own the entire town of Amherst.
Not many elderly or low-income families use PVTA that late at night.
It is a little odd that when you complain about all the overstuffed taxis carting kids from one party to another officials defend them because they keep (potentially drunk) kids off the road.
Obviously overstuffed buses have many times the capacity of the taxi fleets.
"Not many elderly or low-income families use PVTA that late at night."
How late at night? I know of several upstanding ARHS high school students who regularly use the bus service as late as midnight - the town curfew for those under 18. So high school kids are on lockdown during the last weekend of their spring break?
I cannot image the response if public transportation was shut down in any other town. This is simply unacceptable.
Whose decision was it to shut down public transportation?
The buses were not shut down, misinformation Larry, they were not travelling through Puffton Village.
Good to know.
I do know last year certain stops (in troubled areas) were shut down on the night of the Hobart Hoedown.
I pay for the buses, I live in Puffton Village. The presence of 4 police vehicles as well as numerous golf carts and private security cars should have been enough. Not to mention that the dilapidated housing, poor service, and general ignorance of the slum lords in the area contributes to the extremely sub-par conditions of the housing complex.
As for not notifying the town residents, why must UMass? We pay heavy fees to ensure that certain routes stay open and free. That is a luxury provided without thanks. I understand the town kicks money into the PVTA, but that is for the lines that charge, not the UMass-centric routes.
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