Another hectic weekend for APD

1057 North Pleasant Street, Amherst @ 6:45 AM Sunday

Saturday night as the witching hour fast approached, a half dozen squad cars and the large transport van (referred to as a "paddy wagon" way back in the day) converged on the center of Meadow Street directly in front of the main entry to Townhouse Apartments, where students had been congregating all night long--fueled by warm humid air and beer.

Like Old West cowboys, APD herded the massive crowd of students away from Meadow Street--which by then had become impassable to cars--back into the confines of the sprawling apartment complexes that consists almost entirely of UMass students.

Then they turned their attention to the large house on the slummy side of Meadow Street with all the cars parked on the lawn, which had been attracting overloaded taxis for most of the night--contributing to the gridlock on Meadow Street.

As the officers moved as a unit towards a side entrance where a few residents were still milling about I heard the clang of an empty beer can ricochet off the road at their feet.

This congested, claustrophobic--dangerous--scene of too many students and too few cops was replayed on Phillips Street, Hobart Lane, and upper North Pleasant Street between 10:00 PM and 1:00 AM. With students crossing those roads freely back-and-forth in droves, I'm amazed there were no people vs car incidents.

Meanwhile, back in Amherst center McMurphy's and Stackers had lines of young people waiting to get to the bar, while next door a friendly crowd formed in front of Antonio's Pizza, happily chowing down. Cell phones chirped, a street musician played the xylophone and an incessant car alarm was almost drown out by the cacophony of loud conversations coming from consumers all along the busy street, looking for something to do.

Just another late Saturday night in our little (college) town.

374 North Pleasant Street, Amherst @ 6:40 AM Sunday

Please come to Amherst for...

Yesterday's clearing skies brought out those housebound folks to Amherst center for the "Apple Harvest Festival." And what would Amherst center be without other folks taking advantage of the crowds by occupying the town common soapbox?

Western Mass 9/12 Project, a subgroup of The Tea Party

Apple Harvest Festival (non political)

Yes, apparently the John Birch Society is still active. Somebody must have told them that Amherst is one of those rare American communities that flies the UN flag.

UN Flag (near and dear to Amherst Town Hall)

Interfaith groups would certainly agree

"I'm nobody! Who are you?"

Dickinson Homestead

Miss Emily's poetic title reminds me of a line from one of the greatest speeches of all time: "The world will little note nor long remember what we say here." But we do remember--and history took tremendous note of Abraham Lincoln and those ten sentences delivered on the battlefield of Gettysburg that November afternoon.

Just as the world has long remembered Emily Dickinson, "The Belle of Amherst."

Marathon room 4:15 PM First Congregation Church

Early this morning volunteers commenced reading aloud her entire portfolio of known poems, all 1,789. When I stopped by the First Congregational Church around 4:15 PM they had just hit 900, a little over half done. Marathon indeed! I think they could use a few more Irish servants.

And into the night

They complete the task (although I'm sure most of the readers would not use the word task) at 10:01 PM.

Oops!

Fortunately nobody was driving on Pine Street--or walking on the sidewalk--when somebody on East Pleasant Street blew through the stop sign and over another sign.

Monday morning police report confirms it was a hit and run late Friday night/early Saturday morning

Noisy Marines, noisy students

Retired but still active Dick Stein (in red)


The Amherst Select Board actually received two letters of complaint last week--one about the noise and riotous behavior of UMass students in North Amherst, and another about the helicopter practicing take offs and landings on the playing fields next to newish co-generation power plant (the one that works.)

But while he had the Select Board's and Chancellor Holub's attention Mr. Stein also mentions the impertinent student behavior in North Amherst.

Mr Stein's diatribe And yes, as a 60 years resident, he has the right by God!

9/16/11

Big Story indeed

So today's Gazette and Amherst Bulletin carry the big story about rowdy student parties over the past couple weekends. They even assigned both a reporter and photographer to traipse about after midnight in the problem areas. Let's hope UMass students and officials take note. And the Gazette continues to assign staff to cover the war zone.


Letter of complaint to Select Board

Party Boys Return

Aspiring DJ Peter Clark, 41 Davis Neck Road, East Falmouth, Mass, age 21, and his sidekick Emerson Rutkowski, 36 Puritan Park, Swampscott, MA, age 20, were arrested last Friday for violating the town noise bylaw. Again.

Apparently they made like the Israelites bringing down the walls of Jericho, only this time with amplified music at their large apartment complex in North Amherst, situated only a beer can throw from the riot that occurred last weekend at 121 Meadow Street.

Both boys you may remember from last winter/spring when they unabashedly partied at 23 Tracy Circle in South Amherst, garnering repeated noise citations. In fact the boys were so upset with Amherst Police response to neighbors complaints by enforcing Town Meeting approved fines, that they founded a feeble Facebook group--now gone underground--called "F_ck the Fines."


Since UMass just recently extended the "Code of Conduct" to cover off-campus behavior, perhaps Peter Clark and Emerson Rutkowski can become the Poster Boys for how UMass can effectively deal with this scourge upon our town: Expulsion.

A bad apple here and a rotten apple there, stinks up the whole bunch.

#25 Town House Condos

According to Amherst Police Department narrative:

"Upon arrival I could hear very loud music throughout the complex. Upon entering the east quad, I observed approximately 150 college students, many underage drinking. The music was extremely loud and I observed girls dancing on tables. Upon seeing APD most parties fled. There were massive speakers and DJ equipment on the patio. The residents of #25, where the people were centered and the DJ equipment was located, were ID'd and placed under arrest for violating the noise bylaw."