A Justified Response

Tyler Davidson, just after assaulting an officer

Forty years of martial arts training--38 of them as a black belt--makes me intimately familiar with  justifiable use of force.  This YouTube video purported to be "4 cops beating the shit out of a UMass student for no reason" during the Meadow Street Mayhem last Saturday afternoon is a perfect example...Of what is justifiable.

First of all they are Amherst Police Department officers, not UMass--although both departments are highly trained.  What the camera does not show is 1,000 other students on the quad that sunny afternoon, or the perp's physical provocation towards police in the moments leading up to his arrest. Or the previous calls to APD for help at the scene dealing with loud noise, thrown bottles, and drunken fistfights.

What I find more interesting in this juvenile report published on Barstoolsports.com, is not so much the attempt to discredit APD (or UMPD) by whipping up sympathy for a drunken fool who deserves to be expelled from school, but the email to tenants from a landlord who seems to be feeling the public pressure to tighten the way he runs his housing ship.

Even more interesting, it was Kendrick Property Management who first called 911 to warn of a large gathering coming together in the quad area of Townhouse Apartments that Saturday afternoon, an apartment complex they manage.

The mayhem over Patriots Day weekend included not only this incident but far more serious ones: two drunken driving arrests, passed out drunk students overwhelming our emergency services by tying up all five ambulances simultaneously, and the horrific accident on the Amherst/Hadley line that took the life of a 24 year old UMass student (and a Amherst resident) about to graduate, killed by a wrong way driver.

And of course the slobfest of 1,000 college aged youths (code for UMass students) taking over Puffers Pond and leaving in their wake a boatload of debris.  Just how to do you think most of those kids made it back to their dwellings after that pernicious public party early Monday night?

Our roads are not safe (cue Jim Morrison, "There's a killer on the road"); our neighborhoods not conducive to raising families!  And it's only going to get worse over the next three or four weekends.  The Amherst Select Board, our highest ranking elected public officials, needs to act.  Now.

Request District Attorney Dave Sullivan coordinate with State Police, APD, and UMPD a Driving Under the Influence roadblock in Amherst, near UMass, before graduation.

Request Senator Stan Rosenberg and Representative Ellen Story file state legislation to allow local municipal bylaw fine violations (noise, nuisance, alcohol) be increased to a maximum of $500 from the current $300.

Issue a sternly worded statement to the local media--especially the Mass Daily Collegian--giving voice to the outrage.

Even Fanboys on UmassHoops.com are starting to get it

Editors Note; UMass is the #3 employer in Western Massachusetts and has been Amherst's #1 employer for over 100 years. Every September Amherst is blessed to have thousands of exuberant new consumers flock to the University for the first time.  99% of UMass students are industrious, mature, decent individuals driving on the road to success. It's the 1% you read about here. And they need to change their act.

Getting Ready

War Memorial Pool

The renovations have begun on Amherst's centrally located outdoor pool. The War Memorial Pool was built in 1955 and has served generations of Amherst families ever since...well, except for the past four years when it was closed due to deterioration from a lack of upkeep, and the town's misplaced priorities. 

Although town meeting voted to spend almost $300,000 last fall to fund the project, the state came through with a grant that will cover most of the costs.  My sources tell me the project is on schedule to be completed in time for a late June opening.

Hot Time in the town

 UPDATE Wednesday morning:

The Gazette jumped all over the Puffers Pond Patriots Day trashing fiasco although, strangely, did not quote from the original email I first posted below which was sent to the Select Board, Town Manager, Conservation Director and anybody who is anybody in town government.  Story will no doubt be above-the-fold Front Page article in tomorrow's Amherst Bulletin, which does not hide behind a paywall.

Original Post:
In addition to the major disturbance at Townhouse Apartments on Meadow Street profiled in the post below, alcohol related incidents kept Amherst police on the go all over town--but particularly so in immediate neighborhoods around UMass: Fearing Street, Hobart Lane, Phillips Street, and North Pleasant Street.

In all Amherst Police issued seventeen $300 noise tickets ($5,100), twenty five $300 open container/underage drinking tickets ($7,500), and eight $100 possession of under one ounce marijuana tickets ($800) for a grand total of $13,400 in civil fines.

And most troubling of all, arrested two individuals--one male, one female--for the criminal offense of Driving Under the Influence.

By now you have probably read in the Main Stream Media about the tragic death of a 24 year old motorcyclist from Amherst hit by a driver going the wrong way on RT116 near UMass very early Saturday morning.

I have no confirmation (yet) that it was alcohol/drug related, but I've driven that route a thousand times and can't understand how you end up going the wrong way on such a well signed state highway in good weather conditions.

RT116 Amherst/Hadley: Note yellow lines, sign in center divider and another sign on right

Amherst Fire Department was also scrambling to deal with high call volume--so much so that we had to rely on mutual aid six times for an ambulance.  Note high number of ETOH (passed out drunk) calls that tied up our highly trained EMERGENCY first responders:

Patriots Day AFD weekend runs

Oddest event of the weekend?  An 18-year-old arrested for "disorderly conduct" after urinating in the living room of a Meadow Street apartment.  He was, amazingly, drunk. Well in that case, not so odd.

#####

Subject: Events at Puffers Pond on Monday, April 16th, 2012

I am a resident who lives near Puffers Pond and I was just made aware of the mess that was left by students this evening.  Luckily a few individuals cleaned-up after the students, but this is above and beyond having fun.  One of the 'clean-up crew' had shared these images with me and honestly, they made me sick.  I am not sure who or what department they should be forwarded to, for something to happen - so that this does not occur again!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lengfenglee/6939872526/

Once again year round residents left to clean up after college aged youths

####

Editors Note:  UMass is now the largest employer in Western Massachusetts and has been Amherst's largest employer for over 100 years.  Every September Amherst is blessed to have thousands of exuberant new consumers flock to the University for the first time.  99% of UMass students are industrious, mature, decent individuals driving on the road to success.  It's the 1% you read about here.  And they need to change their act.

Meadow Street Mayhem

 Townhouse Quad.  

Glorious weather on a long holiday weekend spelled trouble for APD, reminiscent of the September 9 Meadow Street Riot, when the north end of campus erupted in crowd violence while town and UMass officials were busy handing out oatmeal cookies and schmoozing with students in the south end of campus.

Once again the nefarious north became the general location for out-of-control nuisance partying, with Meadow Street  again serving as ground zero.  This of course is reason #1 neighbors (over the age of 30) in the north oppose North Amherst Village Center rezoning, fearing incidents like this will only magnify exponentially.



Police first responded to Townhouse Apartments on Saturday afternoon around 2:30 PM for reports of a "party going on and a band setting up in the quad area." But the band was given a verbal warning and the officer noted, "Quad filling up with students but nothing out of control at this time."

At 3:15 PM police are called back by apartment security regarding "beer bottles that were thrown in his direction."  And at 6:00 PM, a female called wishing to press charges against a male student who drunkenly fell into her and chipped an incisor tooth.  She also reported being struck in the leg by a thrown beer bottle while at the Townhouse quad party.

About this same time apartment security reports "while walking by unit #20 he had bottles thrown at him that missed but hit and smashed the windshield of a black Audi."  At this point (6:14 PM) APD swoops in and shuts down the party, before the cover of darkness makes matters considerably worse.

According to police narrative:

1000+ and an unruly crowd, with numerous fights breaking out.  Apartment #24 refused to disburse and control their guests inside and out.  The apartment continued to party and refused to silence their music or clear the party.  Residents (4) issued Town Bylaw noise citations and then became hostile, puffing their chests up and surrounding officers 101 and 110 in an attempt to overpower them.  One party (Tyler Davidson) clenched his fists and charged.  Placed under arrest for Assault and Battery on a police officer.

Tyler Davidson, age 23.  Arrested for A+B on police officer, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct

Amherst College upkeep continues

Pratt Field panorama

 Green green grass of home (at least the color will stay the same)

One of the top liberal arts colleges in the nation continues its new construction renovations boom as Amherst College plans to overhaul venerable, stately Pratt Field, located on the gateway to downtown Amherst, although set off by a black wrought iron gate.

 Rt 9 side of Pratt Field: guarded by same style gate that protects Dickinson family plot

The $12.5 million renovation, courtesy of a handful of Anon donors, will start this coming Fall and be completed by the Fall of next year.  Perhaps the only surprise for a college steeped in tradition is the move to transform the plush playing field into artificial turf.

 The track will shift slightly down to better align with ornate gates

New viewing stands will push back towards bike path.  New press box (for dwindling supply of reporters)

No word if Woodside Ave will reopen at the entryway to Pratt Field,  closed by the Amherst Select Board after the state renovated the historic bridge

Meanwhile, almost contiguous with Pratt Field located directly on busy Rt 9 the College will go before the Amherst Planning Board on May 2nd for a routine rubber stamp to their request for doubling the occupancy from a one family to a duplex for this home they recently purchased at  96 Northampton Road (Rt 9).

96 Northampton Road.  Yet another yellow house expansion

In spite of being a tax exempt educational institution, Amherst College is still the number one taxpayer in town.  For instance, the newly renovated Lord Jeff Inn and the 9-hole Amherst Golf Course are for-profit businesses, so they are on the tax rolls.   But mainly because of all the houses Amherst College owns and rents to professors, who have a reputation for not partying.

Another neighborhood expansion

This one bedroom colonial at 1156 North Pleasant street, only a stone's throw from North Amherst center or Hobart Lane and Meadow Street--ground zero for student party houses--sold in early March for $264,000, well below its accessed value of $373,500.

The new owners, Catherine and Morten Jensen-Hole, will go before the Planning Board on April 18 for a rubber stamp "site plan review" to e-x-p-a-n-d from one family (maximum of four unrelated occupants) to a two family, or eight unrelated tenants.

Even though the rental income potential doubles, the assessor does not increase the valuation of the property whatsoever, so the tax revenues to the town remains the same.  Last week the Zoning Board of Appeals approved (as did the Planning Board) just such a conversion for a yellow house at 156 Sunset Avenue, but not before neighbors made their concerns loudly known about the quality of life issues associated with non-owner occupied student rentals.

Property Card for 1156 North Pleasant Street, Amherst

The few, the proud...

 Downtown Amherst 8:45 AM

So this morning, not quite as early as usual, the 29 commemorative flags returned to their lofty perch in the downtown to commemorate Patriots' Day, one of the few (six) "holidays" the flags are allowed to fly free and proud.

Seven days if you count 9/11, but then Amherst only allows that commemoration once every five years, so this will not occur again until 2016, on the fifteenth anniversary.

President Bush called 9/11  "Patriot Day" when signing an executive order for the American flag to fly at half staff every 9/11 for as long as the republic stands, joining only a handful of days remembered in such a mournful way.

Annually, as it should.