Expensive At The Top

If you ever wondered why Amherst Regional Public Schools have such a dramatically higher than average cost per student, $20,328 this year vs state average of around $14,000,  just look at recent employee compensation raises. 

Assistant Super Mike Morris, Superintendent Maria Geryk

Superintendent Maria Geryk goes from $147,000 to $158,00 a 7.5% raise.

Assistant Superintendent Mike Morris goes from $100,000 to $115,000 a 15% raise

Sean Mangano

Sean Mangano, Finance Director, goes from $49,429 to $95,000 a 90% raise

Talib Sadiq, School Climate Coordinator,  goes from $54,395 to $78,861 a 45% raise

Meanwhile all the King's horses and all the King's men (and women) subsist on a 2 or 3% raise. 

Yet Another Lost Weekend

 

AFD A5 on scene slummy Phillips Street for ETOH female with head injury 12:09 AM

Amherst Fire Department made twenty eight (28) Emergency Medical Services calls to UMass Amherst over the weekend, twenty five (25) of them for overly intoxicated "college aged youth," and quite frankly the other three traumas I have a strong suspicion alcohol was a contributing factor.

   AFD Fantazia Concert Runs

Let me repeat that:  At least 89.2% of all "emergency" runs to our flagship institute of higher education last weekend were for otherwise intelligent people who voluntarily drank themselves almost to the point of death.

AFD Engine 1 and Engine 3 on scene Theta Chi Frat 496 N. Pleasant Street 12:23 AM

And notice too just after midnight Saturday-into-Sunday morning in the midst of a flurry of ETOH runs two engines responded to an alarm at Theta Chi fraternity.  What if that had turned out to be a major structure fire?

With all our ambulances (and 80% of the on-duty crew) dealing with drunks, how effective a response could they have mustered?

"A Job Well Done"

 3/19/13 AFD loads ETOH female after dealing with combative crowd (note PD not wearing riot gear)

So yeah, I suppose you have to take a pro-police statement coming from firefighters, those other highly trained public servants, with a grain of salt.

After all, let's look at what happened last year at the Blarney Blowout, which was localized to Townhouse Apartments quad area.

When AFD was called to the scene for a young woman who had passed out from too much alcohol, she was dead in the center of a boisterous drunken crowd of well over 1,000.  And as they tried to negotiate their way through that undulating maze of humanity the unarmed firefighters, who do not wear riot gear, came under fire.

At first just snowballs, but quickly escalating to cans and bottles -- some of them full. 

APD waded into the crowd (without riot gear) to escort the firefighters out of a dangerous situation.  And not long after they marched back into that crowd to disperse them (while wearing riot gear helmets) resulting in six arrests and no injuries.

 3/9/13 Police in riot gear helmets break up Blarney Blowout at Townhouse Apartments

The key points to remember about this year's disastrous Blarney Blowout -- which shows a pattern -- are 1) police were overwhelmingly outnumbered and 2) they only used force after the largest drunken crowd anyone has ever seen in our little college town started to hurl ice, rocks, bottles and cans. 

Yes, police made 58 arrests -- a LOT more than last year.  But still no injuries. 

Blarney Snuff Out

 Townhouse Apartments quad 5:15ish

Saturday was supposed to be the "Half Way to Blarney Blowout" celebration, but with the massive (bad) publicity generated by the release of the Davis Report Thursday night the downtown bars didn't dare enact it this year, and the main offenders agreed not to even open until 5:00 PM vs their regular 11:00 AM opening time allowed by license.

But that did not stop many hundreds of "college aged youth" from gathering in the usual spot this afternoon, the grassy quad inside Townhouse Apartments in North Amherst.  Last year that was the  scene of the Blarney Blowout riot, but with only 6 arrests vs this year's 58.

Beer bush

When I first saw the huge number of party goers and the exceedingly small number of police officers (half dozen) I thought about calling up Mr. Davis to have him come do a live demonstration for the Amherst Police Department on crowd management.

Hey, for $160,000 you would think a follow up demo would be in order.

Without donning riot gear, or using "chemical agents," or even raising their voices, the police sorted out the crowd in 20 minutes or so starting with the apartments playing loud music.  Once the music died the crowd got the message and slowly dispersed, leaving behind a mess.

The BIG difference between this and the Blarney Blowout of March 8, 2014?  When the officers politely asked for something, they got it.  In other words, cooperation. 

Interestingly, the kids had no problem invoking their First Amendment rights, as dozens whipped out their smart phones to record the officers, and a fewer number hurled an expletive deleted or two from the protection of their second floor apartment.

Yet some of those very same individuals questioned why I was recording the scene. Which makes you wonder, what is it they would not want parents or guardians to see?

Townhouse Apartments quad March, 2013

The Return Of EDM Mayhem

Fantazia was cancelled last year @ Mullins Center due to concerns about drug "molly"

So once again, if you needed an ambulance late last night for a real life threatening emergency (not self-induced) you would have had to await precious (many) minutes for it to arrive from a surrounding town.

 Two AFD ambulances at UMass Mullins Center last night for drunk patrons

Yes, in spite of extra staffing paid for by our friends at UMass that allowed for five fully staffed ambulances, and despite the two extra out-of-town ambulances Chief Nelson required the Mullins Center to hire ... it still wasn't enough!

 

AFD Engine 3 at Mullins Center last night

AFD had to use Engine 1 as an emergency medical unit to respond with trained personnel who can help stabilize the patient, but they cannot transport to a hospital.

A couple weeks back a cyclist with a serious head injury was first tended to in this way but had to wait for a Northampton ambulance to transport him to Baystate Critical Care unit in Springfield.

 South Hadley Medic 2 staging at AFD North Station last night

The Mullins Center concert had a dozen transports for ETOH (intoxicated) patrons in less than four hours and AFD handled another five (so 17 in total) not related to the concert.

Interestingly the ambulances from South Hadley and Easthampton had to stage at North Station 1.5 miles away because Mullins Center management did not like the "image" presented when they staged on site, as has been the previous custom.  

 AFD at UMass Pierpont Dorm last night for intoxicated student

This disaster comes in the wake of UMass releasing the $160,000 Ed Davis Report, a Monday morning quarterbacking of the Blarney Blowout where alcohol is cited as a major contributing factor. 

AFD Engines 1&3 at Amherst College Frost Library for drunk student last night

Mullins Center Command terminated, Fantazia concert over.  Easthampton and South Hadley ambulances heading home (after long night).
— Larry Kelley (@amherstac) September 20, 2014

Blarney Blowout BS

Town Manager Musante and UMass Chancellor Subbaswamy looking glum

While there's not a single "recommendation" made by Mr. Davis in his 65 page, $160,000 report -- especially increased APD staffing -- that I oppose, there's one sentiment I strongly disagree with:  police used too much "force" breaking up the unruly crowds and by donning riot gear in the face of incoming rocks, bottles and cans, officers incited the mob to further violence.

 Last night's media reports blaming police response

 

APD Chief Livingstone (left) UMPD Chief Horvath (right)

Both beleaguered police chiefs stood firm in their support of actions taken by vastly outnumbered officers that regrettable day, with UMPD Chief Horvath going so far as to say it would have been "negligent" for officers not to move in to disperse the crowd once things got out of hand -- which occurred before the riot gear appeared. 

 Print, Television, Digital media in attendance

Despite the last minute notice (3:52 PM yesterday afternoon) the Friday morning press conference was well attended by the media, although only a small percentage of the outlets who carried stories about the Blarney Blowout in the days after the extraordinary event.

 

Ed Davis (center with yellow tie)

Chief Livingstone (white hat) on scene Fearing & North Pleasant streets March 8, 2:00 PM

With his officers outnumbered 100-1, with their backs to the very outskirts of Amherst town center, and with rocks, bottles and ice chunks starting to rain down on them from above, the police had no choice but to break up the surging unruly crowd.  

Yes, by means other than asking "pretty please." Now I fear police will think twice about ever using force again.  

Certainly, by all means, let's hope for a better future:

Block Party: Bingo

 North Pleasant Street mobbed by pedestrians

If only town gown interactions could always be this cordial.

 Now that's what you call a blockade

The 3rd Annual Block Party put on by the Business Improvment District with lots of help from the town (Police, Fire and DPW) drew an intergenerational crowd of thousands to the heart of downtown Amherst, to amble safely down the center of a normally busy road, ignore the traffic lights and breath the fresh clean air.

 Judie and her iconic popovers

Starting at 5:00 PM, an hour earlier than the last two years seemed to help draw families, perhaps using it as a good excuse to eat out on a school night, as the food concession stands were doing a brisk business.

 Black Sheep Deli drew a happy crowd

The dunk tank -- raising money for charity -- made a big splash:

Building Inspector Jon Thompson takes a dip

Dr. Kate Atkinson exuberantly hits the icy water

Stilt lady towers above the crowd

Portable lights would turn night into day 

AFD moved 2 ambulances and Engine 1 to the DPW one mile away to avoid congestion in front of Central Station town center