The Southwest Residential Area of the University of Massachusetts saw another celebration by students following the Red Sox victory over the New York Yankees on Wednesday night. The UMass Police Department made three arrests during the disturbance.
UMass Police Department is stopping short of calling the gathering a riot although force was used to disperse the crowd.
All three of the arrested were UMass students. Alpar Solyom, 19, was charged with inciting a riot, failure to disperse in the riot, persons under 21 in possession of alcohol and disorderly conduct. Thomas J. White, 18, was charged with trespassing on state property, failure to disperse in a riot and disorderly conduct. Thomas W. Folz-Donahue, 18, was charged with failure to disperse in a riot, disorderly conduct, and mistreatment or interference with a police dog or horse.
According to many students this celebration is the tamest of the three that have occurred in the residential area since Saturday. There was only one small fight near the Southwest Pyramids, the UMPD reported, but said it was quickly broken up. Various female students exposed their chests to the crowd.
Only one bonfire was set, no one repeated the stunt of the "DC Jumper" and no cars were overturned. The size of the crowd was down from the number of students at Monday's rally, which was estimated by UMPD at 2,200. Originally, the UMPD estimated 400 to 500 students showed up for the celebration. However, a fire alarm in John Quincy Adams Hall was pulled, which resulted in the crowd growing to nearly 1,000 people.
At 12:24 a.m., between 15 and 20 police in riot gear dispersed the crowd with smoke, horse-mounted police and Oleoresin Capsicum guns. The OC gun shoots paintballs filled with a pepper spray-like substance.
UMPD Deputy Chief Patrick T. Archbald said he determined that the celebration had evolved into a disturbance after students began pushing and shoving one another. It was shortly after police asked the crowd to leave that force was used, Archbald said.
"There was an order to disperse over the PA, but I don't think the crowd heard," Archbald said.
When many in the crowd did not obey the request, police used gas canisters in order to drive people back.
After the first use of smoke, mounted officers rode through the Pyramids and the crowd ran away. At that point, UMPD fired OC into the crowd.
Around 12:50 a.m., in the area between J.Q.A. Hall and MacKimmie Hall, several hundred students stood in a cloud of smoke, while police fired rounds of their OC guns.
Meanwhile, the action in front of Washington and Cance Halls had become subdued. However, police returning to the area found a crowd of about 40 people that had formed, taunting police.
A few students began yelling expletives at the returning cops. Others protested that the gathering was a "peaceful celebration."
"Being part of a peaceful, celebratory assembly where I pay to live, and to have the [police] shoot me for that, is wrong," said Duncan Schilcher, a junior. "To be told to leave a public quad with a gun in my face is really wrong."
The group of students, apparently responding to police movement, ran back and forth from Cance Hall's front door to the top of the entrance ramp. Most of the group finally ran inside the building after a mounted officer chased the crowd toward the front of the building at around 1 a.m.
About five minutes later, an unidentified student threw an explosive device out of a fourth floor bathroom of the dorm and into the courtyard. Some Residential Assistants standing in the building's lobby expressed shock at the explosion.
The R.A.s also said they were frustrated with the amount of overtime they have had to work because of this week's celebrations.
"We're not getting paid overtime for this," said Carrie Sallgren, an R.A. of Cance.
"I need a note [to give to my professor], because I haven't had time to study for my exam," said Johari Allen-Davis, also an R.A.
The building staff also expressed resentment toward students for the continual celebrations.
"I'm a student too," said Residential Director Erica Piedade. "I'm mad about the amount of money we're all gonna have to pay for this."
Crowd activity at Southwest was diminished by around 1:15a.m. There were still reports, however, of a small group of students congregating at the Pyramids, attempting to light paper on fire.
