Republic of Athens

Still fighting over Palmer Fest

In the wake of this year’s particularly rowdy (and indeed street fire-producing) Palmer Fest — an annual block party bash near the campus of Ohio University — students, residents, and city officials are still buzzing about what to expect for next year. With significant national attention given to the “near riot” and/or “police brutality,” 74 arrests, including 46 OU students, and wildly disparate accounts of what really happened at this year’s event, Republic of Athens set out to get an in-depth grasp of the truth.

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Letter: Citizen goes ape over student behavior

Editor:

I’m writing today because I feel it is imperative for the citizens of the Republic of Athens to do something about all these block parties.

The students are an 800-lb. gorilla. There’s no getting rid of this gorilla; he is indomitable and consumes copious quantities of bananas (beer). The gorilla comes with the territory, and residents accept this.

Happily, part of the gorilla is an industrious, if fun-loving, beast. Part of the gorilla wants to make a contribution to society, to raise kittens and learn sign language.

But the gorilla also has a dark side. For this part of the gorilla, the jungle, which is our town, is nothing more than a place for him to run around hooting, drinking from streams and marking territory.

Responsible, tax-paying citizens are the spider monkeys trying to avoid being used as swinging vines when the gorilla decides it’s time for some fun. We’ve had enough of trash in the streets, of near-riots and attacks on police horses. I feel like I’m in that movie, “King Kong,” directed by Peter Jackson, except without the distracting performance by Jack Black.

Net traps and tranquilizer guns aside, wouldn’t a respectable “republic” do something to control this bumbling animal before he destroys the place we love?

Relocating him to his sanctuary in the suburbs is only ever a temporary solution. So far, the joke’s on us, the real people who actually live here on purpose (and on our own dime)! Who’s going to stick up for US?

You probably won’t even publish this letter, but here it is.

- Patricia Suggs, Better Neighborhoods Association of Athens

photo credit: dce_76

Signs of the times

Top 5 anticipated media stories about the Halloween block party

Each year, the Halloween block party draws thousands of costumed festival goers to uptown Athens. Along with yearly traditions such as closing down Court Street, townies fleeing for the weekend in droves and the harassment of police horses, comes the typical assortment of media reports about the event.

We’re proud to say that our coverage of Halloween weekend starts now, with our Top 5 list of anticipated stories about the chaos that is Athens’ Halloween:

1. Number of arrests over the weekend: This is the staple of any news outlet’s Halloween weekend coverage. News editors and reporters can count on at least a couple dozen arrests every year. And a percentage of those ending up in the weekend slammer will be non-Ohio U students, guaranteeing a few mentions outside Athens’ readership area.
2. The weather/What OU and Athens police are doing: Because either of these topics can be standalone stories or segments of a larger piece, both are rated as a tie. Will the weather be warm and inviting, drawing thousands of drunken party-goers to Court Street? Or will there be a downpour or an unseasonable freeze, resulting in thousands of wet, cold drunken party-goers on Court Street? And no pre-Halloween surmise is complete without at least one quotation from local law enforcement officials or OU administrators about this year’s efforts to anticipate arrests/keep arrests to a minimum.
3. Quashing event: Every year, at least one local official or opinionated resident is eager to share his or her plan for dissolving the Halloween block party. Whether this sentiment can be developed into a full-blown news story depends on whether the individual states his or her view at a public forum, such as a City Council meeting. But the topic is good for at least an editorial, given its controversial nature and the likelihood of its appearing as reader/viewer feedback.
4. Injuries and assaults: This is the “nitty-gritty” Halloween angle, and makes a good sidebar to the “Quashing event” piece (see above). Though serious incidents are thankfully few, it’s the crime reporter’s yearly opportunity to be on call. Cramming 30,000 questionably functioning people into two city blocks over the course of one night — what could possibly go wrong?
5. Costumes: Patrons pushing the legal definition of decency notwithstanding, the sheer creativity displayed by costume-makers at the event is enough to draw media attention.