Mardi Gras Riot in San Luis Obispo, CA...

[gibby]

...Law enforcments use pepper balls to contain the riots during their Mardi Gras celebration. Could it be TK's work calming the storm?

Link to story:

http://www.ucsbdailynexus.com/news/2004/6810.html

[TheTramp]

I saw that on the news. They were using Tippmans.

[Muzikman]

That's where Sarah and Army live. Sarah was telling me about it in chat. Wish I was there...I could have put the FN303 to good use;)

[Muzikman]

"Partygoers upset by the intervention threw bottles, rocks, beads and other assorted objects at police officers"

I wonder if the cops were flashing to get those beads:)

[gibby]

Originally posted by Muzikman
That's where Sarah and Army live. Sarah was telling me about it in chat. Wish I was there...I could have put the FN303 to good use;) Hehe! Now that would have been cool! Amongst all the police in riot gear, we see this one guy wearing a big AO jersey helping out!

[mangomag]

LOL, i was actually there when all this happened! me and my buds were all just chilling having a good time, and all of a sudden i hear guns going off, they didnt sound like guns, but more like paintball guns! my immediate insticts were to book it! luckily i didnt get hit, but a couple of my buds did, one of them got hit 4 times with pepperballs, and a couple of my other friends got caught in the tear gas and had trouble breathing, it was pretty crazy..but it was fun! my friend said they hurt more than paintballs, which they probably did..
lol, made me wish i had my mag with me to show em' up ;)

[thei3ug]

You're the first person I know who thought it was "cool" to get gassed.

[Muzikman]

It's soon to be a college past time...

Dan: Hey man, we're out of beer, no money and I'm bored. What do you wanna do Jim.

Jim: Hell man, let's go start a riot so we can get peppered. All the cool college kids are doing it these days.

Dan: Kick arse...let's go...


:D

[tony3]

Originally posted by thei3ug
You're the first person I know who thought it was "cool" to get gassed.


Hahahahahahha, I can also see muzikman standing there going nuts with his AO jersey on....

[Wes Janson]

I can't wait for one of the rioters to get nailed to the eye or mouth or ear with a pepperball. I'm willing to bet the impact velocity is far above a normal paintball, and they're not wearing masks.. Recipe for disaster, IMO.

[Muzikman]

Originally posted by Wes Janson
I can't wait for one of the rioters to get nailed to the eye or mouth or ear with a pepperball. I'm willing to bet the impact velocity is far above a normal paintball, and they're not wearing masks.. Recipe for disaster, IMO.

That is why they are call "Less Than Lethal" although, the article calls it non-lethal. If they are using the Tippmann's, then they are just normal pepper filled balls shooting at or around 300fps. If they are using the FN-303 they are shooting at about the same, but with a projectile that is 3x hevier than a paintball. It's better than rubber bullets.

[SlartyBartFast]

Originally posted by Muzikman
It's better than rubber bullets.

Too true. Those can easily kill.

Bean bag launchers and tear gas canister launchers can easily be leathal at short range as well.

[wallace9111]

To anyone who came to AO cali day they know I live in SLO, and i was where the riots were, cedar creek. I got to stand at the wall on the other side of the crowd and taunt cops, tons of fun till your roomate next to you gets tackled and taken to jail. My other stupid roomate was filling bottles with rocks and throwing them. I thought it would be funny with just bottles but the dumbass decided to fill them with rocks somehow, then got tackled by a swot cop, who then proceeded to get knocked down and my roomate ran away. Fun times by all!!! Idiots!

[wallace9111]

I can also post some sweet pics!

[Duke of Lawnchair]

Originally posted by wallace9111
I can also post some sweet pics!

Were you the one that started all that crap???

j/k

I miss SLO.

[Lohman446]

Yeh... poor police would probably wonder when I asked for pods, and showed up with a Halo and my e-mag (after adjusting the trigger rod to get hybrid run-away mode). Poor rioters

Captain: "Alright, you each get 10"
Me: Thats ten pods right?

[Muzikman]

Ya know, to all those who think it's funny....it's not. People who start riots and take part in riots like this are idiots. These things get people hurt / killed on both sides. I would hope the next time something like this happens you use your brain and leave peacfully. Distruction of other peoples property and endangering those around you should not be laughed at. If you find it funny, I hope you get cought next time and spend a few nights in jail. Maybe that will knock some sense into you. Also, don't go bragging about it and posting pictures...this will get you caught. It has happened at PSU a few times.

[tsc]

It dissapoints me that so many people I know were involved in this idiocy. My mother and I both work at Mustang Village, which is right next to Cedar Creek, and also a main area for the riot.

In all truth, I expect college educated humans to be both more knowledgable and civilized than a pack of hyenas.

All day I've been hearing how "cool" and "funny" it was, and cannot believe how truely stupid one must be to see wanton violence, widespread injury, arrests, and general chaos as a fun nighttime activity.

I guess because of the above statement, I'll be called out as a loser and a wet blanket. In a sense, I am. I leave parties before they become too wild and have law enforcement involved, I typically caution my friends and aqquaintences against actions which can or will bring harm to someone, or cause property damage. However, I still have an incredible time with my friends, go to parties, concerts (I have never left a rowdy concert before, but once had my nose broken for not doing so), and can enjoy myself with a large group of people without being teargassed.

I just don't get it. Anyone care to enlighten me as to why this destructive, obnoxious, and all together idiotic riot was fun?

[wallace9111]

No one was seriously hurt. All in all it was a fun night, nothing to outrageous. I am sorry to all who take it as something else. But people get drunk and do dumb things and its hard to stop them, so I went with the flow.

[Off Center]

It's hard to figure out cause and effect relationships without doing specific testing and it's impossible to determine cause and effect relationships in behavioral psychology (i.e. a bunch of folks going from partiers to rioters).

The riots could have started because there were so many police in SLO (around 20 agencies if I remember correctly). Many people become aggressive when presented with authority figures whereas otherwise, they would be perfectly mellow. Think the difference between someone telling you to do something and someone asking you to do something. In other words, the riot may not have occured if the police weren't there, in anticipation of one. On the other hand, the riots may just have started because people were celebrating Mardi Gras or because there were significantly more people in town than normal. I'm sure that there are a myriad of other reason that folks could have rioted that I'm not thinking of.

What I do know is that in my classes today (I attend Cal Poly), numerous people expressed concerns about police brutality and about not being able to get to their apartments (to stop partying) because of police roadblocks. I even overheard one classmate relate to another how police tear-gassed his apartment, which was near the rioting, even though they were just watching TV. Although the overall trend of the comments indicated that police did more harm than good, I did hear a few indicate that people thought the rioters deserved what they got.

Reading the article (http://www.ucsbdailynexus.com/news/2004/6810.html), I did not see any indication of damage caused by rioters that wasn't directed at police. Perhaps, if the police had stayed at home, the students wouldn't have rioted. Perhaps the tamer element, people like Sarah would have gone out and had a tempering effect on the rest of the folks like Wallace9111. I do firmly believe that the excessive number of police officers was uneccessary and should be rethought.

[f3rr3+]

i can see how being near one of the more non-violent riots would be a cool experience... untill i got shot/peppered/gassed.... :rolleyes:

[Barfly]

well wtf do the police expect when they shutdown a couple of huge parties. When they get shutdown all of the sudden tons and tons of people are all trashed and milling around. If they wouldn't have busted the parties people probably would have left in smaller groups over a long period of time.

[mangomag]

I also am sorry for those who took it the wrong way. Teenagers, SWAT, and alcohol dont mix, im just glad that no one got seriously hurt.

[wallace9111]

Off Center I am also a Cal Poly student(4th year AGB), so please do not lecture about tempering the people at the event. There are many rumors on how the riots got started and the News is not going to bring you those incredible facts, but no matter what, once it started the Law Enforcement overreacted, and thus we had a riot. I have a number of friends arrested, and I am not happy that happen, but life goes on. Keep watching in the future for reports of brutality, i.e One of the SWAT member's guns was turned up too high and caused injuries.

[MrMag]

Will-It's SWAT......not SWOT. Did Munson get arrested? I can imagine him going crazy for some reason......;)

[Curly]

Originally posted by MrMag
Will-It's SWAT......not SWOT. Did Munson get arrested? I can imagine him going crazy for some reason......;)

HAHAHAHA, I wouldnt be suprised.

[Off Center]

Wallace, sorry if I didn't make the point clear enough: I don't think that rioting would have occurred if police hadn't been there. Nothing in my post was intended as a lecture and I apologize if you found it to be one (guilty conscience?). The comment about the damage caused by rioters was intended to indicate that the only damage caused by civilians was the result of police prescence. In other words, if the police hadn't been there, nobody would have damaged anything.

The tempering comment had to do with how someone not as inclined to attend parties that are "too wild" like Sarah might have been the voice of reason that prevented people from trying bludgeon someone with rock-filled glass bottles. Perhaps someone like Sarah might have prevented that initial act that set in motion a series of increasingly violent acts.

You state that the article had incredible facts in it, but it failed to mention anything about civilians setting cars on fire or ripping street posts out of the ground. These things did happen, and are, I think more incredible than anything written in the article.

[nastymag]

hope your friends are alright will ...they where all cool dudes.

[wallace9111]

Off center you don't play around here do you I have never seen another Cal Poly student out?

[Off Center]

Haven't played much recently. Had an internship this fall and was gone for the summer. Before that, I played occasionaly up in Atascadero and once or twice in Nipomo, and have been meaning to get up the the field that Breakout Paintball sets up at the Paso Robles fairgrounds. Usually just play when I go home. Don't even have my gear here right now. Still need to fine tune the new set-up: BKO, Halo, 68-4.5k preset.

[tyrion2323]

My personal opinions about the matter are that the rioters deserved to get what they got. Sure, there were those who were just "going with the flow," but that's an unreasonable excuse.

Riots are destructive. They are dangerous, and they are a hazard to whoever is around them. Windows are smashed and public/private property is destroyed. All because of inebriated morons who feel that the best time to express themselves is when they're under the influence. Those people deserve what they get.

Off Center - I think the problem that I have with your analysis of the authority situation is that you're indirectly (actually not so indirectly) placing the blame on the authorities. It's certainly not the police's fault that the riot happened - they do their best to stop them. My general philosophy (and there ARE exceptions) is that people who "hate the police" only do so because they have some reason to.

It's like all of the middle-class kids around my house (In Vermont) who call the cops "Pigs." Of course, you find out that these kids have been nabbed for drunk driving or speeding - yet they blame it on the Cops. I, personally, wish that the authorities had more of a presence around problem areas. Stating that people who are usually mellow and become aggressive around Police isn't a statement about the Police - it's a statement about the pathetic nature of those "mellow people."

People who feel that, once they are inebriated, they are not responsible for their actions need to rethink themselves. People who put public and private property in danger need to be suppressed - or think of the consequences for all of the innocent citizens who had nothing to do with it! Egging a house seems funny when you do it, but I bet that if you had to go help the old lady clean up her house, you might think twice next time. It's the same with riots - setting a car on fire is NEVER acceptable. Breaking windows is absolutely ridiculous.

I will state this one more time - all generalizations HAVE EXCEPTIONS. Certainly there have been numerous cases of police brutality and racism/sexism/etc. These things happen, and I am not discounting them; however, I am emphasizing a more aggressive, personal introspection instead of pulling an Eeyore ("The world's out to get me!")

[SlartyBartFast]

Originally posted by tyrion2323
My personal opinions about the matter are that the rioters deserved to get what they got.


Very well said Tyrion. IMO, anybody who isn't running from a riot or peacefully surrendering to police deserves every bit of personal injury they get.

If a cop is doing something wrong or you disagree with their tactics, confronting them at the time IS NOT the way to do it.

While the officer(s) is doing what you consider wrong, you do everything they say, cooperate fully and try your best to remember their name, badge number, and description. After it's over you lodge a complaint.

In the case of riots, morons think that a cop should stop doing something because a bunch of drunks and/or idiots don't agree. Sorry, but as soon as the police officer feels threatened it's their right to defend themselves and use whatever force is necessary to enforce the law and protect innocent civilians and their property.

[thei3ug]

speaking as a family member of police officers and federal agents, Friends of mine who are police officers to finish law school, get a degree in radiology... people who throw bottles filled with rocks, taunt, and harass officers are scum.

I'm sorry, but they work for crap pay, crap benefits, their families FALL APART from the stress, and risk dying every day.

Then someone starts throwing a bottle at them because they think cops have a crappy attitude?

Yah. watch your head when you get in the car.

--people wouldn't have rioted if the police weren't there--

Know what that tells me? A bunch of people with authority issues. If there are large public gatherings, EXPECT police to be there. You act like they're automotons to do some big brother duty.

They're human beings.

[oldsoldier]

Originally posted by Barfly
well wtf do the police expect when they shutdown a couple of huge parties. When they get shutdown all of the sudden tons and tons of people are all trashed and milling around. If they wouldn't have busted the parties people probably would have left in smaller groups over a long period of time.
Well, WTF do people expect, having huge underage parties? That they ARENT gonna get shut down? And, to all you people who think its "cool" or "fun" to beat down an officer of the law, then gripe when one of your friends gets the living daylights beat outta them...they get what they deserve. It is a TOTAL lack of respect for law and order. plain and simple. Everyone targets the cops...the cops go into defensive mode. They are outnumbered, in uniform, and there to keep order, in a place where, obviously, people think its more "fun" to act like animals than have consideration for their fellow human beings.
you know, I like watching kids get the crap kicked outta them by 5 or 6 cops. I have been on the police side of it...15 of us...200 of them. Is it any wonder police may get a little overzealous when they take someone down? You ever have bottles, urine, or ANYTHING like that thrown at you? Been spit on? And, on top of that...told by your command that you cant do anything about it? Until you have stood on the other side of the line, shut up.
And, to all of you who think riots are fun...wait till you get caught. Then, the fun ends. Stupid hurts...sometimes alot

[SlartyBartFast]

Originally posted by oldsoldier
Stupid hurts...sometimes alot

Often it doesn't hurt enough ...

[wallace9111]

I am not going to defend my comments that I posted earlier, I did have fun and I didn't hurl bottles at cops. It was an entertaining scene to watch! But to all of you "supposed COPS" go to hell. It is so easy to justify the situation and say everyone was wrong but the COPS. That is such a crock of crap! Bad things happened on both sides, and at this point in time it does not make one bit of difference how it got started, just what resulted!

Now to all you people who think I am just some punk kid with no experience with the law, yet again go suck on something! My father is Officer for Upland PD back in my home town, I respect Police officers, and for the most part they are great people who do deserve my respect. Although, I know some cops(family friends) who do some bad things and are not ashamed of it. The riots gave a lot of these people excuses to do some malicious acts.

Again to the supposed "COPS", I do not know if you are officers, it sounds like old soldier is, but to the rest there are rights and justifying idiots actions by responding back with brute force is not always the answer.

[SlartyBartFast]

Originally posted by wallace9111
I did have fun and I didn't hurl bottles at cops. It was an entertaining scene to watch!

Those idiots that were throwing bottles and the idiots who thought is was fun to watch the idiots throw bottles.

ALL really deserved to be knocked in the head with those same bottles.

The place to dispute an officers action is at the public review board or before the courts.

If you REALLY respect the police, you leave as soon as told or it's obvious here's trouble.

If you REALLY respect the police, you surrender quietly when arrested.

If you do the above, it's VERY difficult for even the most crooked cop to do anything malicious to you.

If you REALLY respect the police, you don't have fun watching them being attacked for doing their job.

If you REALLY respect the community, you'd be behind any effort to control poor behaviour and defend the community's property, safety, and environment.

Ask your father how much respect he feels from the hooligans on rooftops laughing and shouting and egging the rioters on as he tries to enforce the law and not get killed while faced with an unruly mob.

I doubt he'd find them respectful at all.

To all the low life hooligans who think that the destruction of private and public property and flouting the law is fun, "go to hell".

I'll even support my local cops and help them send you there ...

[wallace9111]

I guess the only thing I can say back is "Blame Canada!"

I watched the events of that night happen from a safe distance on the other side of street behind a fence patrolled by police. I was not involved directly and there was nothing I could do to stop or even change the events that were happening. So I chose, like the curious kid that I am, to watch the scene unfurl.

Thank You for expressing your opinion on what I should "really" do and feel! I will react to any situation the way I feel I should, and not how some stupid Canuck tells me how to act!

I do not know how things work in Canada but here in real America and not America JR. we riot for real reasons and not because Axle Rose and his band of idiots will not come out and sing!

[thei3ug]

Umm, dare I mention the riots after IU fired their psycho coach?

Or for that matter, every time the Bulls one the championship?

Oh christ, us people in america only riot for GOOD reasons!

Is there ever a good reason to destroy other people's property and attack other people? Tell me what that is.

[wallace9111]

Well when ever the bulls win the championship I hear by give full rights to people in Chi-town to go crazy and ransack everything.

"I do not know how things work in Canada but here in real America and not America JR. we riot for real reasons and not because Axle Rose and his band of idiots will not come out and sing!" Just a little commentary to special people reading this thread, this is called a joke! Here is what Webster's has to say about this illusive word.
joke ( P ) Pronunciation Key (jk)
n.
Something said or done to evoke laughter or amusement, especially an amusing story with a punch line.
A mischievous trick; a prank.
An amusing or ludicrous incident or situation.
Informal.
Something not to be taken seriously; a triviality: The accident was no joke.
An object of amusement or laughter; a laughingstock: His loud tie was the joke of the office.

v. joked, jok·ing, jokes
v. intr.
To tell or play jokes; jest.
To speak in fun; be facetious.

v. tr.
To make fun of; tease.

A j-o-k-e, now that I have spelled it out for you maybe you will understand, I was playing around on that specific comment!

[stang68]

just a little off topic but responding to some earlier posts
there is a descent place out in los osos
also me and my friends get together about once a month to play
if you are interested in being notified when we go to play next time just pm me

[wallace9111]

Hey its not off topic. In case you guys didn't know there are now 2 fields here! Breakout is opening a airball field in 2 weeks and Brad Scott(Zero Tolerance) also has a real field. We had AO CA day there a month ago. As long as you can ball you are welcome out to Brads(and you can control yourself). He has 2 hyperball fields, which incedently is being used for another tournment this weekend(Frat wars). He is also working on getting an airball field up soon and has been saving money for quite some time.(reason for AO CA)We play twice a month at the field, there is also Compressed air and C02 out there(comes at a minor cost). The next time we play is on the 6th of march.

[Off Center]

Shouldn't the police have focused on preventing a riot rather than trying to contain/control one after it happened?

[SlartyBartFast]

Originally posted by wallace9111
My other stupid roomate was filling bottles with rocks and throwing them. I thought it would be funny with just bottles but the dumbass decided to fill them with rocks somehow, then got tackled by a swot cop, who then proceeded to get knocked down and my roomate ran away. Fun times by all!!! Idiots!

If that's good fun and you condone it, then I look forward to the day someone thinks it's good fun to hurl bottles at you.

I wonder how much your father enjoys having a son who thinks it's fun to throw bottles at cops.

Then you fall right into name calling, well ...


Originally posted by wallace9111
I do not know how things work in Canada but here in real America and not America JR. we riot for real reasons and not because Axle Rose and his band of idiots will not come out and sing!

Well, I don't see why I should expect much intelligence from some Yank who thinks destruction of public property and attacking the police are funny.

As for America junior, don't make me laugh. What makes you think we want to be like you? You can take your manifest destiny crap and choke.

And as for rioting for "real" reasons. You really don't get it do you? There isn't one single good reason to riot. Rioting is just mob terrorism.

But then again I live in a place that can have gatherings of 100,000+ people in the city streets with liquor and beer being sold and never a violent incident.

[tyrion2323]

Wallace, you need to stop talking, or you're going to get ripped apart. This isn't PBN. You're going to find that most people on these forums aren't teenage kids going through hormonal imbalances, and think it's funny to watch cops get harassed or make fun of Canada. Canada's crime statistics put America to shame.

[Kasper]

Okay, let's review:

Alcohol is an inhibitor. That is to say, it alters your state of mind by numbing your senses, including your personal inhibitions (that little voice that says "No, that is wrong"). Alcohol does not MAKE you do something, it only lessens your cognitive ability to think rationally... It is not a crutch that can be used to justify or rationalize actions. And the "I was drunk" defense does not hold up in court.

With parties you mix ONE brain numbing chemical with other brain numbing chemicals... teenage / early 20's testosterone... then multiply that by group peer pressure. Remember the person is smart, but people (in groups) are stupid. It's not easy to be a voice of reason among a situation that is spinning out of control. But if you are laughing, cheering, shouting, or even just "hanging out" while the crime is going down, you are contributing and are just as accountable as the others who are throwing the bottles. Once the police give an "Order to dispurse", and you disobey that... you're arrestable. There are specific criteria that the police follow when dealing with riots. If you were there after the police showed up to take control, and you chose to stick around... that was pretty stupid.

As a human being you should know that damaging someone elses property is wrong. At least, you know when someone else damages YOUR property it's wrong. And you know that hurting people is wrong. Ignorance is also not an excuse. Not in court, and not in my book. Saying that The Police made the people riot is probably the most ignorant statement I have read on the board. It is not the first time I have heard that excuse, but that's all it is... an excuse. In America we live in a Blameless Society. Ever since the advent of the law suit, people have grown accustomed to placing blame on someone else and refusing to take responsibility for their actions.

In terms of a Riot, let's talk about how this goes down. There are usually several groups of "peaceful partygoers", with a sprinkling of testosterone laden / alcohol charged idiots (usually male). The police will monitor the situation, and as long as things stay peaceful they will let the partying continue. At some point drunk male idiots grab girls, start fighting other people, damaging property, etc. Other idiots see these crimes happening and nothing's being done (500 people, 10 cops... can't catch 'em all) The sheep get some courage and start to join in. Eventually the crowd "Turns", and mob mentality takes over. Usually if the police can intervene and pull out the "leaders" (the ones who are vocal, inciting others to continue breaking the law) that visual is sobering to the crowd and they will become peaceful again. The problem is, you have to time it and coordinate it JUST right, and that is NOT easy to do.

If order is restored, then partying continues and a few people go to jail. If others join in and start attacking the cops, the situation spins quickly and reinforcements are called in to FORCEFULLY restore order. The cops arrive, they will make announcements from a bull horn stating that they are going to take control of the area and everyone is ordered to leave. If you disobey those announcements... well, you're in for trouble.

The bottom line is, there are consequences for our actions. If you cross the line and you get caught, then you pay the price. Don't go blaming the cops, judge, the government, the school, mommy and daddy for something that you knew all too well and good was wrong.

As mentioned before, when you deal with an officer and you think the officer has done something wrong, you MUST obey the officer's lawful order AT THAT TIME. If you do not obey the order, then you are arrestable... end of story. Later, you may go and contact the department's watch commander and file a complaint. However, if you disobeyed the officer, then your complaint loses quite a bit of merit.

Grow up. Stop blaming the cops for YOUR mistakes.

[wallace9111]

Originally posted by SlartyBartFast

Well, I don't see why I should expect much intelligence from some Yank who thinks destruction of public property and attacking the police are funny.

As for America junior, don't make me laugh. What makes you think we want to be like you? You can take your manifest destiny crap and choke.

And as for rioting for "real" reasons. You really don't get it do you? There isn't one single good reason to riot. Rioting is just mob terrorism.

But then again I live in a place that can have gatherings of 100,000+ people in the city streets with liquor and beer being sold and never a violent incident.

No you live in a wacky place where people eat hot maple syrup off the snow. Yum, what a tasty treat! Also, I know you do not want to be like the US, YOU want to be like the French! I condone that 100%, the French are surrender monkeys, why can't the crappy separatist’s be the same way. Also of course you do not have riots in Quebec, you are too busy trying to figure a way out to surrender to the first country that invades you! Then you will want to be like the US, but by then you will be accustomed to eating your croissants and smoking your cigarettes and speaking that crazy noise you call a language.

To Kasper: I believe your statement holds the most truth to any. I am not remitting responsibility to the police, I do believe that riot was started by kids and finished by the police. I am not questioning how it got started but what happen after it did. I also understand if you do not listen to law enforcement where you end up, but there were some situations (I.E My roommate not throwing bottles, standing next to a wall away from the action, in our property and "security guard" tackling him and zip tying him, and taking him to the police.) that I do not believe were necessary.

Also, I am not some punk kid so do not treat me as such! I have a sense of humor that most people choose not to have for some strange reason. Acting tough on the Internet is a "really cool" thing to do "tyrion2323". Maybe if you understand I also know a lot of people on the forums you might shut that big mouth of yours. Secondly, we are talking about a riot situation and look what you bring up

"Wallace, you need to stop talking, or you're going to get ripped apart. This isn't PBN. You're going to find that most people on these forums aren't teenage kids going through hormonal imbalances," am I to assume now that you are inducing a riot on AO. Why would you say that "everyone" is going to tear me apart and this is not PBN? DO you have the support everyone on AO or are you rallying to get it? Hopefully, just like here in SLO, someone will tackle you, zip tie and hit you till you stop! Do a little research on me if you think I am idiot, I checked up on all of you!

[Kevmag]

Any news on if Cal Poly is going to cancel Poly Royale (Open House?)? They cancelled the gathering around '90 or '91 after a riot and didn't start it back up until '94.

[djslik]

I go to cal poly as well and was very surprised to see this posting. I was there during the mardi gras event and saw all of the law enforcement out there. Yes there were a lot of people there that night, but no most of them weren't causing any problems or even braking any property. The real problem started when the cops blocked off the major intersection and refused to let any one pass regardless of their reason, which bottle necked all of the people in the streets and increased the number of people in that location dramatically. The few excessively drunk particpants that decided to agitate the cops did so very well. So the cause of these so called riots was due in part to the crowd or let me rephrase certain individuals of the crowd. Now the cops had a chance to respond and it seemed to me they were more than willing to respond. I understand that they needed crowd control, but the horror stories I have heard from many, and I mean many, just didn't justify some of the law enforcements actions. Some people just wanted to leave and go home. The cops told them to leave the area, but as soon as they turned to walk away they get shot in the back, police officers shooting people in their own private balcony who were not doing anything wrong besides watching the chaos, police shooting rubber bullets and tear gas into privately owned residences, reports of a girls eye injury due to a police officers rubber bullet, a girl dragged by her hair for not running away fast enough, cops not letting people leave in a timely manner, my friend was tackled from behind while trying to leave. Now I can't say that the cops caused the riot but I think there were several instances of excessive force. I am leaving out many stories and more insulting details. The crowd of 5000 pales to the 40,000 in Santa Barbara for halloween this year. At least in Santa Barbara the police knew how to pick out the trouble makers and leave the somewhat more peaceful attendents alone. Thats just my two cents.

[SlartyBartFast]

Originally posted by wallace9111
... meaningless ramble snipped ...

Goodness, your ignorance and stupidty really knows no bounds.

Honestly, ad-hominem (you're a college boy, look it up (http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=hominem&x=4&y=16)) attacks just show how puny your intellectual take on this issue is.

djslik, It sounds bad but second hand information is rarely fully accurate. As for private residences and balconies, I'd have thought the intelligent thing would be to get insdie and shut the windows and doors as soon as trouble like that starts.

[djslik]

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispo/news/8036336.htm
This link is an article from the san luis obispo tribune. I agree that second hand accounts are not always the best sources for all information and I admit that I might have a little bias being part of the crowd for a little while. I just wanted to let the people on here commenting on the situation know a little bit more about what happened. It sounded like some people were on here just expressing opinions about the riot, but they had no real examples to reference their opinions on. But this topic can be debated to death, the truth will remain with the people who experienced it that night. Hopefully we can now get back to paintball. And Wallace...yea I have friends who go a lot and I just had a recent paintball trip for ASME. PM me and i'll give you my AIM name. We can probably play sometime.