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

[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....

[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.