East Lansing wasn't the only university town with a "riot" on its hands this past week.
Chapel Hill, N.C., home to the University of North Carolina, had its own fair share of civil disturbances. But did the Chapel Hill police break out the riot gear and tear gas? Nope.
And it's not because they didn't have large crowds to contend with. Although crowds were estimated at 3,000 people in the Cedar Village area and 1,500 in downtown streets in East Lansing Saturday night, 7,000 celebrated in the streets of Chapel Hill. Monday night, 45,000 people crowded Chapel Hill's Franklin Street and set 32 bonfires.
On Saturday and Monday combined, a total of 17 people were arrested in Chapel Hill. East Lansing police arrested 43 people on Saturday night alone. Despite having much larger crowds and fewer arrests, Chapel Hill police kept their cool.
Chapel Hill police were able to maintain control because they were prepared. They knew basketball fans would come out to celebrate, so before the game ended they hosed down Franklin Street, greased telephone poles and cleared vehicles from the road. They never used force to disperse the crowds.
East Lansing police were prepared as well. As Saturday's game ended, riot police armed to the teeth with tear-gas canisters were prepared to cause mayhem. They were also preemptive, which by its very definition means they took action before anything occurred to warrant a response. They shot off canisters of tear gas within 20 minutes of the game's end, prompting chaos among the crowds. Rather than patrolling the streets and responding to negative behavior when it happened, the police created a mess for themselves by jumping the gun.
Granted, MSU has a bit of a history with out-of-control fans rioting in the streets of East Lansing. But half of the school's population is made up of students who weren't even around during the last civil disturbance in 2003. Fans in 2005 shouldn't have to pay the consequences for what happened two years ago.
East Lansing police should follow Chapel Hill's lead. Preparation and reaction, not preemption and preconceptions, make for safe celebrations.
