U. Police break up blk. party

The Quadrangle was not the only home to partying drunk students this weekend. Almost 1,000 people gathered Saturday night on Sansom Street, between 39th and 40th streets, for what has become an annual Spring Fling weekend tradition -- the Sansom Street Block Party. Party-goers said the party was fun, but "a fairly mellow time." University Police said otherwise. University Police Sergeant Thomas Messner said last night he responded to the area at about 11:30 p.m. when almost 700 people were in the street, closing it off to traffic. "In the past we've had some very serious incidents in that area, associated with this block party," he said. "One year we had a vehicle turned over and several other vehicles damaged." Messner said at one point in the night approximately 13 officers were on the scene because the party was not approved and there was no permit obtained to close the street. College sophomores Wilton Levine and Andrew Gano were at the party, and said the police officers might have used excessive force in trying to control the crowd. "One of them proceeded to walk towards us into the crowd," said Levine. "He got angry for no apparent reason, he said 'excuse me' very loudly, crossed his arms and charged into the crowd to make his way through." Levine added that several people were knocked down by the officer. Gano was one of those who ended up with a clear view of the ground. "He acted quickly and violently?and some people were hurt by that," Gano said. "The officer just pushed his way through the crowd, pushing people over, and reached his way over to one of the?houses where he started yelling." But Messner, who said he was probably the officer Gano described, said the partiers were "throwing cans, bottles and cups of beer at the officers." "People were throwing cans and bottles -- I did not want to be an easy target so when I walked through the crowd, I walked?very fast," he said. "I do believe our interventions helped curtail more serious problems." Messner said he told several bands to stop playing, asked people to remove numerous kegs of beer from the steps of a house and requested that party-goers to clear the street. But, at about midnight, almost 1,000 people had gathered in the area, and University Police required the help of the Philadelphia 16th District Police to help clear the area. Gano called the police's attempt "very unproductive," and said people were very confused when the police first arrived because "there were so many people that I think they just left." Messner said due to several cases of alcohol poisoning over the weekend, his main concern was the safety of the students involved in the party.