Lu-stick To The Point | Phantastic and safely monitored

In light of the Philadelphia Phillies’ recent sweep of the Cincinnati Reds in the first round of the playoffs, it is hard not to get that surging feeling (sorry superstitious Phillies fans) that we might be headed to another World Series.

In a time like this it’s easy to look back and indulge in the euphoria of the night of Oct. 29, 2008 when the Philadelphia Phillies finally won it all. For Phillies fans, the night was full of raucous joy. The Philadelphia Police Department plans to adjust for even more people causing disruptions this year, and it seems like it will do a good job at preventing true disasters from occurring.

In 2008, some of the debauchery in Center City was unexpected for the police. Philadelphia Police spokesperson Lieutenant Frank Vanore explained, “At first we had officers [in Center City], but not enough to account for the Drexel and Penn students who were meeting up.” The bulk of the police force had been allocated to North and South Philadelphia, where the revelers were predicted to be from past experience. “When we heard just how many people were [at Broad Street],” Vanore said, “we moved our officers over, but it took some time.”

College senior Eric Merron remembered, “there were so many people you couldn’t move anywhere.” Drunken revelers climbed onto trees and lampposts, and, in one infamous instance, overtook a fire truck, according to reports. Merron also commented that the police seemed to let the crowd do as they pleased without much intervention. He added that it seemed like the police were powerless in the situation.

In fact, Philadelphia Police were more inclined to contain the commotion than resist it with the risk of it spreading, Vanore said. At the end of the night police recorded 76 arrests, none of which Vanore said resulted in jail time. He thought that calling what happened on Broad Street a “riot” was an exaggeration.

But this year, if all goes well, the police realize that Center City will be a hot spot for activity due to the influx of students. As a result, Vanore said, they’re planning on allocating more law enforcement officers to the area. Given what has happened in the past, this is a smart move. It is much better to supervise behavior in a contained area rather than risk it escalating and spreading.

It’s especially important for police to monitor fans’ behavior because of terrifying instances in the past. In May 2008, Manchester Rangers soccer fans in England initiated a chaotic riot.

As fans surged into Manchester to watch the final, many watched on a large screen outside the stadium. About eight hours before the kickoff, hundreds of fans in the stadium area began throwing improvised missiles, intentionally setting off fire alarms and urinating off rooftops, according to the local police. Later, when the screen projector was shut down due to technical difficulties, the frustrated crowds attacked security. It was reported that a fan of the opposing team was stabbed in the back. The violence and commotion became so concentrated that emergency vehicles could not move in. The police were overwhelmed and many were seriously injured. At the end of the day only 42 arrests were made, and much more damage was done to Manchester than was done to Philadelphia later that year.

While the riots in Manchester may have been Armageddon compared to what happened in Philadelphia two years ago, those kinds of riots won’t happen here. Based on the celebrations after the World Series, Philadelphia Police have shown their capability to contain these situations and will continue to account for larger numbers of students who would attend the Center City revelry this year. Now all the Phillies have to do is win.

Alex Lustick is a College junior from Narberth, Pa. His e-mail address is lustick@theDP.com. Lu-stick To the Point appears on alternate Fridays.

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