In retrospect, many University students are pointing to a dangerous combination of booze and brawn as the cause of Friday’s riot, one that resulted in flying beer bottles, small blazes and several injured police officers.
Mix one-fourth alcohol, one-fourth police presence, one-fourth nice weather and one-fourth NBA playoff tension together and there will be a potential for violence, said residents surrounding 17th Avenue and Patterson Street, the focal point of the riot.
And while no one is certain about just what sent the large party — which was said to have had three kegs, gallons of vodka and between 300 and 500 people in attendance — into a student-led riot, some observers blame the Eugene Police Department.
Many admitted that alcohol was a key factor, but insisted it was the police presence that proved to be the final straw.
“I really think a lot of the riot had to do with the police,” said Dan Barr, a sophomore and resident of the apartment complex that initially housed the growing party. “I’m not trying to defend the actions of the kids, but I think the cops handled it horribly.”
Barr said the party was going smoothly until police arrived about 11:30 p.m.
Junior D.J. Fuller was watching a movie at the time, when he heard a police officer in front of his house yelling from a loudspeaker.
From inside his car, Fuller said, the officer attempted to make students disperse from the scene. The officer told the crowd they would be arrested if they did not leave and asked students to think about their education and their careers, Fuller said.
But after a bottle hit the Project Saferide van in front of the cruiser, the officer quickly withdrew, Fuller said.
Mandy Fox, spokeswoman for EPD, said the officer’s retreat was standard, given the situation.
“When an officer feels that he is in danger, obviously he is going to take himself out of it,” Fox said.
But it’s the retreat, Fuller said, that sent students into the streets with a “yeah, we won” mentality.
“People started throwing bottles — a lot of bottles — and that’s when I started thinking, ‘This is really stupid,’” Fuller said.
Senior David Jacobson, a nearby resident, described the incident as a victory for the students involved.
Jacobson said a majority of the damage was done by students in the front of the riot, who were starting fires and uprooting street signs.
“It was just in the name of destruction,” he said. “It was spontaneous combustion.”
Miriam Lederer, a junior who lives across the street from where the party began, said things started getting dangerous at that point.
“No one had any control, not even the police,” she said. “I honestly don’t know what else the cops could have done. People were throwing bottles at them and lighting things on fire.”
Fox said police were authorized to deploy tear gas and, after issuing a warning, proceeded to do so in hopes of breaking up the riot.
“These people were asked many, many times to go back into their homes,” she said. “Their behavior did warrant the response they got.”
But some of those involved saw it the other way.
“It was kind of like, ‘OK, now we’re suppose to riot — they’re in riot gear,’” Barr said of the police presence. “If cops didn’t come in
with riot gear, people wouldn’t have rioted.”
In total, EPD arrested 11 people at the scene. All but Brady Patrick Lane were released by Sunday. Lane, still in custody, was in court Monday. Charged with a felony, district attorneys have until June 10 to file an indictment against the 21-year-old.
The case has been given to the violent crimes unit for further investigation, Fox said.
But despite the outcome of the investigation, the events of Friday night will stay on the minds of University students, much like the Halloween riots of 1997 and 1998.
“I’ve never seen anything like this before,” Lederer said.
E-mail reporter Brad Schmidt at [email protected].