San Luis Obispo Mardi Gras controversy
Encyclopedia
The San Luis Obispo Mardi Gras controversy refers to a major town and gown
conflict in the small city of San Luis Obispo, California
. In late 2004, leaders of this central coast city called for an end to public celebrations during Mardi Gras, hoping to end the event's reputation as a state-wide party destination for college
students.
Prior to 2004, tensions had grown as the small street parade
held by community organizers evolved into a large-scale celebration. The modern celebration attracted thousands of partygoers—mostly students—from all over California and the American West.
While a 2004 riot between partygoers and local police was widely televised on American newscasts, the dispute had a far-reaching effect. Local business and community members worried about bad publicity, potential violence, and the event's effect on local tourism
. Many of the partygoers were not California Polytechnic State University
("Cal Poly") students, but students from other cities who came to party in San Luis Obispo. After the riots, concerns about restrictive rules spread far beyond the Cal Poly community to other California universities and student organizations.
"As a career emergency physician, I dread Mardi Gras like no other event," Dr. Steve Sainbury posted on the website, which also carried letters from the heads of Cuesta College
and Cal Poly
.
Mayor Dave Romero referred to the positive past history of the event, but noted that it had grown in size, with the post-riot cleanup in 2004 costing almost half a million dollars. He wrote, "This is not what San Luis Obispo is about, and as much as we like special events, our City Council concluded that Mardi Gras in San Luis Obispo must stop—completely... As your Mayor, I ask that those of you who live in San Luis Obispo help us protect our community from such destructive behavior. Please don't invite out-of-town guests to San Luis Obispo to party over Mardi Gras weekend... Encourage your friends who live here to enjoy the weekend in a safe and helpful way. If you don't live in San Luis Obispo, please don't visit us for Mardi Gras. MARDI GRAS IN SAN LUIS OBISPO IS OVER." (3)
supported the city's desire to quell the Mardi Gras celebration, other members of the student community were angered and concerned over new local ordinances which tripled fines for Municipal Code violations occurring during Mardi Gras. (4) PDF According to the "SLOMardiGras" website created by the city, the San Luis Obispo Police Department and city officials, alcohol-related offenses would be monitored closely, including municipal violations against underage drinking and public nudity. Cal Poly's Student Community Liaison Committee had noted their concerns regarding a smaller "safety zone," which would have tripled fines only in specific areas, namely San Luis Obispo's downtown and at Foothill and California Boulevards. SCLC-Cal Poly publicly endorsed the new safety zone, which comprised San Luis Obispo's entire city limits
. (5)
Additionally, in February 2005, state bill SB 337 was introduced in California by State Senator Abel Maldonado
, calling for the immediate dismissal of "any student convicted, pleading guilty to, or being adjudicated a delinquent minor with respect to specified rioting provisions of the Penal Code
." Under the bill, students found guilty of rioting would also be prevented from attending or being admitted to any California Community College or California State University
for at least one year. (6)
The Associated Students of the University of California system (ASUC) created a bill in opposition to SB 337, noting that it altered the Donahoe Higher Education Act and eligibility for Cal Grants, a form of financial aid. External Affairs Vice President Liz Hall, writing the opposition bill on behalf of ASUC, stated that the "UC Student Association opposes SB 337 as a threat to the rights of free speech and assembly
of students." (7)
enhancement zone effective through March 2, 2005. (9) PDF
In February 2005, sobriety checkpoints were set up throughout San Luis Obispo, and police officers sought to disperse medium-sized gatherings during the Mardi Gras period. (10) Arrests were cut by 58% from the previous year. (11)
The additional cost to city and county taxpayers for keeping the 2005 celebration under control was $1 million, including $385,200 in police department staffing and control costs. Sixteen other law enforcement organizations, such as the California Highway Patrol
, billed an approximate $700,000 in additional staffing and crowd control costs. (12) City councilwoman Christine Mulholland told a New Times reporter in February 2004 that the cost for law enforcement was approximately $100,000 in 2003. (13) Some students congregated at traditional crowd spots during "Polygras," but it did not succeed as an ongoing concern.
Town and gown
Town and gown are two distinct communities of a university town; "town" being the non-academic population and "gown" metonymically being the university community, especially in ancient seats of learning such as Oxford, Cambridge, Durham and St Andrews, although the term is also used to describe...
conflict in the small city of San Luis Obispo, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. In late 2004, leaders of this central coast city called for an end to public celebrations during Mardi Gras, hoping to end the event's reputation as a state-wide party destination for college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
students.
Prior to 2004, tensions had grown as the small street parade
Parade
A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually celebrations of some kind...
held by community organizers evolved into a large-scale celebration. The modern celebration attracted thousands of partygoers—mostly students—from all over California and the American West.
While a 2004 riot between partygoers and local police was widely televised on American newscasts, the dispute had a far-reaching effect. Local business and community members worried about bad publicity, potential violence, and the event's effect on local tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
. Many of the partygoers were not California Polytechnic State University
California Polytechnic State University
California Polytechnic State University, or Cal Poly, is a public university located in San Luis Obispo, California, United States. The university is one of two polytechnic campuses in the 23-member California State University system....
("Cal Poly") students, but students from other cities who came to party in San Luis Obispo. After the riots, concerns about restrictive rules spread far beyond the Cal Poly community to other California universities and student organizations.
2004 Mardi Gras riot and its immediate aftermath
In 2004, police shut down parties hosted at Mustang Village, an apartment complex near Cal Poly. Additionally, a police helicopter patrolled over the Cedar Creek apartment complex, a location to which police had been called during past celebrations. (1) After the Mustang Village parties were closed down, an estimated five thousand people rioted, causing extensive property damage in the neighborhoods along California Boulevard. Police arrested close to two hundred partygoers and used crowd control weapons to break up the rioting crowds. (2)City of San Luis Obispo calls for end to Mardi Gras in 2005
In response to this riot, the City Council and Mayor, as well as members of the residential and business community, created a website and publicity campaign, urging an end to public Mardi Gras parties."As a career emergency physician, I dread Mardi Gras like no other event," Dr. Steve Sainbury posted on the website, which also carried letters from the heads of Cuesta College
Cuesta College
Cuesta College is a public community college located in San Luis Obispo County near the Central Coast of California. It currently offers 76 Associate's degree programs and 96 certificate programs...
and Cal Poly
California Polytechnic State University
California Polytechnic State University, or Cal Poly, is a public university located in San Luis Obispo, California, United States. The university is one of two polytechnic campuses in the 23-member California State University system....
.
Mayor Dave Romero referred to the positive past history of the event, but noted that it had grown in size, with the post-riot cleanup in 2004 costing almost half a million dollars. He wrote, "This is not what San Luis Obispo is about, and as much as we like special events, our City Council concluded that Mardi Gras in San Luis Obispo must stop—completely... As your Mayor, I ask that those of you who live in San Luis Obispo help us protect our community from such destructive behavior. Please don't invite out-of-town guests to San Luis Obispo to party over Mardi Gras weekend... Encourage your friends who live here to enjoy the weekend in a safe and helpful way. If you don't live in San Luis Obispo, please don't visit us for Mardi Gras. MARDI GRAS IN SAN LUIS OBISPO IS OVER." (3)
Student concerns over tripled fines and State Bill SB 337
While the administration and other leaders at Cal PolyCalifornia Polytechnic State University
California Polytechnic State University, or Cal Poly, is a public university located in San Luis Obispo, California, United States. The university is one of two polytechnic campuses in the 23-member California State University system....
supported the city's desire to quell the Mardi Gras celebration, other members of the student community were angered and concerned over new local ordinances which tripled fines for Municipal Code violations occurring during Mardi Gras. (4) PDF According to the "SLOMardiGras" website created by the city, the San Luis Obispo Police Department and city officials, alcohol-related offenses would be monitored closely, including municipal violations against underage drinking and public nudity. Cal Poly's Student Community Liaison Committee had noted their concerns regarding a smaller "safety zone," which would have tripled fines only in specific areas, namely San Luis Obispo's downtown and at Foothill and California Boulevards. SCLC-Cal Poly publicly endorsed the new safety zone, which comprised San Luis Obispo's entire city limits
City limits
The terms city limits and city boundary refer to the defined boundary or border of a city. The area within the city limits is sometimes called the city proper. The terms town limits/boundary and village limits/boundary mean the same as city limits/boundary, but apply to towns and villages...
. (5)
Additionally, in February 2005, state bill SB 337 was introduced in California by State Senator Abel Maldonado
Abel Maldonado
Abel Maldonado is an American politician who was the 48th Lieutenant Governor of California. On November 23, 2009, then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced Maldonado as his nominee for Lieutenant Governor to fill the vacancy created by John Garamendi's election to the United States House of...
, calling for the immediate dismissal of "any student convicted, pleading guilty to, or being adjudicated a delinquent minor with respect to specified rioting provisions of the Penal Code
Criminal Code
A criminal code is a document which compiles all, or a significant amount of, a particular jurisdiction's criminal law...
." Under the bill, students found guilty of rioting would also be prevented from attending or being admitted to any California Community College or California State University
California State University
The California State University is a public university system in the state of California. It is one of three public higher education systems in the state, the other two being the University of California system and the California Community College system. It is incorporated as The Trustees of the...
for at least one year. (6)
The Associated Students of the University of California system (ASUC) created a bill in opposition to SB 337, noting that it altered the Donahoe Higher Education Act and eligibility for Cal Grants, a form of financial aid. External Affairs Vice President Liz Hall, writing the opposition bill on behalf of ASUC, stated that the "UC Student Association opposes SB 337 as a threat to the rights of free speech and assembly
Freedom of assembly
Freedom of assembly, sometimes used interchangeably with the freedom of association, is the individual right to come together and collectively express, promote, pursue and defend common interests...
of students." (7)
Mardi Gras 2005 and "Polygras"
Some students attempted to circumvent the new ordinances during Mardi Gras by creating an underground event, "Polygras", which was discussed online throughout the winter of 2004-2005. Polygras was planned to take place immediately after the traditional Mardi Gras period, so as to avoid "triple fines" and the large police presence planned for Mardi Gras. (8). In response, the city of San Luis Obispo designated a city-wide safetySafety
Safety is the state of being "safe" , the condition of being protected against physical, social, spiritual, financial, political, emotional, occupational, psychological, educational or other types or consequences of failure, damage, error, accidents, harm or any other event which could be...
enhancement zone effective through March 2, 2005. (9) PDF
In February 2005, sobriety checkpoints were set up throughout San Luis Obispo, and police officers sought to disperse medium-sized gatherings during the Mardi Gras period. (10) Arrests were cut by 58% from the previous year. (11)
The additional cost to city and county taxpayers for keeping the 2005 celebration under control was $1 million, including $385,200 in police department staffing and control costs. Sixteen other law enforcement organizations, such as the California Highway Patrol
California Highway Patrol
The California Highway Patrol is a law enforcement agency of the U.S. state of California. The CHP has patrol jurisdiction over all California highways and also acts as the state police....
, billed an approximate $700,000 in additional staffing and crowd control costs. (12) City councilwoman Christine Mulholland told a New Times reporter in February 2004 that the cost for law enforcement was approximately $100,000 in 2003. (13) Some students congregated at traditional crowd spots during "Polygras," but it did not succeed as an ongoing concern.
Sources
- 1. "SLO Mardi Gras Celebration Provokes Riot", Matt Dozier, Daily Nexus Online, February 23, 2004, retrieved February 5, 2006.
- 2. http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?s_site=sanluisobispo&p_multi=SO|&p_product=SO&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_text_search-0=Mardi%20AND%20Gras&s_dispstring=Mardi%20Gras%20AND%20date(last%20180%20days)&p_field_date-0=YMD_date&p_params_date-0=date:B,E&p_text_date-0=-180qzD&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweights=no"SCALED-DOWN MARDI GRAS SEASON KICKS OFF", summary, San Luis Obispo Tribune, January 7, 2006], retrieved February 5, 2006;
- 3. "Voices", from the "SLOMardiGras" website, retrieved February 5, 2006.
- 4. MINUTES, SPECIAL MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL, CITY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2004, retrieved February 5, 2006.
- 5. "Cal Poly the Student Community Liaison Committee Endorses a Citywide Safety Enhancement Zone for Mardi Gras", news release, Oct. 29, 2004, retrieved February 5, 2005.
- 6.California State Senate Committee on Education, "SB 337 Senate Bill analysis by the California Senate Committee on Education", retrieved February 5, 2006.
- 7. "A Bill In Opposition to California Senate Bill 337, Spring 2005", retrieved February 5, 2006.
- 8. Archive of defunct PolyGras.com website, retrieved February 5, 2006. See also #9, which shows archived pages from PolyGras.com.
- 9. "Resolution Establishing a City-wide Safety Enhancement Zone until March 2, 2005," Council Agenda Report, City of San Luis Obispo, February 10, 2005, retrieved February 5, 2006.
- 10. "San Luis Launches Campaign Against Wild Mardi Gras," Kristina Ackermann, UCSB Daily Nexus, February 4, 2005, retrieved February 5, 2006.
- 11. "Mardi Gras officials lower budget for crowd control," Leslie Griffy and Larissa Van Beurden-Doust, San Luis Obispo Tribune, January 24, 2006, retrieved February 5, 2006.
- 12. "$1 Million," Leslie Griffy,San Luis Obispo Tribune, May 28, 2005, retrieved February 5, 2006.
- 13. "Surveying the damage", Daniel Blackburn, New Times, February 25, 2004, retrieved February 5, 2006.