Lawrence Police keep disappointed crowd in line

By Eric Weslander     Apr 8, 2003

Police officers grabbed bottles of beer with no questions asked, shined flashlights in drivers’ faces if their passengers got unruly, and stood two-by-two at most corners along Massachusetts Street.

The crowd-control strategy Monday night appeared to be based on the principle that a slow-moving pack of intoxicated fans is better than a stagnant one.

And immediately after KU’s loss to Syracuse, the strategy appeared to be working.

“Nothing really bad is happening,” Lt. David Cobb said about 11:30 p.m., as honking cars and shouting fans continued to file down Massachusetts.

NCAA tournament wins and losses have sparked riots in other cities such as Tucson, Ariz. and College Park, Md.

When the University of Arizona lost to Duke two years ago in the championship game, police stood by in riot gear as pedestrians flooded the center of an intersection on Fourth Avenue, Tucson’s rough equivalent of Massachusetts Street.

By the end of the night, rioters had burned a mobile home, and a student had lost an eye to a nonlethal projectile used by police to clear the crowd.

Lawrence Police wouldn’t discuss details of its crowd-control plan in the days leading up to the Final Four, but law enforcement officers said in general they wanted to emphasize fans’ personal responsibility for their actions.

“If we’re jovial and respectful of everyone, I think we get that back,” Lt. Kevin Harmon said.

Still, there was mischief.

¢ See photo galleries from Lawrence and New Orleans, video highlights and full stats, post-game audio, animated plays at KUsports.com

Police got report of a small trash bin fire in the 1100 block of Ohio Street.

When bottle rockets began flying about 11 p.m. near The Granada, 1020 Mass., police pulled a young man aside and seemed ready to arrest him. A group of people gathered on the other side of the street to watch, but police let the man walk away.

Business owners also helped protect the main drag.

The owner of Aladdin’s Cafe, 1021 Mass., was outside his store with a handful of acquaintances, including former KU student Ruth Martindale, Overland Park.

“No one’s really pushing the limits,” she said, shortly before reluctantly high-fiving a passing fan.

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