Saturday’s “Blarney Blowout” party near the UMass Amherst campus ended in several arrests and injuries, yet a few days later, opinions on the Internet remain mixed. Most sources blame the students for breaking rules and then not cooperating with law enforcement when riot police were forced to tame the situation. Other blog sources point to the school for baiting the students with threats in advance of the event and law enforcement for abusing their power. Here are a handful of mixed reactions about the event. What’s your take? Who’s at fault: the students, the school, or the cops?
Boston.com delivers the news on this one, telling of the party that put UMass Amherst on the national radar this weekend.
Patrick’s Day “Blarney Blowout” near the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Mass. According to the Amherst police department, four police officers were hurt as they worked to disperse hundreds of unruly students who were throwing beer cans and bottles at police on Saturday as large crowds … Read More
CBS gives a national report on the party-turned-riot.
Police detain a participant in the pre-St. Patrick’s Day celebration near the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts on Saturday spiraled out of control, pitting police in riot gear against thousands of drunken and unruly revelers at the annual “Blarney Blowout.” There were more than … Read More
A round-up of social media gathered from students and partygoers at the Blarney Blowout. Clearly, most of the kids involved seemed to be pretty proud of what went down.
AMHERST – Barney Blowout 2014 at the University of Massachusetts has resulted in at least 22 arrests, injuries to police officers and dozens of photos, videos and comments about the events posted to social media. Police in riot gear had dispersed at least two large crowds, and were continuing to deal with the annual party that spreads out across town and the UMass campus. Read More
This is where things start to get interesting. This Her Campus piece, written by a UMass student, claims that the Blarney Blowout was a party, and only became a riot when the police became involved. The author criticizes law enforcement for showcasing police brutality and abuse of power.
As many have seen broadcasted across a number of social networking platforms and news programming, the events and actions that took place dubbed as ‘Blarney Blowout’ this past Saturday can undoubtedly be recognized as those that will go down in history. Read More
Surprisingly, Barstool Sports, which is almost always in support of the party, calls many of those who were arrested or responsible for escalating the party “idiots.” The author also criticizes the university for threatening the students, which he believes in turn, only did more to ignite the riots.
LETTER FROM THE CHANCELLOR From: UMass Chancellor’s Office Date: Sunday, March 9, 2014 Subject: A Sad and Difficult Day for Campus and the Town To: [email protected] To the Campus Community: No doubt there are difficult conversations that lie ahead concerning student behavior, alcohol and civility, but I have no doubt that, working together, we can build the kind of community in which we all want to live. Read More
