Riot after game in Mankato

[BisonFan]

Just heard a little preview blurb on Fox 10 news that police in Mankato had to deal with a crowd of rioters after the game yesterday. Does anybody know more about this?

[BisonFan]

From the Star Tribune: http://www.startribune.com/stories/468/4136781.html

MANKATO, Minn. - About forty people were arrested in a late-night melee following a homecoming game at Minnesota State, Mankato.

Mankato Public Safety Director Jim Franklin told WCCO radio of Minneapolis that at the height of the disturbance, which occurred across the street from campus in a residential area heavily populated by students, 2,000-3,000 people massed together. Many of them set fire to trash bins, overturned cars and threw rocks and bricks at police.

Franklin said four officers were injured by projectiles thrown by students.

It's unclear how many students were injured, but authorities said none were killed.

Franklin said the area was so hostile that it took an armored vehicle attended by 12 officers to pick up a student who reportedly wasn't breathing.

He blamed alcohol for the problems

Police arrived in riot gear and used eye and skin irritants to disperse the crowd.

Witnesses said the riot started when about 400 students, who were having a party after the game, became violent and started throwing empty beer bottles.

As word spread, the crowd grew, and the mob damaged vehicles and shut down a street. Franklin said police also received reports of fights between students, but the department is still trying to get a handle on how many.

Four large fires were reported in an apartment complex parking lot, set in trash bins and on a car that was tipped over and burned. Windows were broken out of cars, fence posts were torn out of the ground and business and street signs were torn down and destroyed, witnesses said.

The roughly 160 police officers from about 40 departments that responded were able to disperse the crowd by about 4:30 Sunday morning, Franklin said.

Bob Idding, who lives near the site of the riots, said he couldn't believe what he was seeing after he walked to the scene.

"It was the scariest feeling in the world," Idding said. "I shouldn't have been there, I know that. My wife and I were telling each other, 'This isn't Mankato, Minnesota. We have police in riot gear in the streets.'"

Mankato lost their homecoming game 20-9 to North Dakota State. The Mavericks are now 0-6 for the season.

The University of Minnesota's Minneapolis campus was the scene of similar violence for the past two years following the school's back-to-back NCAA hockey championships.

[Bisonguy]

Hmmmm......

No tailgating is allowed at Mankato. No supervised alcohol, not even grilling is allowed. Coincidence or circumstance? ???

[BisonFan]

I think it has more to do with a young generation that has little sense of responsibility for its actions and a young generation that does what it wants without regard to others and society. I think they may have to bring back "an eye for an eye" to make the point to these hooligans. Destroy their cars and property. It wouldn't take long for them to be hypocritical and complain.

[Bisonguy]

I think it has to do with being 0-6, no tailgating, and losing the homecoming game. Most of the Mankato students seemed fairly decent, but there were some that acted like troublemakers at Boomtown. I had one guy tell me he hated NDSU, and proceeded to ask me about hockey and when does NDSU's hockey season start.


Witnesses said the riot started when about 400 students, who were having a party after the game, became violent and started throwing empty beer bottles.


I'd say that would be the biggest factor. 400 students getting rowdy and drunk and more showing up as word spread. Unsupervised and unorganized parties of that size are asking for trouble.

Tear gas, flash grenades, pepper spray, and a little baton work is all those students needed. Make it an unpleasant memory and they won't want to do it again.

[BisonFan]

I think it has to do with being 0-6, no tailgating, and losing the homecoming game. Most of the Mankato students seemed fairly decent, but there were some that acted like troublemakers at Boomtown. I had one guy tell me he hated NDSU, and proceeded to ask me about hockey and when does NDSU's hockey season start.


I'd say that would be the biggest factor. 400 students getting rowdy and drunk and more showing up as word spread. Unsupervised and unorganized parties of that size are asking for trouble.

Tear gas, flash grenades, pepper spray, and a little baton work is all those students needed. Make it an unpleasant memory and they won't want to do it again.

I still think it all boils down to irresponsible young people! I'm only 25 and you would never catch me in a riot even with booze in me. Of course, booze tames me down even more than I am when I am sober.

[BisonFan]

This was at a party with hundreds of students after the game, with booze involved. This is why Fargo has the party patrol. I don't agree with everything the party patrol does, but if it is busting up large gatherings of students making lots of noise and drinking, I am all for it. I personally can see the need to disburse large crowds of people whether intoxicated or not. There is just too much that could go wrong. Need an example, look at Mankato. I highly doubt this had anything to do with Mankato's no booze tailgating policy. It all has to do with irresponsible people doing things they shouldn't be doing. Make all those arrested personally pay for all the damage they caused and teach them a lesson! Even better, impound their cars and let those who had their cars demolished return the favor ;D

[BisonFan]

Anyways, that's enough on the riot. I'd rather talk football!

[SDSUFAN]

After seeing the Bison spank the Jacks, I thought NDSU had a great team, but is it so damn good that its starts a riot in Mankato? ;D LOL

Seriously, these riots are very unfortunate.

In 1990, I think it was, there was one of these riots in Brookings after losing to Augustana on Hobo Day. Those 40 arrested in Mankaota are in big trouble believe me.

A few years later, I heard second hand that one individual that had the most charges did not escape going to Granite City, SD Pentitentuary, located on the north edge of Sioux Falls after his family had mortgaged all their farm land and property to pay a lawyer. This is one unfortunate situation. A bunch others were kicked out of school. Just for one stupid act such as this.

The students who were no where near this mess will have to suffer the riducle and jokes for years to come. It gives the school a real bad image.

I bet the President will not show any mercy on those forty arrested and he should not have too.

[Bisonguy]

BisonFan,

I don't think there was any tailgating allowed at Mankato. At least you couldn't grill in the parking lots. I guess one could bring a generator and a microwave or hot plate.

There aren't many times when you can have a couple hundred students drinking and not have the possibility of something like this. The only times I saw a party that large actually be pulled off successfully was at the larger fraternities or Bob's Beaver Lodge. They all ran security and had a lot of stucture and rules.


I just want to have a beer with my brat while tailgating at the Fargodome. ;D

[KTF]

I was visiting with my parents when heard about this riot on my drive home tonight. They didn't even know about the riot until noon or so. The local media didn't cover it at all. Kind of funny.

I attended MSUM before I transfered to NDSU(smartest move I ever made:)) Being that MSUM is a bedroom college to the Twin Cities kids, most leave for home on thursday nights to party with the high school friends. If I understand the StarTibune article and knowledge of the campus I am not surprised that this happened but I thought it would have been after a bad hockey game. Hockey rules the roost down there! Just a bit of info from a former resident of the Mankato area.

[BisonFan]

BisonFan,

I don't think there was any tailgating allowed at Mankato. At least you couldn't grill in the parking lots. I guess one could bring a generator and a microwave or hot plate.

There aren't many times when you can have a couple hundred students drinking and not have the possibility of something like this. The only times I saw a party that large actually be pulled off successfully was at the larger fraternities or Bob's Beaver Lodge. They all ran security and had a lot of stucture and rules.


I just want to have a beer with my brat while tailgating at the Fargodome. ;D

I , too, love to have a beer or two when grilling. *I know Mankato doesn't allow tailgating. I'm all for tailgating in the West dome lot with enforcement on the premises to step in if anything illegal (with exception to 21+ adults having a beverage or two responsibly since that technically is illegal right now) or potentially a risk to public safety and peace does happen. * The fact a keg showed up in the tailgating lot at the Dome is why Fargo and the Police stepped in. *It doesn't take long for kegs to cause problems. * On to the bigger picture, the Mankato debacle just goes to show large crowds of college age young adults and booze do not mix and are a risk to public saftey and to public order! *This is why Fargo is studying the issue and how to best handle the situation. *I would rather Fargo erred on the side of caution while addressing this than just allowing tailgating. *You will get tailgating in the form you want it, just be patient. *

[BisonMav]

Anyways, that's enough on the riot. I'd rather talk football!

I agree with you Bisonfan!

[NDSU_grad]

So when did Mankato go DI. I thought this kind of behavior only took place at DI schools :)

[Bisonguy]

So when did Mankato go DI. *I thought this kind of behavior only took place at DI schools :)

This just goes to show that hockey=evil.

[JBB]

I drove down to Mankato last summer for a Tom Petty concert. I dont know if it was the concert or what but downtown in the mall after the show it was a scene of near chaos. The mall was filled with a rowdy crowd and so were the bars. We played pool for about an hour and when we left there were several squad cards in the mall with lights flashing and an ambulance. It was about the rowdiest scene Ive been in for a long long time. That town is out of control.

[tony]

I didn't notice any Mankato students at the game except at halftime (the ones doing the relay race)... it was kind of weird.

[airmail]

This just goes to show that hockey=evil.

7 NCAAs and no rioting. It's just those goofy Minnesotans acting like Minnesotans... ;)

[Tuk]

Looking at Drudgereport.com and found this link about the riot.....
http://wcco.com/localnews/local_story_278182154.html

I guess I might think twice before going to Mankato when they are playing hockey or football.....then again, I would probably never go to Mankato in the first place except to watch the Bison whoop them in football.

[Tatanka]

Very unlikely that the Bison will ever grace the war zone with their presence ever again <sarcasm> :'( </sarcasm>

Flush twice, indeed. But not three times. Winnipeg is a nice city.