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Early Addition
Whoa-- apparently we weren't the only ones that had a bit too much to drink last night. At 3:31am, we got the first tip that something was going on uptown: "There was just a huge bar fight/riot outside of The West End at Columbia University. 20+ cop cars, a paddy wagon, 2 ambulances. Anyone know what happened?" Indeed, we do know-- the crowd got wild at the West End just after 3am, so the owners cleared the bar. Of course, this put a couple of hundred boozy students out on Broadway in front of the bar, where they promptly began smashing windows, and total pandemonium erupted as far south as 113th Street. Broadway was briefly closed before the police rolled up with 50 officers and restored order. The Spectator is saying that "10 to 20" arrests were made-- but that seems to include combatants in an earlier bar fight on Amsterdam.
Nice going, kids! Way to show Morningside Heights the proper respect. Do any of our Columbia tipsters have video or pix from the riot? And what about you, Bwog? Did you see what went down?
Pictures from the Spectator by John Davvison-- good coverage, Spec!
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That bar attracts WAY too many meatheads during weekend nights. They got what they deserved.
I was just about to go around that area last night too. Thank god I didn't.
They tried to steal Aerosoles????
i saw the thirty cop cars on my way back from the love is all/cause-comotion concert and i thought to myself, "i can't wait until i read about this in gothamist tomorrow."
thanks
Did you know "paddy wagon" can be considered an offensive ethnic slur?
I snapped some pictures before I made the tip last night, but they came out a bit blurry... I missed some of the rioting, but got the police response. I put a few up on flickr... sorry they're so blurry, it was 3am and it caught me by surprise ;-)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/75168415@N00/
Just to reiterate Toby's comment - it is really offensive. I mean if an Irish guy can't say things like "I was gypped," "he j-d me down," or "that thing is n-rigged" without getting jumped on can't he expect the same courtesy? Confidentiality agreements are no longer called "Chinese Walls" because of PC concerns and that is a historical reference so cut the crap. Either be PC all the time or none of the time but don't pick and choose.
I wasn't even aware this was a stereotype; this is all that I have known it to be called (I'm from the backcountry in Texas, and pretty much was introduced to the term when I moved to the city four years ago). What's the appropriate term--just police patrol vehicle? Forgive my ignorant, accidental offensive comment.
Please strike out the term "paddy wagon" for a certain type of police vehicle. The two editors of this board (I assume) probably know all the stereotypes, slurs and other stuff directed at their ethnicities. Use the term "police wagon" ... thanks.
Man, when I was at Columbia (1986-1991)the only thing close was the mayhem on 114th street after the 1986 Mets won the World Series.
We destroyed cars, not intentionally, just didn't realize that a 1982 Honda Accord roof cannot handle the weight of a few freshmen (okay not PC-first year students) and we stole a cut out of Paul Hogan (Crocodile Dundee) for Foster's Beer...
I remember my Floridian friend drinking a fifth of Jack Daniels and then took a shower in his clothes...(he made NYC his home-wonder if he is reading this now...)
All the same, it was the METS!!!
Wow. Columbia students certainly are entitled to their public space, aren't they?