UW, city to work on Halloween strategy

The city of Madison plans to discourage State Street Halloween celebrations after police were forced to use pepper spray to break up a Sunday morning disturbance.

“We’ve now had disturbances three years in a row,” Mayor Dave Cieslewicz said at a Sunday, Oct. 31, press conference. “It’s time to face up to the fact that we may need to shift city policy from welcoming Halloween on State Street — and trying to manage it — to actively discouraging the event.”

More than 75,000 people were estimated to have attended the celebration on Saturday night. Madison Police, with UW Police, the Sheriff’s Department and other police agencies, were forced to use riot gear and pepper spray to clear the street around 2:15 a.m. Sunday after revelers lit a bonfire.

No serious injuries or property damage were reported. Approximately 450 participants were cited or arrested through the weekend.

Chancellor John Wiley says that the university will work with city officials on strategies to downsize the event, as well as holding individuals accountable for their actions on Halloween weekend.

Approximately 59 of 450 people arrested or cited by police were immediately identified as UW–Madison students, with most related to alcohol use, according to Madison Police statistics.

“I’m proud of the way the vast majority of UW–Madison students conducted themselves over Halloween weekend,” Wiley says. “Students were notably underrepresented among those who were arrested or cited, and the overwhelming majority made responsible decisions and had fun.”

The Offices of the Dean of Students will review every case of student criminal behavior for possible application of nonacademic misconduct under University of Wisconsin System Administrative Code, Chapter 17.

Students who engaged in criminal behavior that had an impact on other members of the university community — on or off campus — could face sanctions ranging from reprimand to expulsion.