Carytown New Years – Amazing! (pics)
New Years on Cary Street was amazing! Kudos to Parker and the folks at RVAMag.com and NYDeli.
Now on to pictures (the best ones are on RTD)…
Great setup near the Byrd!
Craziness above Mongrel.
Ron Paul sighting.
Ball rising.
Now, the unfortunate stuff (click more)…
I was disappointed with the way Richmond police broke up the party within minutes of 2008. Literally, they swooped in, cleared everyone out, and were not too kind about it. With the professionalism they displayed at the beginning of the evening (seriously, they were polite and had everything well under control the entire evening), it was saddening to see them treat people the way they did after new years. I tried to capture what happened with my camera, but did a poor job. If you have better pictures, feel free to send them our way (info@wotbn.net). Richmond PD – if you would like to explain, we would be happy to publish that as well.
12:10: Cops screaming and pushing everyone out (I just missed the horses almost trampling people).
12:12: Cops break out the batons. It’s less than 15 minutes after New Years. I have never seen a Richmond Police officer with his baton unsheathed.
12:12: Cops ride horses into more people; secure the sidewalk up to Sheppard and Cary. And it’s only 12:12. This does not happen in New York!
For the majority of the evening, I give the Richmond Police an A+. The crowd was well managed, and everyone was having a good time. But after midnight, I could see no reason for Richmond’s finest to treat the crowds like this. The streets were to be closed until 3am (as seen in the RTD and on carytownnye.com). For Richmond Police to force everyone out at 12:10 is unbelievable.
Something to learn for next year. Educate the police about Moshing and establish a Mosh area….OR prohibit moshing!!!
Lots of venues and street events that are going to have punk music post signs letting 20 year old drunk college studnts know that moshing is not allowed and will get them removed.
While those of us who came through Richond and DC in the 80′s will not see moshing as a crime, there have been fatalities in the 90′s and 00′s as kids who confuse the joy of aggression with like minded heads with brainless agression that spills into everyones tea.
Great event. Hope Richmond does not shut it down for one tragic event – does anyone know the state of the person lying face down in the street for a real long time?.
I hope 2008 brings RPD less grief from the residents it serves and protects.
Overall it was a great event. Perhaps next year organizers can let people know what time to clear out in advance and announce it at the event as well. It was shocking to see the police swarm in like that so early.
That being said, Carytown looked magnificently clean this morning. Great work!
Last night was amazing! It’s really great to be able to put on an event that brings thousands of people from all walks of life and demographics out to have a good time and celebrate Richmond. With any event of this magnitude you are going to have some surprises, change of plans, and bad apples that try to ruin it for everybody else. All things considering the majority of people were behaving, dancing, singing, and having a good time. I think the RPD was very nervous and may have felt a bit overwhelmed just by number of people alone. I do wish they had dealt with the one incident that I saw (in front of NY Deli) a little bit differently and a little less brash. Oh well, guess you gotta have a little chaos for NYE.
ps: To the guy who grabbed the microphone out of my hand when the ball dropped and started yelling “HAPPY F*#CKING NEW YEAR!!! HAPPY F*#CKING NEW YEAR!!!” I know you were excited but c’mon man…there were some kids in the crowd.
pss: HAPPY F*#CKING NEW YEAR to everyone. 2008 is going to be a great year for Richmond.
Alright folks, before you start bashing the fuzz, let’s get a couple of things straight.
As soon as the ball dropped (or rose, as it may be), many of the more ignorant revelers ruined the potential for an after-party by starting fights and brawls. No less than 10 incidents of large-scale street brawls broke out, where several people were injured.
The fact is, the organizers crammed 20,000 people into 4 city blocks. As soon as something happens, whether it be a fight, a shooting, or other violent event, you run the risk of triggering a stampede or violent mob action. The only way to mitigate that risk is to disperse the crowd. You’re lucky that RPD made the decision to allow the crowd to remain there as long as they did and allowed everyone to see the ball drop – they would have been completely justified in dispersing the crowd even before the stroke of midnight.
My advice to my fellow Richmonders: Grow up. If you want to be able to have large events like this, grow up and quit acting like fools. While the majority can handle themselves in public, the minority ruins it through their inability to peacefully consume alcohol.
All in all, as a resident of Carytown, I’m pleased with the way it was handled. Good job RPD.
RVA Medic is absolutely right. Mu husband is with RPD and his area is the Bottom. If people are allowed to stand around, with alcohol on board, that’s when trouble starts. If you’ve ever been to the Bottom, especially on the weekend, RPD patrols the same way – moving people out of the Bottom as soon as the bars close – people are not allowed to loiter. You may feel that so soon after 12:00 was excessive asnd it’s a shame that people can’t just hang out and enjoy the rest of the evening if they like but as another poster stated, it only takes a few to ruin it for everyone.
I can think of 2 equivalent events that both end at the stroke of midnight. At Mardi Gras, the police immediately begin clearing the streets. How does NY handle its New Years?