Quote:
Originally posted by OUlioness01
DeltAlum~ I was only at Palmerfest from about 3 to 5 or 6, i was soaked to the skin and went to a friend's apartment to dry off, have fun (and drink). It was really fun because everyone there at the time knew people who lived on Palmer and there were no randoms. Apparently though it was wilder than last year, and i didn't think it could ever get wilder. There were about 100 people arrested, something like 3 or 4 fights and one rape  i think it might have been a lot worse if it had been dry and sunny out.
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Here's what The Post had to say:
Block party flooded with arrests
by Janet Nester
janet.nester@ohiou.edu
Mud baths and alcohol marked the annual Palmerfest event this Saturday, but one rape, three assaults and more than 100 arrests made by noon yesterday by several law enforcement agencies made this year’s event notorious.
Officials from the Ohio Department of Public Safety made about 35 of those arrests for liquor-related violations.
The block party gets rowdier every year, in particular because of added rental properties on the street, said Athens Police Chief Richard Mayer. The new apartments force the crowds of people into the street.
People arrested early in the day were taken to the Athens County Courthouse for processing. But as the night wore on, fewer people were taken to the courthouse because of the large numbers of arrests, more than 53 by midnight, Mayer said.
The victims of the three assaults were transported to O’Bleness Memorial Hospital, Mayer said. One victim had a head injury, another had been hit with a bottle and the third had been punched in the face. Information about the rape victim is not available at this time.
The block party’s longer hours might have contributed to the increased disturbance, Mayer said.
In previous years, the bands stopped playing by about 11:30 p.m., and everyone went home, he said. This year, the bands played at houses along the entire stretch of Palmer Street and parts of Mill Street, and performed shows throughout the entire night. That allowed for no definitive end to the party.
Another major problem of this year’s party was traffic control. The city police and officials do not issue permits to close streets for block parties, Mayer said. Despite the large crowd, police worked to keep the street clear and open for traffic.
The police force began to patrol the streets around 5:45 p.m. Extra units from other municipalities were called to help the Athens Police Department, including Gallipolis, Chauncey and Hocking County, said APD Lt. Tom Pyle.
In addition to extra police, eight more streetlights were temporarily installed on the poles of existing lights to provide safety for partygoers, Pyle said.
Residents of Palmer Street met with city police every two weeks for the past two months to discuss security, fences and responsibilities of residents, said Amy Hudson of 2 Palmer St. One outcome of the meeting was special T-shirts that all Palmer Street residents wore to help police find them easily during trouble.
“I have heard (residents of Palmer Street) say that the cops are their best friends as the night wears on because they help get random people out of their house and off their property,” said OU junior Jenna Snider.
Residents of Palmer Street were encouraged to fence off their yards in order to keep troublemakers off their property and to make a more definite line between private and public property, Mayer said.
Code enforcement officials wrapped up the event by canvassing the streets early yesterday morning to ensure that residents had cleaned up the mess in their yards. If they did not, residents could be fined, said Michelle Gamble of 2 Palmer St.
Although the weather was bad and the streets were overcrowded, Palmerfest had a huge turnout. Mayer refused to offer a crowd estimates for the night.
“I think that Palmerfest is really just about having a good time,” said James Farmer, a resident of Dayton, Ohio. “With the police here, I don’t think anything serious is really going to happen.”
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