By Cindy Kranz
and Jane Prendergast
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Beth Kramer and Crystal Cottrill spent part of their Sunday shoveling beer bottles, gas shards and plastic cups into garbage bags. The litter outside the house they rent was a messy remnant of the second annual Cinco de Mayo block party that got out of hand on Stratford Avenue early Sunday morning in Clifton Heights.

PHOTO GALLERY

Photos of Sunday's melee

Kramer and Cottrill, both 22-year-old University of Cincinnati students, watched as party-goers lit cardboard on fire on the street in front of their house, then saw them overturn a car on top of the flames.

"Everyone was chanting, 'Light it on fire. Light it on fire.' We were afraid it was going to explode," Cottrill said.

Cincinnati Police estimated less than a dozen people were arrested as a result of the melee on Stratford Avenue, a long block between Warner and McMillan streets, and home to many UC college students who rent houses.

It was a repeat of last year's party, in which two people were arrested following what police called a "mini-riot." It left neighborhood residents wringing their hands, suggesting that students, landlords and UC should take more responsibility in preventing the party and punishing the culprits.

Mitchel Livingston, UC's vice president for student affairs, said the university's code of student conduct gives the university authority to take action only if the behavior occurred on campus or at a university event off campus. Because of that code of conduct, students arrested last year were neither suspended nor expelled.

"Even though we don't have authority to take disciplinary action, I did send a letter to residents in that area indicating their behavior was inappropriate," Livingston said. "It brings a negative reputation to the university because of their conduct. I'm likely to do something similar to that this year."

"Somebody has to be held responsible for this kind of thing," said Alan Lindquist, a board member of CUF, the neighborhood association for Clifton Heights, University Heights and Fairview Heights. "The police can't be involved in doing the important things they have to do stopping violent crimes and murder and also patrolling every party."

Clifton Heights is not just a student neighborhood, he said, but it's also home to senior citizens, families and couples whose lives were disrupted by the party.

"I don't have a problem with people if they want to have a party, but when it gets out of control and police have to be called and there's a helicopter flying overhead, that's no longer a party," Lindquist said. "That's a riot."

Kramer and Cottrill watched from inside their home as the chaos unfolded outside. They called 911 six times.

"They told us to calm down - that the cops were there," Kramer said.

Police monitored the area throughout the evening, said Capt. Gary Lee, night chief. The first call that the crowd had gotten out of hand came at 12:11 a.m. At its worst point, "about 600 intoxicated young adults" filled the street, he said.

"It was billed as an event, and it just escalated till a small group started to become unlawful," Lee said.

People turned over two cars - an Acura Legend and a Dodge Neon - then jumped on top of them. One man, wearing only sandals, kicked at a car window until it smashed. Chants started with "UC! UC!,'' and switched to "USA! USA!"

When police and firefighters responded to a report of a person who was hurt, they were pelted with rocks and bottles, Lee said. Officers wore their riot helmets, carried shields and used chemical irritants on some unruly party-goers.

Lee said he called for help from standby cars out of the other four districts. He said 19 officers responded, plus two more on horseback.

Sandra Wilson and Linda Ziegler, both members of Citizens on Patrol, walked Stratford Avenue on Sunday morning and afternoon, talking to homeowners, student renters and landlords. The patrol assists police by walking through the neighborhood and keeping an eye out for trouble.

'This is pathetic'

Broken glass crunched under their feet as they walked.

"Police were here in riot gear," Ziegler said. "This is pathetic that the city has to have police in riot gear marching in our neighborhood."

"For college kids," Wilson added. "You would think the future of America would be a little better than that"

Landlords need to take more responsibility by evicting under-age drinkers and troublemakers, the women said.

"We would like to see this become owner occupied," Wilson said. "This is a quality of life issue. Who would want to live next to this street? Nobody."

UC also should take more responsibility, the women said.

"You would think if someone is arrested, they should be suspended for a quarter. Expulsion is not going to happen," Wilson said. "Because they're college kids, for whatever reason, people don't want to take it seriously."

Andy Fusselman, a 19-year-old UC student from Youngstown who lives on the street, was hauling five kegs to the curb.

"Compared to last year, it was probably more calm," Fusselman said of the party. "Damage-wise, there was probably more damage, but it seemed like the police had it more under control this year."

Asked about underage drinking, Fusselman smiled and shrugged. "It's college, really. It's what we do."

Tracking down the culprits

How to prevent students from getting out of control again was on the minds of residents, landlords and University of Cincinnati officials Sunday.

Ray Ritchie, who owns three houses on the street, went to Stratford Avenue after police called him at 12:30 a.m. Sunday. He returned again Sunday afternoon.

"Unfortunately, the police came too late," he said. "There were not too many officers out here until it got out of hand. ... There were not enough arrests made and not enough tickets given out."

He said he's evicting one house of tenants and will encourage other landlords to take similar action.

"I have pictures. I know who the culprits are. I've already talked to their parents, and one group is going out," Ritchie said.

UC officials talked all last week with Cincinnati and campus police, anticipating another Cinco de Mayo party, Livingston, the UC vice president, said.

If students break the law, he said, they should be prosecuted.

"That's a much more serious consequence than any disciplinary action we might be able to take on campus."

This phenomenon of off-campus misbehavior is very new to UC, he said. There's nothing about Cinco de Mayo, in itself, that sparks it.

"The timing is right," Livingston said. "It's spring. It's near the end of the year. It's right before a period when we go into serious study. It becomes a convenient excuse for irresponsible behavior."

E-mail ckranz@enquirer.com and jprendergast@enquirer.com

Related:

Video from WCPO

Last year's party turned violent