Four Northeastern students were arrested because of their behavior after the Red Sox Game 7 win in the American League Championship Series (ALCS) last Wed-nesday night.
Amanda Luther, a third year student in the College of Arts and Sciences, and Philip Contois, a senior engineering major, were arrested by Boston Police for disorderly conduct. Christian Martini, a junior criminal justice major and Craig Sini, a sophomore history major, were arrested by Northeastern police, also for disorderly conduct, said James Ferrier, Northeastern’s associate director of public safety. Ferrier said all of the students will be referred to the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution (OSCCR). All four were arraigned at Roxbury District Court the next day.
Northeastern Police Captain Al Sweeney said student behavior since the beginning of the World Series has been better since Game 7.
“The campus has been very good, and the students have been tremendously cooperative,” Sweeney said. “I think it’s a combination of the Super Bowl incidents last [February] and the tragic events of last week.”
The events after Game 7 left Emerson College student Victoria Snelgrove dead after being shot by police trying to control the crowds, implementing the use of a less-lethal force.
Boston Police are conducting an investigation into Snelgrove’s death. Snelgrove was shot by a pepper bullet designed to break on impact, said Boston Police Commissioner Kathleen O’Toole at a press conference last Thursday.
Police grenadiers began firing at people climbing the outside of Fenway Park on Lansdowne Street and O’Toole said those using the guns were highly trained.
“I do know that the grenadiers who are responsible for using less lethal weapons are highly trained. They were trained in advance of the Democratic National Convention and they work as part of a team that goes into crowd control situations,” O’Toole said during the press conference.
Sweeney said Northeastern police officers do not use less lethal systems because Boston police officers are the ones who handle crowd control situations.
As of before the game Tuesday night, Boston police officials said only four arrests had been made since the beginning of the World Series.
Police presence has been noticeably increased around the Northeastern area and around the Fenway Park area. State police motorcycle officers lined the end of Hemenway Street after Game 1 of the World Series. At the same time, Boston Police officers in full body armor, on motorcycles and on horseback lined Lansdowne Street. Police officers on motorcycles from communities surrounding Boston, such as Dedham, Canton, Milton and Newton lined Brookline Avenue.
Boston Police spokesman John Boyle said as the games increase in importance, so too will the police presence.
Although Sweeney said student behavior had improved, he still said the Northeastern Police Department would be at “maximum strength” for the upcoming World Series games, but would not give a specific number of officers that would be on duty.
Sweeney said he wants students to understand they can celebrate, as long as they do so without causing damage.
“We don’t mind jumping up and down and celebrating as long as there are no acts of violence and no vandalism,” he said.
As part of the playoff plan to avoid more vandalism, cars are not allowed to be parked on Hemenway Street during the World Series games. Instead, Northeastern has offered free parking in the Camden Lot for those displaced by restriction.
