Does any of this sound familiar?
A Boston team is in the playoffs. Police are out in full force. Universities, based on past experiences, must prepare for the worst.
After the sobering deaths of James Graboski and Victoria Snelgrove in 2004, the authorities certainly are leaving nothing to chance. During last Friday’s Yankees-Red Sox series opener (a game that would have decided nothing regardless of who won), state and local police came out in full force, turning the Fens into a modern-day Shawshank.
And after police devoted serious manpower to shutting down keg parties on Mission Hill and the neighborhoods surrounding campus, the message has been sent to students. What was overlooked in the past, essentially the deterrence of any large group of students that got out of hand, has now become top priority.
The Patriots’ Super Bowl victory in February was not the calm before the storm, but rather the calm before the calm. At the time, it appeared as though the era of post-victory riots had come to a close. After three years, two Super Bowls and a World Series, the message was finally made clear and all it took was the threat of excessive force and expulsion to keep revelers indoors.
One would think the good behavior in February would carry over to October, but the city of Boston is cracking down. Don’t forget – it’s an election year. City councilors need to look good for the camera. Once again, expect a depiction of area college students (read: Northeastern students) as public enemy number one.
And so, another year, another batch of warnings. Supposing the Red Sox advance (particularly to play against a certain team from New York), the stakes are raised, emotions flare and the threats from administration and authorities will rise.
The enhanced police presence on Friday should serve as a premonition and will certainly be expected this weekend when the Red Sox play their Fenway Park playoff opener, and for every game from here on out. After last year’s public relations nightmare, the death of an area college student by the very people sworn to protect her, the police don’t have much of a choice as to how to tackle another Red Sox playoff run.
It all seems so obligatory, but sadly, it’s been deemed necessary. Today we’re paying for mistakes made over the past three years. Whether or not you consider it fair or a misuse of police power is irrelevant. The powers-that-be can not and will not accept a repeat of last October.
Perhaps someday, we will finally earn back the trust of Big Brother, but for now the police have made their decision. Zero tolerance, once more, is in vogue.
Consider yourself warned. Again.
