By Michael Naughton
For the second time in three years, the New England Patriots are Super Bowl champions; also for the second time in three years, Patriots fans took to Hemenway Street en masse.
By the time the crowd of 2,000 dispersed, all that remained were six overturned cars, the spilled blood of victims of a hit-and-run and many weary residents.
While thousands of students streamed into the streets phone calls poured into the office of public safety. Associate Director of Public Safety James Ferrier said between six and 10 calls came in from students and community members that night to alert the Northeastern police to the disorder outside.
“Our response was that there were lots of Northeastern Police and Boston Police in the area and that they were dealing with it,” Ferrier said.
In response, Associate Director of Community Relations Jeff Doggett placed phone calls on behalf of the university to concerned community members.
“[The people] were extremely concerned for their own well-being and they want to make sure and want to know what students will do and what the university will do about it,” Doggett said. “The university is embarrassed by the actions of only a few students because everyone out there was not a Northeastern student … we are doing everything we can possibly do to identify those who did cause the damage.”
The university did not need to contact Hemenway Street resident Xapkat Rozy because he moved his car down Symphony Road near St. Stephen Street to avoid any possible vandalism. However, he did feel that more could have been done to prevent what vandalism did happen.
“[The celebration] is going to happen anyway, but they can do a better job and mistakes should be reduced, but it cannot be totally avoided,” Rozy said.
Even though the riots may have been unavoidable, Tom Kicirian, a junior communications major, said the students who caused the damage should still face the consequences of their actions.
“I am not down with flipping cars,” Kicirian said. “If they were stupid enough to flip cars then they deserve punishment.”
Punishment is not going to be enough, especially for Hemenway Street resident Dean Stevens who said President Richard Freeland must become more involved.
“I think more could be done … the president of the university, he isn’t in tune with what’s going on,” Stevens said.
Freeland released a statement Monday in which he called the events of Sunday night “shocking.”
“This unacceptable behavior will not be tolerated by Northeastern University. The NU offices of Public Safety and Student Affairs are working to identify those students involved in last night’s activities and will pursue all appropriate disciplinary actions, including possible prosecution by law enforcement and/or university judicial affairs,” Freeland said in the statement.
After having to pay to get his car back after it was towed Sunday, Gainsborough Street resident Chris Schulze does not blame the city of Boston, but rather Northeastern and its students.
“Of course, the university is at fault, it’s ridiculous, but it is also the students because they were the majority of people hanging out then,” Schulze said.
After working in the Symphony Road area for years, a Gainsborough Street security guard said the univeristy needs to do more when it comes to repeating offenders.
“I have been dealing with the same kids for years and reporting them to the university as problems … the university needs to take some responsibility for kids who live off campus,” he said.
Vice President for Student Affairs Ed Klotzbier said the NUPD “did the job they intended to do” and was disappointed in the way some students handled themselves Sunday night.
“If I were a student at Northeastern I would be very upset that some students sullied the reputation of my school … it is embarrassing for the university to have to apologize for the misbehavior of its students to neighbors,” Klotz-bier said.
