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MTV party turns ugly
NY Daily News ^ | 26 June 2003 | TRACY CONNOR

Posted on 06/26/2003 7:14:34 AM PDT by rattrap

A group of hip-hop fans invited to hang out at MTV's beach house in the Hamptons was jolted back to the real world - busted for a wild melee at a nearby club. Four young men were arraigned yesterday in Southampton Town Court on charges ranging from assault to robbery for the Tuesday afternoon brawl at Summers Beach Club.

One person was badly hurt in the fracas, and it took cops from three different departments to restore order at the popular party spot in East Quogue.

"There were 100 to 120 people involved in various fights," said Detective Sgt. Randolph Hintze of the Southampton Town Police.

He described the atmosphere as "very tense" and said that had cops not arrived so quickly, things could have exploded.

"It really got out of control," said Kareem Sharpe, 19, one of the men arrested. "It started with a lot of drinking, then play-fighting and it went from there."

The clash happened after MTV bused dozens of its viewers from the Smithhaven Mall in Lake Grove to its beach house on Dune Road in East Quogue.

They were recruited to be audience members for the "Direct Effect" show, a daily countdown of hip-hop video requests.

Fists fly

Some recruits apparently didn't want their MTV, and headed down the road to Summers Beach Club, a waterfront watering hole crowded with regulars.

The MTV crowd became "aggressive and confrontational" with Summers staff and customers and the "combative atmosphere" sparked a series of fistfights, police said.

Southampton cops rushed to the scene and called in backup from the Quogue Village police and state police.

In the chaos, one bloodied victim just wandered away, and cops were only able to identify four suspects, Hintze said.

Sharpe, a stock clerk from Brentwood, said he wasn't even at Summers. He was heading back to the bus at the end of the taping when trouble started.

"I saw everyone running and then I saw a black kid get hit on the head with a bottle and he fell and everyone was kicking him," he said.

Out on bail

Sharpe said he stepped in and got into a confrontation with a man who turned out to be an off-duty cop trying to break up the free-for-all.

"I hit him. I didn't even know he was a police officer," said Sharpe, who was charged with assault and released on $250 bail.

David Callender, 24, of Farmingville, also was accused of assaulting the off-duty cop and stealing from a tip jar.

Pandelis Theodosiou, 21, of Port Jefferson allegedly swiped a bottle of rum and threatened the club owner. Police said he fled and hid on one of the buses when cops tried to arrest him.

The fourth person arrested was Greg Romine, 22, of South Setauket, for interfering with another arrest. After he was busted, police found he had a warrant for an unpaid fine.

A 24-year-old man, whose name was not released, was treated at Central Suffolk Hospital for cuts and bruises on the head, officials said.

In a statement, MTV said only that it was cooperating with the investigation. The club did not return phone calls.


TOPICS: Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: boycott; boycottviacom; cbs; cbsnews; emptyv; fighting; hiphop; hippityhopmusic; imallthat; mtv; musictelevision; nick; riot; riots; seebs; seebsnews; simonandschuster; spike; summertimefun; throwdown; tnn; tvland; vh1; viacom; viacommie; youaintallthat
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A drunken mtv hip-hop party turning into a melee, hmmmm.......
1 posted on 06/26/2003 7:14:34 AM PDT by rattrap
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To: rattrap
One person was badly hurt in the fracas

I hope his fracas is better now.

2 posted on 06/26/2003 7:18:34 AM PDT by Larry Lucido
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To: rattrap
You can take the thug out of the hood, but not the hood out of the thug. How many residents of Southampton are calling their real estate agent this morning?
3 posted on 06/26/2003 7:18:46 AM PDT by tdadams
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To: rattrap
Hip-Hop: Music of Peace.
4 posted on 06/26/2003 7:19:39 AM PDT by Tigercap
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To: rattrap
This is the culture MTV plays to. What else do you expect?

I sure miss the 80's, back when MTV was actually WORTH watching...
5 posted on 06/26/2003 7:22:45 AM PDT by reagan_fanatic
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To: Larry Lucido
I think that once your fracas is truely hurt, it is never the same again.
6 posted on 06/26/2003 7:24:24 AM PDT by rattrap
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To: tdadams
Probably none. This is the home of Lizzie Grubman, too. The Hamptons has become rich white trash heaven.
7 posted on 06/26/2003 7:25:45 AM PDT by geaux
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To: rattrap
Where's Lizzie Grubman when you need her. A little SUV justice is what's needed here.
8 posted on 06/26/2003 7:25:46 AM PDT by Wolfie
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To: Tigercap
Ha! I was going to issue a Cable Channel of Peace Alert =)
9 posted on 06/26/2003 7:29:20 AM PDT by thoughtomator (Road Map = Road Kill)
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To: rattrap
Can you say Publicity? I knew you could.
10 posted on 06/26/2003 7:29:41 AM PDT by AD from SpringBay
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To: reagan_fanatic
I sure miss the 70's, back when MTV was actually WORTH watching...
11 posted on 06/26/2003 7:30:55 AM PDT by oyez (Is this a great country or what?)
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To: reagan_fanatic
MTV was never "worth watching"...

Take a look sometime at some of the "vintage" 80s videos and you will easily see my point.

12 posted on 06/26/2003 7:31:13 AM PDT by Will
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To: Tigercap
Here in Indianapolis, a certain section of the city (Broadripple) where the party clubs are concentrated, refuses to play Hip Hop "music". That's got a lot of people crying racism. The clubs won't play the music because of the some of clientele that shows up. And that's their right.
13 posted on 06/26/2003 7:32:06 AM PDT by SJSAMPLE
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To: rattrap
As an original viewer of MTV in the early 80's, I can honestly say it has gone into the sewer with its preoccupation with hip hop rap music, which degrades women(where is NOW), and glamourizing violence.

14 posted on 06/26/2003 7:36:04 AM PDT by Quas primas
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To: tdadams
How many residents of Southampton are calling their real estate agent this morning?

Exactly none. Summers is out on Dune Road, well removed from the real "blue bloods" and old money of Southampton. There have been brawls there on a semi-regular basis forever. I've been there for fracas or two myself. (Years ago and never my fault.)

15 posted on 06/26/2003 7:37:59 AM PDT by PBRSTREETGANG
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To: geaux
Doesn't Martha Stewart have a home there? J/K.

Martha reminds me so very much of a carpetbagger, like Hillary Clinton.
16 posted on 06/26/2003 7:41:18 AM PDT by Pan_Yans Wife (Lurking since 2000.)
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To: mhking
Hold muh head wound...
17 posted on 06/26/2003 7:41:49 AM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks (It's too late to act within the system, but too early to shoot the bastards!)
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To: rattrap
this doesnt surprise me at all

MTV sucks plain and simple

18 posted on 06/26/2003 7:43:58 AM PDT by MetalHeadConservative35 (Better to die on your feet than live on your knees...)
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To: rattrap
It reminds of the old one-liner:

They were having a fight and then a hockey game broke out.
19 posted on 06/26/2003 7:45:21 AM PDT by Chi-townChief
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To: rattrap
If not for insitutional racism... this brawl would never
have happened. It is the legacy of slavery.

When will you'll admit the truth!
20 posted on 06/26/2003 8:11:29 AM PDT by TheWillardHotel
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