piecing this together. What happened in Keene?
WTNH News 8 blames it on alcohol:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RymqKwiEf0
but was alcohol the only reason? was it, in fact, linked to this? was the disruption planned?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-TssOBmWA4
Most people would view having Homeland Security at such a mega-event as a plus. Our protection is in place, those who’s job it is to protect us are watching over us, and we can blissfully pretend that terrorism doesn’t exist in our part of the world. But some who tend to anarchy and who tend to be know-it-alls at 20 might view that as provocation - or, to be more truthful, just another reason to become provokers themselves and act like precocious 4yo’ds.
As to the “riot” itself and how it’s different from Ferguson is that while the police response was the same, the crowd response was much different. As the videos below show, the crowd was not ‘white people’ as some are quick to focus, but a mix of races, from asian to black to hispanic to white to middle-eastern.
Yes, an automobile was beat to death, several signs were murdered, 30 people were injured by thrown objects, a nursing home had to lock it’s doors and 14 to 50, depending on the source, were arrested, but no buildings burned or were looted. When the final order to return to their homes was issued, the crowd complied. The acting out never spilled over to the festival itself.
A party on Wilcox, one of many advertised on social media, grew too large. Those who couldn’t get in threw beer bottles at the attendees in the back yard. A beer and ball tossing fight broke out on Winchester Court (warning: nekked fool at 3:30 mark).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIu8FNXx5aI
The bottle-throwing escallated, two sides formed, some misthrows striking spectators. 911 was called multiple times. The local police and firemen/medics arrive to assist the injured at the party house and elsewhere, to clear the street and wait for backup.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tsSKAsVZfo
meanwhile, on Winchester, a brainless wonder takes out a street sign and at 2:03 mark another brainchild slings a waterbottle towards the police:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkWoTrhDsyc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRz2V0fsRII
Riot-equipped police arrive. They form a line (dog(s) present), order people off the street and deploy pepperspray and pepperballs to clear the street. People start posing for selfies with the police line in the background and the house parties go back to partying. Nobody’s complaining about excessive force. Beginning at 3:38 mark, one idiot is arrested for trying to walk past the police line. A trooper explains at 7:10 that pepper balls don’t hurt. By the 7:20 mark everybody is back to happy drunk.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQ3qMpgZjwg
Twilight falls and our video-challenged instigating streamer hits the streets: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/liberty-patrol
‘Riot’ and ‘round 2’ of his videos don’t show much except the peaceful aftermath and relatively clear streets as twilight falls. The clip ‘Round 4’ gets interesting at the 28 minute mark, in that it shows a group of at least four, that take off in tandem to flip a car (but can’t flip the SUV they choose first). Five minutes later a car is successfully flipped, followed by someone damaging another car, to the anger of the crowd, some of whom photo the guilty and speak out angrily. Vandalism of cars can be heard but not seen.
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/54170346
‘car dance’ captured by skynews. The overturned donation bins shown below are likely the noise heard in the previous video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWvD_geg9j4
A street fire is started. The crowd sings “The Star Spangled Banner”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LeCxOXJIdU
nightly news summary, Fox 25:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0qGcpc5XJw
An hour later, the streets are clear, the crowd heeding the warning to return to their homes.
meanwhile, AT the pumpkin festival, life is normal:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QnfT5fTIaw
The next morning, Keene State students begin a clean-up campaign amid community shaming:
http://boston.cbslocal.com/2014/10/19/at-least-14-arrested-during-keene-pumpkin-festival-disturbances/
Thanks for the exhaustive research of the Great Pumpkin Riots of 2014.
And it is refreshing to learn the the rioters, while setting other people’s property on fire were singing the Star-Spangled Banner.
I’m sure the the people who had their cars destroyed and property burned, have a respect and appreciation for the rioters’ patriotism.