| Author | Message | ||
     Jersey girl Citizen Username: Critterlover Post Number: 98 Registered: 2-2004 |
OK. September means SHU students return, or come to the U for their freshman year... and last night, the noise went on until after 4 am. Finally, as I was groping for the phone in the next room, I saw headlights of a police car. Someone must have beat me to it. Kids were yakking it up, and loudly, right in front of my house and my neighbor's house. I guess they were sitting on the curb, or on our lawns or something? Practically right beneath the windows. The officer dispersed the crowd, but I was already fuming because I am sooo tired. I needed a good night's sleep! I waited a long time before attemting to alert the police because I knew the kids just arrived, they' re excited and all, and I also didn't realize HOW Late/ or EARLY in the AM it was! past 4 am! I am wide awake with a headache and exhausted, but I cannot fall asleep. and I didn't sleep before the noise started , so I am really bummed. Irritable, too.And I have a full agenda for today. Grrrr. SHU loudmouths keep me awake all night, once again. So what else is new. I just wish I could go wake THEM up as they snooze away til 1 or 2 pm. (Crabby)Jersey Girl | ||
| Diastole Citizen Username: Diastole Post Number: 40 Registered: 7-2005  |
College hijinx... | ||
| ril Citizen Username: Ril Post Number: 616 Registered: 6-2001  |
I took a walk this morning--trash, beer cans, empty liquor bottles strewn around the neighborhood and in Grove Park. I heard music thumping till the early hours of the AM, too. I recall college hijinx, but this is just bad, rude behavior. | ||
| joel dranove Citizen Username: Jdranove Post Number: 1011 Registered: 1-2006 |
Tell the board of trustees, at their 9/11 meeting, and make sure they respond verbally. Carefully examine their faces for sleep. Trust their word, and call the police when necessary. jd | ||
| westside Citizen Username: Westside Post Number: 1 Registered: 7-2006 |
And lean on the landlords who rent to college students who can't act like adults. | ||
| Glock 17 Citizen Username: Glock17 Post Number: 1871 Registered: 7-2005  |
Ahem. Told you so, MOL. | ||
| Just The Aunt Supporter Username: Auntof13 Post Number: 6078 Registered: 1-2004  |
Aw come on all of you! Don't you know what an asset the SHU students are to our community? We can't just assume it's the SHU students leaving the trash behind. Can we?  I'd call the administration Tuesday morning. Wonder who has to pick up all that trash? | ||
| Flying_char Citizen Username: Flying_char Post Number: 386 Registered: 8-2005  |
I absolutely agree, these shu'ers, young annoying KIDS. Dayum! My whole street is filled with them! I tell them when I see them, hey wassup, keep it down ok. And yes, I will be very loud when they have finals if I have too ;-)))) | ||
| westside Citizen Username: Westside Post Number: 2 Registered: 7-2006 |
Wonder who has to pick up all that trash? That would be you and your neighbors just the aunt. You should be honored considering all the business and prestige they bring to town  | ||
| Just The Aunt Supporter Username: Auntof13 Post Number: 6086 Registered: 1-2004 |
Yes, Westside I hear you! We should be honored to pick the trash up because after all if it wasn't for the SHU students none of our businesses in town would succeed! Somebody really should do something to nip this in the bud this year before it really gets the chance to start. | ||
| Shanabana Citizen Username: Shanabana Post Number: 1106 Registered: 10-2005  |
I can't tell who's serious and who's not on this thread (except Jersey girl) | ||
| Just The Aunt Supporter Username: Auntof13 Post Number: 6088 Registered: 1-2004 |
 | ||
| Psychomom Citizen Username: Psychomom Post Number: 716 Registered: 5-2005  |
I'm sure it must be annoying to be kept up at night...but what were you thinking when you chose to live so close to a university??? Not excusing it but certainly not surprised either. | ||
| Jersey girl Citizen Username: Critterlover Post Number: 102 Registered: 2-2004 |
Are you kidding me, pycho? I hope so, because if you are serious, we have another issue at hand. As in what gives kids the right to ignore the laws of our town, the community in which they live, just because they are college age students? And here's another... can we NOT expect our young adults to act like adults, even when it is past 3 am and they still want to talk, etc. ? Can't they go INSIDE their cars and /or aprtments to chat? and to smoke? I do not enjoy smoke drifting into my open windows at 3 and 4 am. To answer you question, which incidentally smacks of turning on the ''victim'' here, and smehow making this event my own fault for living close to a university... it was the only house (of the 3 available at the time I was buying) that I could afford! Gee. Why don't I feel any better for having voiced my disappointment and annoyance at this shu noise early in the semester? Jersey girl | ||
| Psychomom Citizen Username: Psychomom Post Number: 722 Registered: 5-2005 |
We can EXPECT our young adults to do any number of things,but will they do it??? That is the question. No one has the RIGHT to ignore laws not kids, not adults and not college students. It is not your FAULT that they are behaving like jerks but I maintain that you should have had some inkling that you are not moving into a quiet neighborhood...with a college in the picture...Like you, I made compromises about where I chose to live based upon the economics at the time...I live on a busy street but I wouldn't go complaining about it online...I knew when I bought my house that it had heavy traffic and decided I could live with a little noise to be able to give my family a house, yard, room to move around in etc etc. I'm not sorry. | ||
| combustion Citizen Username: Spontaneous Post Number: 521 Registered: 4-2006  |
The other morning, at 5am, I witnessed a young, very drunk man standing in the middle of Tichenor at the intersection of Irvington Ave. He was just standing in the middle of the road, swaying, trying to twirl a set of keys, which he then dropped on the roadway, and stumbled about trying to pick them up. I was about to call the police when a car drove up, honked (which I'm sure the sleeping neighbors loved) and started to yell loudly out the open window for him to "get the f**k in the f***ing car.!!" Okay, so he didn't have a sign on him stating that he was a SHU student, but he was of the correct age, as were his buddies in the car. Also, last night, Irvington Ave was covered in obviously drunk people wandering up and down, also of SHU age. But in defense of the school, maybe these people are not SHU students. Maybe it's gang related, they could all be coming in from Newark. Anyone think of that? (that's supposed to be MOL humor btw, please don't beat me up) | ||
| SoOrLady Citizen Username: Soorlady Post Number: 3519 Registered: 9-2003 |
They just moved in and obviously have not had the "be respectful and courteous to your neighbors" seminar. Perhaps the Village Liason group could facilitate a meeting of the off campus residents and their neighbors. | ||
| Nancy - LibraryLady Supporter Username: Librarylady Post Number: 3835 Registered: 5-2001  |
Unfortunately this type of behavior is just just in South Orange.. An 'Animal House' angers neighbors in North Caldwell Tuesday, September 05, 2006 BY PAULA SAHA AND NICK LIOUDIS Star-Ledger Staff Over the last three years, the house on Henry Avenue has become notorious in North Caldwell for raucous college parties that bring dozens of unwanted guests to this residential enclave in the northern part of town. So when more than 200 kids showed up for a back-to-school party Sunday night, the neighbors knew the routine, and called police. Yesterday, after a logistical nightmare involving 30 officers from 10 area agencies, police said they were planning to charge 128 people from across the tristate area with underage drinking, a local ordinance violation. "There were so many people in the basement of the home, you couldn't even walk," said Sgt. Mark Deuer, who responded to the scene. As the partygoers exited the house, officers lined them up on the front lawn, separated them by age, patted them down and took them to the North Caldwell Fireman's Community Center in squad cars and transport vans. "They were just in shock at the number of kids coming out of the front door of the house," said Capt. Steve Gallagher. The house has developed a reputation in the borough over the last few years, ever since the owner started renting to students from Montclair State University, Gallagher said. These particular tenants only moved in this spring, he said, and this was the first major problem police have had with them. Gallagher said six of the tenants are facing criminal charges for providing alcohol to minors, in addition to several local ordinance violations. Four of them face charges for underage alcohol consumption themselves. The tenants charged are Sheldon Wilson, 19, of Lake Hiawatha; Craig Moran, 21, of Middletown; Matthew Behen, 20, of Toms River; Dustin Smith, 21, of Port Monmouth; Nicholas Raspanti, 20, of Red Bank, and Stephen Didio, 19, of Manalapan. Yesterday evening, Smith, Raspanti and Didio had returned to the home, a well-kept Colonial in a wooded, sparsely populated neighborhood. As they sat on the house steps, a neighbor drove by, howled, honked his horn and asked when the next "rager" would be. The three Montclair State juniors said the party was a "welcome-back-to-school" get-together that just attracted too many guests. "We want to apologize to all our neighbors," Raspanti said. "We understand where they're coming from." "We don't want to start any trouble," Smith added. "Despite what everyone thinks, we're not a bunch of punk kids." But the house's history did not work in their favor. Over the years, police said, neighbors have reported numerous rowdy parties, vandalism, public urination and illegal parking. "They've been torturing this neighborhood for years," said Dian Scrittorale, who lives around the corner on Stanley Road. She and her husband, Anthony, greeted news of the weekend arrests with glee. "I'm only mad I was away for (the arrests)," Anthony Scrittorale said. Neighbor Edward Slattery, 76, called police Sunday night when he saw some partygoers use his backyard as a shortcut. In the past, he said, he has seen a bus unload guests at the Henry Avenue house for a party. "I talked to the mayor, I talked to the council and nobody could do anything about it," he said. "You'd think they'd draft something into the law." Mayor Mel Levine said yesterday he planned to look into what the borough could enact to prevent these situations. "These other people have a right to live there and enjoy their quality of life," he said. Gallagher said the police department had approached Montclair State about the problem, but to no avail. Montclair State spokeswoman Ann Frechette said the university cannot take action when the property is not within their jurisdiction. "We certainly encourage our students to act responsibly, in all ways," she said. "Like any college campus in America, we just try to encourage our students to act responsibly on campus and off campus." But three of the teens who live at the Henry Avenue house said they felt the authorities were making examples of them because of past problems that did not involve them. "The neighbors were fed up with the last tenants of the house," Didio said. "Now it seems like the whole town is fed up." | ||
| SOrising Citizen Username: Sorising Post Number: 766 Registered: 2-2006 |
Sorry to hear about your wretched night, Jersey girl. I don't think you should have the slightest doubt or regret about wanting peace and quiet around your home and taking whatever action is necessary to ensure it. At the same time, it seems unfortunate that trying to get it may impose extra time, work and hassle on you. If the University shrugs its shoulders at a request to you for help, don't hesitate to go to the police and go before the BOT during remonstrances at their meetings and bring as many of your neighbors along as you can to do the same. Having said all that, it seems you should also be sure to talk to people who live in the house where the commotion occurred, to see if they redress your concerns and to give them the chance to before going to others to enforce town ordinances. | ||
| Sheena Collum Citizen Username: Sheena_collum Post Number: 804 Registered: 4-2005  |
Jersey girl, It's a shame that happened and I apologize. Here are a couple suggestions that have worked in the past. 1) Try meeting your student neighbors and exchange phone numbers. Then you can call them directly if there are any problems. With this instance, understand it was 'move in' day and students haven't seen each other all summer... so if you were to afford some leeway - it would be the first couple weekends (classes started today). 2) If you PL me the address of the house, I'll see what I can do tomorrow. 3) A lot of the things created to address 'off-campus' issues need a couple weeks (i.e. meetings with the students - we held one with the SOPD, SOFD, and Code Enforcement last year), collecting numbers for the task force hotline, etc. It's the beginning of the year and for freshman, it's their first time away from the mother ship. | ||
| Spitz Supporter Username: Doublea Post Number: 1884 Registered: 3-2003 |
Arrests were made in North Caldwell for underage drinking pursuant to a local ordinance. Other college towns have adopted an underage drinking ordinance. South Orange has not yet adopted one. What is it waiting for? | ||
| joel dranove Citizen Username: Jdranove Post Number: 1016 Registered: 1-2006 |
The "Coming Soon" sign. jd | ||
| Spitz Supporter Username: Doublea Post Number: 1885 Registered: 3-2003 |
Who is it protecting? Edited to add: We're talking here about the enacting legislation which the state legislature adopted about 7-8 years ago which allows police to make arrests for underage drinking in private residences provided the municipality has adopted an ordinace. | ||
| Old and Gray Citizen Username: Pastmyprime Post Number: 410 Registered: 2-2005 |
Well, The issue is North Caldwell can handle one house...Our Police department is inundated with numerous problem houses and , and problem areas...and seem to be lacking in any strategy other then pushing them back into the stree to walk to the next house. I couldn't drive up Ward Place the other night because there was a crowd of 50 or so walking in the street. I would like to see the town and the police start now, instead of knee jerking a month from now, when we are all angry and had enough...Each season its the same thing...Its been like this for the 15 years I ve been in town. | ||
| John Caffrey Citizen Username: Jerseyjack Post Number: 579 Registered: 11-2005 |
Sheena Collum ..."it was moving day...so if you were to afford some leeway.." At 4 a.m.? Give me a break...or at least a good night's rest. | ||
| Jersey girl Citizen Username: Critterlover Post Number: 103 Registered: 2-2004 |
LOL... I like your comment, Jersey Jack! ''At 4a.m.? Give me a break... or at least a good night's rest." Good one! As for giving leeway, certainly, I already make allowances for moving in day, end of exams night, all those special weekends and weekdays in between. <sly> However, this was actually 4AM! No exaggeration. Also please note, I waited until past 3AM to start asking myself, "Gee, should I call the cops now..?" and I waited even longer, to make sure the noise had not settle down, before calling. I would not want to bring out the police on a crowd that is ALREADY in the process of dispersing, KWIM? OK? Just to let you know I am not a regular caller to the cops, and not one who phones in every little sound past 10 pm. nothing like that. Still, I have to comment about "expecting quiet" in my neighborhood which is close to SHU. Yes, I expect it, after 11PM or midnight, on most nights! And yes, the neighborhood was MUCH,MUCH QUIETER when I purchased my home 25-or so years ago. no one on our block experienced this distressing disruption of our sleep, years ago. Students were noisey and parties were hold, but... and this is the big challenge right now... years ago students respected the surrounding area more so than they do right now, as a whole. One of my main complaints is the wee hours noise violations, along with the frequency at which this very dangerous level of drinking that goes on, but we also have been "treated to" public urination, right in our property, both front and back yards, glass bottles thrown from cars or left behind after drinking in cars occurred... right on the street or on the strip of grass bordering the street and the front yard... cases of empty beer bottles, hard liquor bottles and drug paraphenalia left for me to clean up. This is first and foremost an extremely dangerous behavior that the kids are indulging in. The amount of liquor being consumed by individuals must be enormous! Along the same lines here: When a friend who lives a few blocks away called the police while holding a bunch of crack vials her little girl had picked up in the driveway of their home, she was told to flush it down the toilet by the police who attended to her call.We could not believe our ears, but apparently, the police get SO MANY reports of such things that they simply tell the residents who find it to get rid of it. My friend was happy her daughter gave it to her, rather than try and consume what she had found. The child was only about 4 yrs old at the time of this incident, so she easily could have put it in her mouth. It looked like a couple of lumps of sugar to the little one. (That's what she told her mom!) But my friend was indeed unhappy that the cops were too busy to come to the house and take the drugs themselves, as she flet slightly "abandoned" for lack of a better word, in her time of need. She really wanted someone with a face and a body to reassure her that they were on the case, not just a voice onthe phone telling her to dump the stuff. It appeared to her that this was such a common event, finding crack on the streets, that you simply get rid of it and that's the end of the story, which she thought was a sad commentary, and I agree with her. OTOH, when some really young kids were drinking in their cars across the street, the cops came and arrested them and took them ito custody immediately. They were obviously underage. There is no way anyone selling liquor could have looked at their fake IDs and proceeded with the sale. I was heartened by the speed and profficiency with which the police conducted themselves. Our cops have a difficult job evey day, but these calls to round up college kids due to excessive noise and drinking, etc. should not be part of their daily duty. No matter what special day it is for SHU students. JMO. BTW, I will continue to bring up the topic for discussion with my friends and neighbors on MOL, as this is an excellent forum for exactly this type of neighborhood concern to be shared. Somehow, we must come to some resolution on this issue. I am not the only person affected, and hopefully, we can put our heads together and come up with a plan to alleviate our suffering, every time SHU students win a basketball game, or lose one... pass exams, or fail them... If I sound as if I am complaining too much, I apologize in advance, however,I do not consider it the whining type of "complaining", when I am seriously interested in addressing a dangerous situation in my neighborhood. Jersey girl | ||
| Dan Shelffo Citizen Username: Openspacer Post Number: 193 Registered: 6-2001  |
 City considers red-tagging problem houses BY DEENA WINTER / Lincoln Journal Star It’s not a scarlet letter. But it is a bunch of letters on a red tag stuck to someone’s house — if the occupants have gotten into trouble with the law for such things as parties, noise or litter. City leaders are floating the idea of slapping so-called “red tags” on disorderly houses to serve notice to inhabitants, neighbors and landlords that they’re in trouble with the law. And they’d better not get into trouble again any time soon. The idea was suggested by Ed Caudill, a 21-year North Bottoms resident and neighborhood activist who hopes to reduce the parties, litter and noise in his neighborhood, where the many small, old rental houses are popular with University of Nebraska-Lincoln students. Caudill got the idea from Tucson, Ariz., where police have the authority to stick red tags on what are considered disorderly houses — or properties where five or more people are gathered or where there’s excessive noise, traffic, obstruction of streets, littering, public drinking, fighting, disturbing the peace or minors drinking alcohol. The warnings must stay posted for 180 days. If a tag is taken down, the tenants are fined. If there are any subsequent violations within the next 180 days, police can cite and fine everyone from property owners to tenants and party guests. Lincoln City Councilwoman Patte Newman, who has been working to help local neighborhood associations deal with problem properties and party houses, is helping to examine the idea of red-tagging. “That’s an obvious reminder,” she said of the bright red warning. “It’s basically giving the police another tool in their armory to have.” Carol Brown said the Neighborhood Alliance, a group of neighborhood associations, plans to push for a red-tag ordinance. But Newman said it’s not clear whether an ordinance patterned after Tucson’s would mesh with Nebraska state law. Another idea that has been toyed with is requiring landlords to get licensed. That way their licenses can be yanked if they aren’t responsible. Lincoln police Capt. Joy Citta explained the red-tagging concept to the mayor’s neighborhood roundtable on Thursday afternoon; she previously had given a presentation to UNL’s student government. Citta said Lincoln already does many of the same things as Tucson, except for the red sign. She said it takes “a gallon of gasoline and a razor blade” to get the red signs off once the police stick them on a house. A half-dozen college students attended the meeting to question red-tagging. Sarah Morris asked why party-goers should be identified with a bright red sign, but thieves or murderers are not. Larry Zink, who lives in University Place, asked the college students why they were “defending the jerks” — people who “obviously don’t give a damn about their neighbors.” Others worried about the effect red tags would have on real estate — fearing they would be big red lights to good tenants or potential home buyers. The signs would label the house, block and neighborhood, they said. “I would have no problem if the students were wearing the red tags,” one woman said. Residents of neighborhoods that have party problems were more supportive of the concept, expressing years of frustration with the continual turnover of college and other young adults who they said aren’t good neighbors. People such as Vera Mae Lutz, who volunteered on a committee weekly for a year to try to eradicate these problems, don’t think it helped much. “How much longer can we talk?” she asked the students. One resident said the police party patrol initially was effective but seems to have slackened recently. Whether the city goes forward with red-tagging won’t make a whole lot of difference to Caudill, the man who initiated the discussion. He’s grown so frustrated with the college neighborhood that he plans to move in the fall. He said he’s already sold half the 10 condos he owns in the heart of North Bottoms. He said two encounters with police — who rebuked him for calling the police so frequently — were the last straw. Reach Deena Winter at 473-2642 or dwinter@journalstar.com. | ||
| Flying_char Citizen Username: Flying_char Post Number: 403 Registered: 8-2005 |
They should mark most of the houses on Tichenor then... Maybe we should have more police cruising up and down Tichenor, that might help | ||
| Just The Aunt Supporter Username: Auntof13 Post Number: 6089 Registered: 1-2004 |
SOlady- Sadly; based on what's going on in North Caldwell concerning Montclair State Students it's not likely SHU can do much about the behavior of their off campus students. As someone else already mentioned; it seems over the years the students at SHU have become less respectful of the surrounding area. I'm sure they wouldn't act this way where their parents live. Someone mentioned to me in the past ten or so years maybe SHU has lowered it's standards. They suggest that could have something to do with the behavior of the students. | ||
| mrosner Citizen Username: Mrosner Post Number: 2938 Registered: 4-2002 |
Just a couple of points. For the past several years, the village has held several meetings with SHU, students, residents. The police chief was at all of these and some were attended by trustees, the village administrator, the village attorney and the fire chief. Also, each year the police chief and the fire chief meet with SHU students on campus to discuss various issues including off campus partying. SHU did set up a hot-line which I think is comprised mostly of student volunteers. They do follow-up on every complaint. The student's liason committee and SHU have been much better in recent years to try and work with the village (as opposed to several years ago). The police do patrol and they do the best to enforce the village's ordinances. In some cases the propertyowners are warned and then fined. And yes, every year brings new students who are living off-campus or away from their parents for the first time. I am not sure what the answer is to completely end the off campus partying and late night noise short of hiring more police. | ||
| Glock 17 Citizen Username: Glock17 Post Number: 1877 Registered: 7-2005 |
Sheena...I have a better idea. If I ever see someone urinating on my front lawn...I grab a <insert> and have a friendly neighbor-to-neighbor conversation. Hopefully a brief one. for that matter if i see/ hear them in the street i just might have to stand out on my front porch and have the same conversation. | ||
| Spitz Supporter Username: Doublea Post Number: 1888 Registered: 3-2003 |
Why not start with adopting an underage drinking ordinance? At least it gives you something to use. The state legislature adopted the enabling legislation - why hasn't South Orange done what other college towns have done, eg. Long Branch and Ocean Twp, among others. | ||
| growler Citizen Username: Growler Post Number: 1013 Registered: 11-2001  |
When we had this problem this is what the police requested that we do. Everytime you call the police, make sure thay make a incident report. Obtain copies of each report. After three reports, send them to the landlord explaining the situation and that the next time the police are called on the landlords property, that you or the block association will file a complaint with the court against the landlord and the tenents. If you actually have to go to court, you have the incident reports to back up the complaint and let the judge decide on a warning or a fine for either/both parties involved. There also could be a code violation too. There can only be X amount of non related people living in one dwelling. Something to consider. Lucky for our block, it never got to the complaint stage as the landlord put the kibosh on the partying however we had to go though the whole process every year with new students. This year is a whole other matter for our block. I suspect we will not hear too many late night problems. I would like to add to please give Sheena a chance. When she first read how frustrated our block was with the problems, she contacted me through email and said she would talk to the students. Between Sheena and the landlord, I think they got the message. | ||
| SOrising Citizen Username: Sorising Post Number: 768 Registered: 2-2006 |
Jersey girl, events you described are outrageous and no resident should have to endure public urination on their property or crack viles being left for 4 year olds playing in their yards. If you think the drug paraphernalia comes out at SHU parties, I don’t think you should wait as long as you do to call the police. Where there is crack, there is likely to be armed agents supplying it, violent criminal elements and black-market turf warriors no one wants in SO. You and neighbors with the same concerns should meet with the chief of SO police and follow up the meeting with a letter to him confirming what action was promised. Copy it to every trustee, the village administrator and attorney. Photograph anyone urinating in public, request ordinances against it if there aren’t any now with steep fines. Don’t worry about complaining; you could be blamed for not speaking up if something terrible occurred. Has your neighborhood association helped very much? What role has it played in addressing the problems? (Would someone also please decipher KWIM for me?) | ||
| Just The Aunt Supporter Username: Auntof13 Post Number: 6095 Registered: 1-2004 |
KWIM means Know What I mean... | ||
| Jersey girl Citizen Username: Critterlover Post Number: 105 Registered: 2-2004 |
Thank you to each person who replied. Your suggestions and comments are helpful, in that I now have a more complete list of options ready for the next time. and we all know, there will be a next time! Plus, it is always nice to have a bit of sympathy and understanding when the going gets tough. I will definitely call upon the SHU liason and Sheena to help me do something more effective than simply calling the cops. We have to organize some kind of action-plan, such as calling for extra cruisers in our area, as soon as the partying commences each night. And BTW, I do not usually wait for hours before calling the police, and I never wait if I witness drug dealing; in such cases I phone immediately, and the police have responded favorably and in a timely fashion. Generally, I give the party-goers until 12 am weeknights and 1:30 am on weekends, but truthfully, I prefer not to be the one to initiate the enforcement of villagewide noise ordinances, and I wish I was not put in the position of being the one to call in these violations. I also don't enjoy playing curfew cop for teenagers,college kids and out of control party-goers who are not even my offspring! (What is worse is when the loud mouths and drunks get my dog barking. Then something is suddenly my responsibility, shutting up my normally quiet and well behaved dog!) These late night/early am drunkfests simply snowball, and one thing leads to another, and another...down the slippery slope we go. oh well. It's over for right this moment, thankfully. Without dwelling on the topic negatively and excessively, I wonder if we could get a block association going, to tackle this and other (unrelated) neighborhood problems that may arise. It's a thought anyway. Thanks again, friends, for listening, sharing, comiserating with me. I appreciate the strong shoulders. Jersey girl | ||
| ril Citizen Username: Ril Post Number: 617 Registered: 6-2001 |
In Belmar, which has similar noise problems in the summer, the police patrol the troublesome areas; if they can hear noise or music as they drive/walk by, they immediately issue warnings or summonses. They don't wait for aggravated citizens to complain. Perhaps SOPD could do this, at least at the beginning of the semester and on Thursday (party) nights. | ||
| Politicalmon Citizen Username: Politicalmon Post Number: 270 Registered: 9-2005  |
Don't hold your breath on SOPD being proactive - remember a good portion work as part time rent a cops for SHU. I'm sure they wouldn't want to bite the hand that feeds them. Let alone how convenient this is for SHU having SOPD officers keeping things out of the press and playing down incidents like this. Our town has a noise ordinance on the books - use this when calling the police to insure enforcement and follow the directive described by growler. I remember when a similar incident occurred a couple years ago I had to call the SOPD 3 times before resolution - I initially didn't understand why the officer would defend the SHU students & obvious noise by playing down the noise issue? - I then asked for his name and reminded him of the noise ordinance; within ten minutes the sounds of mayhem ceased. Lastly, whether it's a crack vial or a drunken student behind the wheel of an SUV I find them both just as dangerous and would be more concerned with the possibility of vehicular manslaughter then a random crack vial. In reality what one perceives as a crack vial could have been a coke vial coming from a SHU partier. | ||
| Old and Gray Citizen Username: Pastmyprime Post Number: 412 Registered: 2-2005 |
I Think SOPD does what they can, but I think they don't have the right tools to do this. You expect 2 or 3 cops to break up a party with 50-200 kids and maintain order while they leave the area...Impossible and dangerous for those officers. I would like to see the town look at shore towns and other college towns and take some notes from them. Why can't we hold the actual landlord responsible? Why don't we have an underage drinking ordinance? Why doesn't code enforcement visit these houses on a Friday morning after parties. There has to be more we can do that isn't going to burden us with any expense. | ||
| Spitz Supporter Username: Doublea Post Number: 1891 Registered: 3-2003 |
Jersey girl - Although I don't have the problem in SO, I have a house near Monmouth University and I know what it's like. Get a group of concerned residents together, attend a BOT meeting and ask them why they haven't adopted an underage drinking ordinance. My understanding is that it has been discussed in the past in public safety meetings, but there were some who objected. Ask them why. As I mentioned in my earlier posts, other towns have adopted one. The state legislaure made sure it included all the necessary safeguards when it passed the enabling legislation and other towns haven't experienced any problems with enforcing it. |
