Police, experts discuss student celebration rights

This year, Pitt and city police are trying to avoid the chaos that occurred after the last… This year, Pitt and city police are trying to avoid the chaos that occurred after the last Steelers Super Bowl victory, but students can take a few steps to keep themselves out of harm’s way as well.

As stated in advertisements and e-mails to be sent to the student body, there will be a designated area of celebration in anticipation of a Super Bowl victory. The last time the Steelers won the game, masses of people crowded Forbes Avenue and Bigelow Boulevard. Over the course of more than an hour, windows were broken, bus shelters leveled, cars flipped and fires lit. Initial estimates put the damage at more than $100,000.

This year, the University wants to avoid that.

“Bigelow Boulevard between the William Pitt Union and Cathedral of Learning will be closed, the post-game victory celebration will be limited to this area for one hour after the game,” Pitt spokeswoman Patricia White said in an e-mail.

University of Pittsburgh Police Chief Tim Delaney said in a phone interview that because of the damage caused in the past, it was important to have a plan in place for this year.

“In the past, everyone comes running out cheering, looks around and goes now what?” Delaney said.

Pitt officials want to prevent this from happening by having a specified area where the celebration can take place. Delaney said Pitt police have always unofficially given such celebrations about one hour to take place before becoming very involved.

“We are understanding of people wanting to celebrate and have a good time,” Delaney said.

Pitt law professor John Burkoff said that the main precautions students should take are pretty obvious, and apply to most other situations.

“Any type of property destruction, lighting fires; any things that create danger to others are way out of bounds,” Burkoff said.

He said that shutting down Bigelow Boulevard shows a level of understanding and tolerance that a celebration is in order for a victory.

“It seems to me that it is their intention to give people room to celebrate, but make sure that it is responsible,” Burkoff said.

Delaney expressed a similar sentiment.

“We want to make sure that students have their room to celebrate, but do it responsibly and in a situation that can be controlled if need be,” Delaney said.

Vic Walczak, legal director for the ACLU of Pennsylvania, said that two things students often get in trouble for are open containers and not staying on the sidewalks.

Walczak also said that a lot depends on whether there are agitators within the crowds, how police react and if there is any overreaction by individual officers.

“[The police] can’t prohibit people from being on the sidewalk,” he said. “If you are celebrating on the sidewalk or, say, on your way to Peter’s or Qdoba to get a beer, there isn’t anything that can be done about that. If you are impeding traffic though, then there could be an issue.”

Delaney said he doesn’t anticipate the need for much police intervention, though. He acknowledged that although the majority of students are not troublemakers, police have stuck to the old adage of preparing for the worst, but expecting the best.

He said in reference to the last Steelers Super Bowl victory that it was in actuality a small group of, as he put it, hooligans, that caused damage. He said that most students don’t have malicious intentions.

“There were actually students contacting myself and the police reporting people they saw acting up last time,” he said. “They knew there was no need for that behavior and were mad people were acting that way. They were embarrassed by their peers’ actions.”