Super Bowl arrests trump 2006 figures

The idea was the same. Students stormed the streets of Oakland following the Steelers Super… The idea was the same. Students stormed the streets of Oakland following the Steelers Super Bowl victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday night, just as they did in 2006 when the Steelers beat the Seattle Seahawks. But the damage was of a different caliber this time, said law enforcement officials. And they were just working off of initial estimates. Pitt police Chief Tim Delaney said that police arrested at least 100 people in the North Side, South Side and Oakland on Sunday night, many for failure to disperse. He estimated that 60 to 80 of those arrests occurred in Oakland, where people burned couches, Dumpsters and construction material. The Allegheny County Jail scheduled a few extra workers to help process 75 of the arrests that came in from throughout the city on Sunday night and into Monday morning, said Warden Ramon C. Rustin. He also said the jail processed 34 or 35 following the 2006 Super Bowl. Still, he said, the outcome could have been worse. ‘We were prepared for the worst-case scenario, and it didn’t happen,’ said Rustin. Delaney, who called the festivities part-riots-part-celebration, said that while he was disappointed with the property damage, ‘For the most part, we have thousands of individuals who are celebrating and enjoying themselves, and you’ve got your one or two percenters [who get arrested].’ Rustin attributed the increase in arrests ‘mdash; nearly doubling ‘mdash; to drinking. Delaney said he wasn’t sure what caused it, but he believes that this Super Bowl was more emotional with the Steelers coming back to reclaim the lead. Students pulled branches off bushes and trees by the Cathedral of Learning and the William Pitt Union, then lit them on fire. Some students managed to get part of a barricade and attempted to light that on fire, too. People celebrating broke windows to the Bruegger’s Bagels, Copy Cat, Hemingway’s Cafe, Hillman Library, The Original Hot Dog Shop and the space that used to be Boomerang’s Bar ‘amp; Grille. A group of people tore down the Port Authority bus shelter on the corner of Forbes Avenue and Bigelow Boulevard. They knocked out the paneling on part of a University shuttle station outside the Cathedral. While he was still waiting to receive official damage estimates, Delaney said that people participating in this year’s festivities caused ‘a lot more damage, a lot more fires’ than those who joined in the previous Super Bowl celebration. Diane Richard, spokeswoman for the city police, echoed his message. ‘Disruptive behavior causes loss of property, unnecessary arrests and unsafe conditions for others,’ she said in an e-mail. ‘The [city police] would like to encourage disruptive fans to be more responsible and cognizant of their behavior, because their actions impact many innocent fans who want to have a great time and celebrate in a peaceful manner.’ Several students who participated in the celebration said they thought the damage was to be expected. Pitt sophomore Brandon Miller joined the estimated 7,000 to 10,000 people who packed the streets just minutes after the Steelers won their record-setting sixth Super Bowl. ‘I’m pretty sure stuff’s going to be on fire soon,’ he said a few minutes after the game ended. ‘It’s just Pitt football. It’s what we do.’ Shortly later, celebrators ignited a debris fire containing at least one couch and wood that Delaney thought was construction material taken from near Hillman Library on Forbes Avenue outside of the 7-Eleven, causing problems for the police. ‘We wanted to disperse the crowd and move it,’ said Delaney. ‘We couldn’t move the crowd, because we couldn’t get the fire out, and we couldn’t get the fire truck in.’ People set Dumpsters, van seats and cars throughout Central Oakland on fire, police said over their scanner on Sunday night. The Pitt police had 40 fire extinguishers on hand Sunday night ‘mdash; twice as many as they did when in 2006 ‘mdash; and drained every one of them, said Delaney. He is working on confirming how many fires to which the police and fire departments officials responded. More than 125 officers ‘mdash; 54 Pitt police officers and their counterparts from the city, county and state police and country sheriff’s office ‘mdash; were stationed in Oakland. More than 400 officers were stationed throughout the city, said Richard.