Athens Police: Fires, Near-Riot At ‘Palmer Fest’
ATHENS, Ohio—Athens authorities were forced to use their full riot gear Saturday night when fires were started and objects were thrown at authorities.
NBC 4 reported with the FAST FACTS.
All of the following information is courtesy of an Athens police report.
The Athens police responded with the Athens fire department to a fire set in the middle of Palmer Street, mid-block. By 10:05 p.m., the fire was extinguished.
Units moved back to near the Hocking Valley Bank parking lot, and the fire was quickly restarted. At 10:30 p.m., police units moved down the street, and the fire department was able to once again extinguish the fire.
During both extinguishing efforts, persons on packed house and porch roofs and persons in the shadows between buildings were throwing full cans of beer and glass bottles at mounted and foot officers as well as firefighters.
That necessitated the use of full riot gear.
One officer noted that the can of beer that hit him almost knocked the wind out of him despite wearing the protective equipment.
Many other foot and mounted officers were hit by thrown objects, commenting that they couldn’t remember a time when they were hit by so many thrown objects.
Five horses were injured, and a veterinarian was called in to check them.
One horse was injured when it stepped on thrown glass, causing bleeding and the need to withdraw the horse from duty. Other horse injuries were hit between the eyes with a bottle that shattered on impact, hit above eye with a full beer can causing the eye to swell shut, hoof caught in a temporary fence, and cut above the hoof by a breaking, thrown glass bottle.
Over the past several years, the multi-house party on Palmer, commonly referred to as Palmer Fest, has been managed by mature Ohio University students, police said.
Efforts have been made by these residents, in conjunction with meetings organized by Ohio University’s Office of Off-Campus Living, to have a safe and fun Saturday.
These meetings have been attended by many students various agencies, including Ohio University police, Athens police, Athens City Code office, Athens fire department and others.
Students were advised that the police would be called to the party if there were fights/assaults, street blocking, fires or other dangerous activities.
There was one other fire started. It was behind a house on Hocking immediately behind 19 Palmer while safety forces were dealing with the fire on Palmer. Fortunately the owner’s family was able to clear people away and put the fire out.
Many police personnel remain on duty to monitor the community and try to respond to any further attempts to injure persons or damage property.
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Reader Reactions
I am gutted to hear about the riots at Ohio University. I was a student at O.U. and absolutely loved my time there. It saddens me to read this article because of the negative publicity it gives O.U. Ohio University is a remarkable school with top notch programs and people.
That being said, I am disgusted with the students who were rioting and setting objects on fire. I partied it up in Athens, but never was I stupid or disrespectful enough to do what these immature “kids” did.
I wasn’t there but can you truly fault the officers for how they acted? I don’t agree with their use of horses, because look what happened to the poor animals. I feel somewhat sorry for the students who went to that party to have some beers and ended up getting hurt. BUT common sense would tell you to LEAVE a party when people are setting things on fire and acting dangerously. When you see the police arriving, don’t be foolish and stick around to watch whats going to happen. You know what is going to happen, so leave.
I just wanna say as a student at OU that I am very angry at all parties here. unfortunetly I was out of state this weekend so I didn’t personaly see the riots, however I know my town pretty well. This isn’t a incident of normal happenings. this was a bunch of jocks in hippies clothing and a few drunk out of towners that party to riot instead of rioting to party and they are a discrace to our universtiy and our city. besides only a jock would riot for fun.
and a BIG BIG SHAME ON YOU!!!!!to nbc and fox and other news outlets for making this about a stupid horse. lets see, if you ride a horse into a riot the horse might get hurt…..realy?....you don’t say. is anyone even asking why we have mounted police in the first place. is this Canada or are we just gonna party like it’s 1899.
As another Ohio University student I would like to share my thoughts of this past weekend. I was at Palmer Festthis year as well as the one last year. The fest this year had a lot more people at it and from what I collect A LOT of them were from out of town. I ran into well over 20 people I knew from where I grew up, none go here and three of which started one of the first big fights that had to be broken up by cops. OU is a great school and is a lot of fun and I think because we have the party rep, college aged kids from other schools like to come here on the “big” weekends. When you become OU student you fall into the laid-back, easy going attitude that makes up our campus. That’s why we can these fests because most of the time it doesn’t get out of hand. In saying that becoming an OU student you take on that party school, party person rep whether you like it or not. It is terrible that the only time I see my wonderful school in the news is when something bad happens. So many other great things happen on campus everyday. This was one party, out of the 7+ fest of the spring and the only one that has got out of hand. I am not saying that what happened to the horses or cops was just, I am saying that if you were in the students positions that night, your positions now would be completely different.
One of the most fun times of my life were my four years at Ohio University. I loved every minute of living in Athens, OH. There are some times when I wish I was back there, having all of my friends within a few blocks of one another and only worrying about a few hours of class a day. But today is NOT one of those days that I miss OU.
One of my favorite spring events, Palmerfest, took place this weekend. After reading the news of the events that occured at Palmerfest, it appears that OU (or OU’s student body) has so far changed from ANYTHING I remember the school being. The students set fires and, most disturbing, injured police horses.
Palmerfest was always such a fun, light-hearted event for us, never violent. The fact that some students threw beer bottles at police horses….makes me sick. One horse was even hit between the eyes with a full beer bottle…..his eye immediately swelling shut. It is truly heart-breaking that the students took this event to such a digusting level.
Seriously, I NEVER thought I would EVER say this about my alma mater, but I am so ashamed. True, it was a few kids who ruined the fun for everyone…but their actions speak loudly! I hope that the kids who did these cruelties to animals are prosecuted to the fullest extent.
OU has definitely changed. I’m glad I experienced the school and the city when I did. I wouldn’t want to be there now.
I am the parent of an OU senior. I’m not sure what the students there think that they are obligated to. Try going back to your home towns and having a “party” like this and see what happens. You do not own the properties that you are living in. Guess why your rents are so exhorbitant - because you have no respect for the property, and the owners have to go in each time a group moves out and repair all the damage. Most of you are there because of student loans or parental support - you have no permanent ties to Athens. I respect the officers of Athens for allowing as much to go on there as they do. I’ve been there for some of the party weekends and have seen the disrespect that is dished out. The officers have always been as pleasant as they could be without being too complacent. They have the right to protect the citizens and properties in the way that they see fit. I’m sure that some “innocent” people were arrested or attacked, but if they were in the thick of the action, whether they were just standing there doing nothing or actively participating, the fact is that they were in an area that the officers were rightly trying to clear. If they didn’t have the sense to disburse and move on, then they put themselves in the line of fire.
First you have to look at it from the police point of view, outnumbered by what, 10 to 1 at least, by a bunch of drunks. Of course they are justified, how can they have time to walk up to everyone and try to find out if every individual is hostile or not. When they show up in riot gear telling everyone to leave, that means….. o its time to leave. I understand when people are drunk there a little bit slower than normal but come on its common sense. Police in riot gear yelling for you to leave means you should. If your not you are disobeying a police officer which is against the law correct? I hope this puts an end to palmer fest. A lot of responsible students try to organize a fun event for they’re peers and drunken immature idiots have to ruin it for everyone. The Police said they wanted no fires or assaults and its not reported on here, but before the fire started there was an officer assaulted by a student throwing a bottle and the squad was called for that officer. Seems that that is kind of a theme in Athens Ohio. Bunch of drunk spoiled brats cause trouble and then cry about the police once there hangover goes away. Poor baby got hit with a stick by the big bad officer because you didn’t do as you were told….......
I remember they have problems with this every year. sounds like they need to stop these yearly parties.
These mounted police officers went about nicely, as far as I’m concerned.
If it was my horse that was being injured, I would have turned his rear end toward the people doing the harm and let him double barrel you guys right in the gut.
A kick or two from both hind legs at the same time would have these drunk morons thinking twice before they throw something at my horse.
I could be wrong but I’m guessing the horse was not just standing there and all the sudden headbutted this guy. The horse, the police, they are in a hurry to get to the scene of the crime. GET OUT OF THEIR WAY! As drivers we need to pull over when we hear sirens. You see a police horse running MOVE!
As an OU sophomore who was at Palmerfest, I am appalled that people like gregg441 have the stones to suggest they witnessed “everything”. You probably didn’t see much at all. Before the second fire was lit, a student right in front of me, and nowhere near the fire, was intentionally headbutted by a horse. Was he involved in the fire? No. Was he doing anything illegal or fit to cause a riot? No. He was on the sidewalk and a police office decided that rather than slow his horse, he would run right through the student. Mind you, no flying projectiles were anywhere to be seen. I witnessed another few students on Mill st. an hour after the second fire nearly get trampled by a police officer on a horse. They too were doing nothing, causing no harm and inciting no panic. They were hundreds of yards from where the fires and mayhem had occurred earlier. A friend of mine, merely standing in someone’s yard on Palmer was struck repeatedly in the collar bone by an officer with a club.
I am not, in any way, defending those who were involved in starting fires, hurling projectiles at officers, or doing otherwise illegal activities. I understand that police officers did their best to control a group of students many, many times their size, in a situation that was at times, dangerous. I am, however, slightly pissed off at students who bash others for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Just because an officer decided someone was a good target to be made example of, doesn’t mean that person can automatically be written off as a wrongdoer and propogandized by those upset with the night’s events.
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