UNH Students told to Avoid Downtown Following the Super Bowl

 UNH Police: Riot Gear and Stealing your Beer.

Dear Resident of Gables Apartments,


I hope your semester is going well. With the New England Patriots competing in this year’s Superbowl on Sunday, February 5th, I have been asked to get some information out to all of students.


I am asking your cooperation to make sure that no “after game” problems may arise in our housing residences. UNH has had a few times in our history where major student misbehavior followed sporting events such as the Super bowl and World Series. During these celebrations significant damage has occurred in and around the residence halls and the town.


UNH has since worked with the town to make it clear to students that such misbehavior will not be tolerated and anyone creating a disturbance will be arrested and/or suspended from UNH.


Staff will be working on Sunday night walking around the complexes and residences. We will wait until after the game ends to do rounds and ensure that things are under control.


I am requesting that students at the Gables, Woodside and Adams Tower stay at their respective residences and away from the Main Street area. Students will not be permitted to gather downtown. There is going to be increased police presence at the complex and in town. By going downtown you face a serious risk of arrest and suspension from school.


I hope that you will choose to celebrate within your residence hall or apartment in a respectful and responsible way.


Enjoy yourselves, but not at the expense of your neighbors.
Thank you for your cooperation this weekend.
Michael Saputo

This email has been sent out to UNH students at various resident halls basically warning us to not go downtown after the Super Bowl or we are at risk of arrest and/or suspension from school. This is due to past incidences when the police unnecessarily showed up in riot gear, used excessive force (included bean bag guns) and caused mass chaos. Between 2002 and 2007 there were several incidences downtown following the hockey teams loss in the 2002 National Championship and the results of Red Sox and Patriots play-off games. The worst incidences occurred when the police were in riot gear and threatened students. When they showed up in their regular uniforms there were no problems.  I had a very well respected professor who blamed the police for the incidences, citing that the riot gear causes fear among the crowd. Look at the Occupy protests if you don't believe me. All of the worst occurances happened when the police were in riot gear.

I'm wondering and am very curious to see what will happen. You have to expect that many people will be watching the games at the bars and other downtown establishments. You can't get arrested or suspended without breaking a law or UNH ordinance.

Stay classy, not UMassy (and go Patriots!)

Updates: 2003 Red Sox riot with cops in riot gear. Notice the tear gas and the girl towards the end with the busted face from a tear gas pellet. Things obviously escalated AFTER the cops in riot gear showed up and possibly overreacted. Obviously the fireworks and the dumpster burning was to far, but was the police force necessary and did it provoke the students to take things further?