Evergreen plans another forum next week regarding concert riot

THE OLYMPIAN | • Published February 21, 2008

• Comments (0)

A second campus forum has been set at The Evergreen State College next week to continue discussions that have arisen after an incident in which a patrol car was overturned by a group of concertgoers last week.

The forum will be at 4 p.m. Wednesday in Lecture Hall 1.

The goal is to develop long-term strategies related to this incident and "other issues of shared concern that affect safety and quality of life on campus," college officials said.

The incident took place during and following a concert last Thursday night with Dead Prez, a nationally known hip-hop act, and a few other local acts.

Police and witnesses have said that the campus police officer on duty arrived in the middle of the concert to investigate an altercation between two concertgoers and a group of security volunteers.

After the officer cuffed one of the concertgoers and placed him into her car for questioning, other concertgoers blocked the car so the officer couldn't leave.

The incident escalated as some exiting concertgoers got involved in blocking the car, and as other law enforcement from Thurston County, Tumwater, Olympia and Lacey arrived.

A Thurston County patrol car, which stalled, was abandoned in front of the concert venue, and a mob of concertgoers overturned, vandalized and stripped the vehicle of its laptop.

College President Les Purce has said that the college will pay restitution to the county for damage to its property, and the college is starting a committee to review its policies and procedures for holding events.

The committee will be made up of students, staff and faculty.

For more on the story, see The Olympian Thursday.