Riots.
I can't shake this sickening feeling, so maybe if I write about it, it will go away.
Admittedly I expected something bad to happen, win or lose, but somehow I didn't want to believe it. I couldn't have ever imagined it would be as horrific as it was.
Joh and I left the bar during the third period and went to Georgia and Homer to watch the rest of the game on the big screen. When the fourth goal happened, a fight broke out in front of us, so we quickly moved off to the side and stood atop some stairs next to the Da Gino restaurant. The mood of the crowd switched instantly from sadness to anger. The porta potties started to tip, one by one. People started to climb the lamp posts. Then the first car was set on fire. And suddenly it was mayhem.
A mother stood with her five-year-old son, who was yelling "Riot! Riot! Riot!" while mom giggled and laughed. They fled when someone threw a rock through the window next to where they were standing.
A man was escorted into the alley in front of us, bleeding from his head. I later saw a picture from the fight he was in (it's the bald guy on the right, with the painted face (Thanks Tera for the link): http://i.imgur.com/91TJ1.jpg
People started to break the windows of the Budget Car Rental across the street. We could hear glass breaking all around us but couldn't see a lot of it because we were trying to stay at a safe distance from the violence. When all the porta potties were wrecked people started taking to the bus shelter, picking up fencing and throwing it through the glass.
A CTV van that was parked in the alley bailed out on the scene, while several people jumped on the back and took a ride.
More windows on the Da Gino restaurant broke behind us. A man walked by and showed me his bloody hand while yelling "Fuck Boston!"
Groups of people ran down the alley and straight into the crowd, cheering and screaming "Riot!" "Let's fuck shit up!" and more. The police had blocked the streets but not the alley and there was a clear way into the chaos. It took the police a good 90 minutes to block off that alley (and that only happened about 10 minutes after we told a group of officers with their hands in their pockets that people could still get in).
We walked down to Dunsmuir and saw the horses going in, probably 45 minutes into the riot. It took them that long to mobilize.
Then we walked to Richards and Dunsmuir and watched another car fire from the lawn of the church on the corner. A mob of people were startled and fled over the lawn, nearly trampling me, but I ducked into an alcove while they ran past. Coat hangers from Black & Lee littered the ground. Rioters smashed the cafe and deli on the corner of Richards and Dunsmuir and looted it. Then they overturned a SmartCar and set it on fire.
We saw about half a dozen fights, at least six car fires, several stores get looted, and hundreds of panes of glass get broken. Many bystanders did not engage in any violence but cheered and hollered the others on, energizing them to keep destroying things. The tear gas and smoke stung my eyes and throat.
I felt like I shouldn't have been there, but I couldn't stop watching. I don't think I know anyone else who was down there when it happened and stuck it out to watch it unfold. It was physically and emotionally sickening. Revolting. Despicable. Disgusting. And I couldn't stop staring.
I don't blame the police for not acting fast enough, I blame their superiors for not predicting this. They did a good job once they got in there. But it took SO. LONG. For them to get in. We watched for probably 30 minutes before we saw a single officer. The tear gas was effective but it caused people to flee, and the loud bangs only excited the crowd. It's not my business to say what they could have done differently; I think the sheer area of the riot, probably 25 square blocks, made it nearly impossible to control. But I didn't see any police presence right before the riot started, and maybe that would have made a difference. We'll never know.
As much as my heart is warmed by the outpouring of support for the city and the cleanup effort, I can't shake the feeling of devastation that I got while watching the riots unfold. But I am so glad so see how quickly the good people responded. Walking around the area yesterday, you would never have known anything happened if not for the boarded up windows.
Admittedly I expected something bad to happen, win or lose, but somehow I didn't want to believe it. I couldn't have ever imagined it would be as horrific as it was.
Joh and I left the bar during the third period and went to Georgia and Homer to watch the rest of the game on the big screen. When the fourth goal happened, a fight broke out in front of us, so we quickly moved off to the side and stood atop some stairs next to the Da Gino restaurant. The mood of the crowd switched instantly from sadness to anger. The porta potties started to tip, one by one. People started to climb the lamp posts. Then the first car was set on fire. And suddenly it was mayhem.
A mother stood with her five-year-old son, who was yelling "Riot! Riot! Riot!" while mom giggled and laughed. They fled when someone threw a rock through the window next to where they were standing.
A man was escorted into the alley in front of us, bleeding from his head. I later saw a picture from the fight he was in (it's the bald guy on the right, with the painted face (Thanks Tera for the link): http://i.imgur.com/91TJ1.jpg
People started to break the windows of the Budget Car Rental across the street. We could hear glass breaking all around us but couldn't see a lot of it because we were trying to stay at a safe distance from the violence. When all the porta potties were wrecked people started taking to the bus shelter, picking up fencing and throwing it through the glass.
A CTV van that was parked in the alley bailed out on the scene, while several people jumped on the back and took a ride.
More windows on the Da Gino restaurant broke behind us. A man walked by and showed me his bloody hand while yelling "Fuck Boston!"
Groups of people ran down the alley and straight into the crowd, cheering and screaming "Riot!" "Let's fuck shit up!" and more. The police had blocked the streets but not the alley and there was a clear way into the chaos. It took the police a good 90 minutes to block off that alley (and that only happened about 10 minutes after we told a group of officers with their hands in their pockets that people could still get in).
We walked down to Dunsmuir and saw the horses going in, probably 45 minutes into the riot. It took them that long to mobilize.
Then we walked to Richards and Dunsmuir and watched another car fire from the lawn of the church on the corner. A mob of people were startled and fled over the lawn, nearly trampling me, but I ducked into an alcove while they ran past. Coat hangers from Black & Lee littered the ground. Rioters smashed the cafe and deli on the corner of Richards and Dunsmuir and looted it. Then they overturned a SmartCar and set it on fire.
We saw about half a dozen fights, at least six car fires, several stores get looted, and hundreds of panes of glass get broken. Many bystanders did not engage in any violence but cheered and hollered the others on, energizing them to keep destroying things. The tear gas and smoke stung my eyes and throat.
I felt like I shouldn't have been there, but I couldn't stop watching. I don't think I know anyone else who was down there when it happened and stuck it out to watch it unfold. It was physically and emotionally sickening. Revolting. Despicable. Disgusting. And I couldn't stop staring.
I don't blame the police for not acting fast enough, I blame their superiors for not predicting this. They did a good job once they got in there. But it took SO. LONG. For them to get in. We watched for probably 30 minutes before we saw a single officer. The tear gas was effective but it caused people to flee, and the loud bangs only excited the crowd. It's not my business to say what they could have done differently; I think the sheer area of the riot, probably 25 square blocks, made it nearly impossible to control. But I didn't see any police presence right before the riot started, and maybe that would have made a difference. We'll never know.
As much as my heart is warmed by the outpouring of support for the city and the cleanup effort, I can't shake the feeling of devastation that I got while watching the riots unfold. But I am so glad so see how quickly the good people responded. Walking around the area yesterday, you would never have known anything happened if not for the boarded up windows.