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News :: Miscellaneous |
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Streets are for cars? |
Current rating: 0 |
by Brian Hagy
(No verified email address) |
01 Jan 2002
Modified: 03 Jan 2002 |
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local urbana-champaign residents take to the streets to enjoy the coming new year. |
At 11:45 PM, Monday December 31st, approximately 40 folks from the Urbana-Champaign area (and a few visiting from elsewhere) converged at the corner of Green and Lincoln, in spite of freezing temperatures.
The plan was to celebrate the coming new year of 2002 by partying in the street, reclaiming it, for the moment, as a public space for people, not just vehicles.
The party-going folks celebrated the arrival of the new year by using common objects (such as pots and pans) to form a drum circle, while others cheered, danced, and rattle various objects.
The initial goal was to take the party into the intersection of Green and Lincoln, and invite all drivers stopped because of the event to join them. If the drivers didn't wish to join, space would be made for them to pass through.
Watching the crowd gather were 5 University of Illinois police cars, and two Urbana police cars. Also, an ambulance unit showed up (in case of an emergency?). One of the U of I police cars circled in a nearby parking lot, possibly writing down license plate numbers of vehicles used by folks in the party.
As the crowd gathered, an Urbana police officer pulled up and suggested to them that they keep in mind tactically that there could be lots of drunk drivers out, and that the crowd would need to be careful. With that said, the officer said good luck and have fun and then drove off (periodically driving by later).
When the crowd took to the intersection, a University of Illinois police car pulled up to the folks are requested that they remain on the sidewalks.
The crowd decided that to meet the request of the U of I police as well as still maintain the idea of the party being in the streets that they would cross the streets in the crosslanes, at the traffic signal to cross.
Doing this gathered the cheers of not only the walkers, but also the drivers who joined the new year celebration by cheering out their windows as the procession passed.
As the procession came to a close, the Urbana cop who talked to them earlier pulled up and requested that they make sure that they clean up the streets before the left.
The crowd honored the request and began to leave for warmer spaces. After the crowd had left, the U of I police left.
See the pictures of the event on another post to the newswire. |
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Sorry I missed it |
by Paul
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
03 Jan 2002
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Looks like it was fun. Perhaps with a little more notice and planning it could be a big event! |
