Saturday, March 8, 2014

Blarney Blowout 2014

AFD Central Station 9:30 a.m.

Scroll down for updates





Scene along North Pleasant/Fearing  about an hour before the riot


Original Post:  10:00 a.m.

The Dunkin Donuts drive thrus all over the area are swamped with college aged youth, probably pregaming with caffeine, and throngs of them are moving on foot from UMass central campus north towards Townhouse Apartments, scene of last years Blarney Blowout riot.

 Security already gathered at Townhouse Apartments 9:45 a.m.

 Crowd already line up downtown bar 10:15 a.m.

Security was already on scene at Townhouse and APD is out in force.  Already between Amherst and UMass police a half-dozen students have been arrested for alchol violations.  

Ch 22 shooting kids hanging on a balcony (and getting them fired up) 10:00 a.m.


APD arresting one for liquor law violation North Pleasant Street 10:20 a.m.

It's gonna be a l-o-n-g day.
#####

UPDATE 5:00 p.m.

APD Chief Livingstone (white hat) leading the troops (note tear gas plume in road)

 Yes I stayed close behind the folks with the (tear gas) guns

Around 2:30 p.m. riot clad police moved into a crowd of over 2,000 that had gathered behind a Frat House on the corner of Fearing Street and North Pleasant.  Police had to shut down N. Pleasant Street, the main road through the heart of UMass/Amherst for almost 15 minutes while trying to clear the huge gathering. 

Large crowd on the site of the infamous former Frat Row

Normally busy with cars N. Pleasant looking toward UMass


Yes, tear gas was fired (carefully) into the crowd to facilitate their cooperation. 

2 under arrest Fearing Street/North Pleasant

Arrest in front of Frat House on North Pleasant Street 

Half dozen Mass State Police vehicles are parked at APD headquarters

64 comments:

Dr. Ed said...

Hopefully this will lead to a much needed housecleaning in student affairs. Admin folks can get booted too -- and need to be.

Anonymous said...

Burn, baby burn....

Anonymous said...

I believe that the bars involved with the "Blowout" give out only a certain number of tickets in advance for the 11:00 and 1:00 admissions.
So, here's a suggestion. Next year all of us older people should scarf up all of the tickets as soon as they are available.

Anonymous said...

Party, be safe and leave my mailbox alone please!

Anonymous said...

You must be positively wetting yourself.

Anonymous said...

Admit it Larry, you are enjoying every minute of today. Gives you something to complain about and write about.

Larry Kelley said...

Actually I'm a tad busy at the moment.

Dr Ed (who is on the other side) said...

Larry, I'd love to see you justify this one:

A photographer for the Gazette witnessed police shooting pepper spray loads into the windows of houses where people were gathered.

That's about what I expected to happen -- and that's the type of thing that gets atrocities on the other side to occur as well.

Nothing -- absolutely nothing -- is more dangerous than a lynch mob and a few thousand intoxicated, idealistic young people who feel they have been wronged could become quite dangerous indeed...

Anonymous said...

They were shooting pepper balls into the windows from which bottles were being thrown at them. Is that justification enough?

Cliff Huxtable said...

I think next year the police should show up with loud speakers playing soft music and yoga mats. Then kindly invite all of the sober participants to join them in a peaceful yoga session. Maybe this will stop all of the destruction around the town. Probably not, if you think this is a solution then you have your head stuck further up your rear than possible. The problem with these kids is they are all entitled, all of them were given a medal when younger and all need an explanation. If the police say leave, then leave. The parents of our future leaders of tomorrow did a terrible job and we all are paying for this. We must stop creating these fools and the rest of you need to get your heads out of the clouds and come back to reality

Dr. Ed (who thought this was America) said...

They were shooting pepper balls into the windows from which bottles were being thrown at them. Is that justification enough?

No it isn't. Remember what happened in Waco, Texas a few years back????

Walter Graff said...

Route 9 is filled with ambulances going one way and police going the other. Fun day at UMASS.

Anonymous said...

Busy day in North Amherst.

-My wife, jogging along N. Pleasant Street on her way home from her morning run, was rather rudely met with a string of nasty comments. Takes an intelligent, brave and mature man to harass a middle-aged woman.

-Later in the day my family and I drove through UMASS on our way home from a sporting event. The campus was wonderfully peaceful with folks jogging, a couple sitting on a bench reading, and some students enjoying a friendly game of hoops across from the catholic church. Oh the beauty of a New England campus of higher education.

-Alas, we then had to get through N. Pleasant St. Hundreds of young folks walking the middle of the road. Plenty of staggering, a number of riot-clad police officers, and several young men cuffed by the road-side. Oh I forgot about the girl vomitting by Fisher Street. Class.

-Here's a thought: Lets offer up the field space behind the UMASS stadium for the big Paddy's Day bash. That way students can stress less about causing mayhem in our family-owned neighborhood.

Dr. Ed (who mistakenly thought that the US Constitution protected UM students too) said...

You know, if that possible mid-week blizzard materializes and you have some trees come down and such, with the students this much pissed off, it's really going to give a new meaning to a "dangerous situation."

Anonymous said...

Takes an intelligent, brave and mature man to harass a middle-aged woman.

Not when civility has broken down as much as it has. Tell her to get used to it because things are gonna get a lot worse after today...

Anonymous said...

Thank you for your coverage. It's good.

I have a quibble. You Report:

"Yes, tear gas was fired (carefully) into the crowd to facilitate their cooperation."

I think your bias is showing. Tear gas deployment is a use of force. It doesn't facilitate cooperation, it compels. It is also a violation of he rights of kids who are in no way breaking the law.

Only Students who are breaking the law should be arrested.

Between APD, UMass, and State Police you'd think they could arrest alleged lawbreakers and let protect the liberty of the people who are not breaking the law.

Anonymous said...

since you are obviously an expert in police tactics, what then would be the appropriate response when dangeous projectiles are being hurled at the police from open windows?

Anonymous said...

Anon. 7:03pm. You are wrong, just wrong. The use of non-lethal force does not infringe on the rights of the kids who are not breaking the law. You can rest assured that all those kids were given many warnings to disperse before it was deployed. They chose to remain.
As for arresting just the law breakers… I'm quite sure that is what they are doing. Exactly what do you mean by saying they should "protect the liberty of the people who are not breaking the law"? If they are not arrested, they are at liberty, just as they were at liberty to remove themselves from the place that they were told to before gas was deployed. Christ, what do expect the cops to do, hand out cookies to get these drunken animals (traveling in packs, urinating where they stand, howling at the moon qualifies as animal behavior) to act like humans? It's already been tried… you see today how well it worked. Richard Marsh.

Anonymous said...

You know, if that possible mid-week blizzard materializes and you have some trees come down and such, with the students this much pissed off, it's really going to give a new meaning to a "dangerous situation."

My god, Ed, do you have any idea how crazily desperate (or desperately crazy) you sound?

What mid-week blizzard? What trees coming down? What pissed off students? (Have you talked to them? The supposedly "pissed off" students are drunk!)

Even if your desperately longed-for disaster scenario ever came to pass, what would you do the next day, after you'd drunk your coffee and finished your gloating?

Get a life!

Anonymous said...

And Dr. Ed… using gas against someone throwing bottles at police is not only justified, it is pretty damn fortunate for the perps. There are many scenarios in which lethal force could be justified against someone throwing bottles at police, and sooner or later, one of these little drunken darlings is going to cross that line. If you recall, Chief O'Connor was nearly killed some years ago by a bottle dropped from a tower. Richard Marsh.

Kurt Geryk said...

What was going on that we can't see in the video? What can be seen looks like a cop was firing tear gas at kids who were following the orders of other officers and who were walking away from him. You can see young women asking the cop on the sidewalk "which way?" and the cop points and tells them to walk up the street, which they do...to the location where another cop is aiming his tear gas pellets. I couldn't see any bottles or other projectiles flying.

The kids at the high school performed Shrek at 2pm and 7pm today. The kids' plans were they were all going to walk into town and get dinner between performances. But today town wasn't safe enough so the kids stayed through at the h.s.!

Anonymous said...

Kurt Geryk. EXACTLY… What was going on that we can't see. Obviously plenty, unless you are assuming that the Amherst police are gassing kids for fun when they know that their every action is being recorded. As far as those following orders getting caught in the crossfire of the gas, well, when you put yourself into a situation you were warned days in advance to avoid, and keep company with those who have no respect for the law, then it is a reasonable expectation that you may be inconvenienced by tear gas. Remember, the police have no obligation to place themselves into any more danger than necessary, they have families to go home to just like you do, and to that end, and to the end of protecting the peace of the town (don't forget, that is a lawful endeavor), using non-lethal tear gas or pepper balls is REASONABLE. Believe it… the courts have consistently upheld it. Richard Marsh

Walter Graff said...

God, what a mess, on the ladder of success
Where you take one step and miss the whole first rung
Dreams unfulfilled, graduate unskilled
It beats pickin' cotton and waitin' to be forgotten

We are the sons of no one, bastards of young
We are the sons of no one, bastards of young
The daughters and the sons.

Walter Graff said...

Not a good day for UMSS, 43 arrests and four officers hurt. UMASS ought to stop acting like pussies. 43 kids should be expelled. Screw fines or suspensions. Arrested? THat's on your record and you did not live up to the colleges rules or expectations.

Problem is the folks who run UMASS are the same folks that coddle their kids these days so they are afraid to do the right thing. These are the parents who teach their daughters that they are princesses and their sons that they are so good and so special and winners for doing nothing. All of these children will grow up in a fantasy world and when it doesn't happen they will end up like the rest of todays youth, with little future attached by the hip to their mommy and daddy.

Expel these kids. There are 43 more entitled and coddled kids waiting to take their beds. Get some balls UMASS and do the right thing. Want to set a precedent, then start doing something for once.

Dr. Ed (who mistakenly believed that we still live in a country of laws) said...

Walter, I hate to tell you but the deal is Daddy makes a donation to the university and Junior's problems go away. And my dear Mr. Marsh -- might I suggest you Google Jackson State University. Cops were shooting into buildings there too...

And there is one HELL of a big difference between dropping an 8.5 lb weight from 22 stories up and throwing beer bottles from (at most) a second story window.

Oh, and Mr. Marsh, why did UM pay a six-figure civil rights judgment to a student they accused of having dropped that gallon of water? WHY???

Aren't you an attorney? Can't you figure it out?

Dr. Ed (who thinks we ought to just give Amherst to Putin) said...

You know who won today -- Westfield State University -- a few more of these things and the General Court is going to start asking why so much of the state's higher education dollar goes to Amherst.

Dr. Ed (who hopes the town reaps what it has sown) said...

And Dr. Ed… using gas against someone throwing bottles at police is not only justified, it is pretty damn fortunate for the perps

Mr. Marsh, you seem to be a rational and sane individual -- are you serious?!?!?!?

Ever hear of Victoria Snellgrove? She's dead you know -- this is considered "deadly force" -- and they were firing at targets they couldn't see! THEY HAD ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHERE THEIR ROUNDS WOULD GO OR WHAT THEY WOULD HIT! You think that's OK?

Let me guess, are you one of those ever-so-lovely hunters who take "sound shots" at deer? Or do you make sure you know where your round is going to go *before* you fire it?

What about falling back 50-100 feet so the beer bottles aren't a threat to you anymore? Or would that be too logical for the average police officer to comprehend?

Kurt Geryk said...

Thanks for your insight, Richard.

Dr. Ed (who once believed we had civil rights in this country) said...

You know Walter, you might be right.

Deal with this the way the military would -- declare Puffton & Townhouse "off limits" to students -- which means that they can't live there next year.

Wonder what the economic consequences to Amherst might be...

Anonymous said...

Between APD, UMass, and State Police you'd think they could arrest alleged lawbreakers and let protect the liberty of the people who are not breaking the law.

I don't think that was ever their intent.

I think they consider all UM students to be N*****s and, quite frankly, don't care to make any distinction between those who are not breaking the law and the few who are.

Anonymous said...

The use of non-lethal force does not infringe on the rights of the kids who are not breaking the law.

I don't know what is more scary -- that someone honestly believes this, or what some unstable 20-year-old might feel justified doing on the basis of this. I'd fear the latter -- I actually fear both.

Anonymous said...

It seems that there is a severe lack of student perspective on this blog. As a person that may or may not have been present for the day's festivities I am embarrassed that such a small percentage of students make the vast majority look so terrible. Many of the people arrested don't attend the University and the sensationalism created by the media is in large part the cause of this outside "influence". In regards to the tactics used by the police, I feel that they do a terrific job given the poor circumstances. The officers, from experience are very pleasant and their interactions with students are benevolent until someone acts out or creates a problem. They truly have the best interests of the students in mind and only utilize "force" when given no other option. It's a shame that so many wise adults on this blog are so critical of the men and women that protect and serve them and forget that at one time they too were 20 year olds hopped up on testosterone with a sense of entitlement.

Anonymous said...

Just to educate all of you Amherst bloggers. Tear gas was not used. Mace pellets are fired out of paintball type "weapons" and smoke bombs made of burning sugar are responsible for "tear gas plumes." It induces coughing and does agitate the eyes, but let it be known, tear gas is FAR more potent and dangerous. Look on social media from the World Series "Riot" this year, there is a student picture with a "grenade" very clearly labeled with the word smoke.

Anonymous said...

Thank you APD and AFD for your dedicated service. I am sure all of you would have rather be home with your families.
P.S. Umass thank you for your 3 arrests yesterday

Anonymous said...

Dr. Ed. First of all, I'm not an attorney. Once again you are confusing me with Morse. No, the use of tear gas and pepper spray is not lethal force, no matter how badly you'd like it to be. Are there exceptions? Of course there are, but again, the courts have consistently upheld it's use. You said "What about falling back 50-100 feet so the beer bottles aren't a threat to you anymore?" Well Ed, they can't really do their job if they fall back every time they are attacked, now can they? If they employ that tactic, every yahoo in the town is going to start throwing bottles at them. It is clear that your issue is not only with their methods, but with them performing their duty. So, your suggestions really aren't working toward any realistic end. Also, you said "Or would that be too logical for the average police officer to comprehend?" Lovely Ed. Let's just let that one sit there and we'll all marvel at your majesty. Richard Marsh

JM said...

What I find disturbing about most of the comments on here is how little perspective seems to come into play by the people making them. This is a trend seen all around the U.S. in comments and mentalities, however, so I don't know why I am surprised. I suppose it went unnoticed that literally thousands of students were participating, and only 73 total were arrested, most of whom could probably be traced as to not being UMass students. I think that speaks to both how these "entitled" children act, and also to the tactics of the Amherst Police and Fire, and the State Police. I am not a fan of police, and fear them more than I fear criminals because I have seen the breakdown in the goals of the police across our nation; from protect and serve to attack first, justify later. With that said, Amherst Police are by far some of the nicest, most normal and genuine officers I've dealt with. That only 73 arrests were made when several thousand drunken kids were partying also speaks to the kids themselves. They were there to have a good time, and more than 90% of them were not causing any major trouble. I am a mid-30s adult who watched all the 21+ "kids" going to the parties and worried, but was pleasantly surprised that things didn't turn out as bad as they could have been. And considering the major areas that they were congregating in were a frat house, a non-student student housing complex, (by which I mean that anyone who has lived here for more than a month knows that complex is primarily student infested,) and the center of town, I think the worries about damage to personal property and such are being blown out of proportion by a minority of individuals who live in primarily student-occupied areas. What used to be "frat row" has some non-student housing, however anyone clever enough to buy a house in that area has to be aware of the dangers - and if a busted mailbox and some cat-calling are the most you have to worry about, please keep your comments to yourself. I would love to see some genuine complaints here, made with intelligence and "adult" wording, however I have seen few of those thus far. It is quite sad when you see someone calling for the destruction of an entire town in the same line of reasoning they are condemning "immature" student actions. We were all "kids" like these once, and even though I have become one of those people who complains about the morals of "kids these days," I think the need to party and let off steam during one of the most stressful times in their lives is hardly "immature" or "entitled." I remember UMass being a lot worse when I was growing up here - including deaths, suicides, rapes (at even worse levels,) and more. It was to the point where the school itself had enough and disbanded their police force and brought all State Troopers in to help counteract the path they were taking. I feel like we have had far less nasty incidents in this town, and in UMass in recent decades than ever before, and I am happy about it. Keep your perspective, and remember your history before you go calling for the destruction of an entire town over a party day.

Larry Kelley said...

Wow, sarcasm requires its own special font.

At least I HOPE that was sarcasm, as I find it hard to believe a guy in his mid-30s could have such an irresponsible attitude.

But then, the guy who runs Barstool Sports is in his mid-30s. Hmm ...

Anonymous said...

Some of you are delusional. 70 some odd arrests in a day is a HUGE number for a department as small as APD (they don't need any more cops..just ask Musante). They are responsible for each person arrested, must give them rights and process them. The department has TWO booking rooms..two, not huge factory like processing centers like some larger agencies. Each process can take 15 minutes to 30 minutes per arrest, at least. The time can be longer if they have to decontaminate them (pepper spray takes a while to go away, its not like you wash your face and are good to go) or treat them medically. I know for a fact (buy a scanner folks..cheap and you can hear all kinds of things) that at one point they told their officers NO MORE ARRESTS as they were backed up beyond belief. Can they even reasonably house 70 people in that station? Stop using the numbers to minimize what really happened out there. This was an epic failure for the community all around.

Larry Kelley said...

Chief Livingstone just confirmed 55 APD arrests.

I'm trying (if they work on Sunday's) to get the number out of UMass for number of UMPD arrests.

Larry Kelley said...

UMPD Chief Horvath (who works Sunday's) just confirmed:

"UMPD made three (3) custodial arrests and issued eight (8) summonses for Minor
in Possession of Alcohol."

Anonymous said...

THREE?!? Did I just read that correctly? Just goes to show when the shit hits the fan it always seems to do so off campus, where it becomes the responsibility of the APD to deal with. Town resources being used to clean up the mess. This is a win for the UMPD, "not our problem" . I feel for our cops..this is bullshit. Id rather my taxes went to public safety (AFD is understaffed too) instead of throwing money at those who choose not to work…those who have done nothing but take govt assistance. Get the cops and firefighters more bodies. These "events" seem to be happening more and more…you can only tell someone to do more with less for so long. We will lose good people to other municipalities. Three?!? 55 V 3…

Anonymous said...

Let's go for tha capitalists attitude. The blowout is life dealing us lemons. Make lemonade fools. Create special fines for the blowout, significantly increased, like 2000 bucks. Everyone that gets arrested will be fined extremely.

Business owners increase the price of alcohol exorbitantly. Make these young fools pay through the nose. They will pay whatever you charge.

Make money on the young drunks. Who cares? They mostly come from white middle class families who can obviously afford college. If kids think this scale of partying is part of college it's time to increase the cost of the blowout on every level.

It won't stop so the town should start looking at it as a moneymaker.

Anonymous said...

The police used smoke bombs shot to the ground, not at people, to protect the Blowout pariticipatnts from each other. The students early on started tossing bottles and ice, fighting, tearing down lamp posts.

The PD stepped in and used force to keep the students from killing each other, not to keep the Police from being hurt.

Dr. Ed said...

Seems to me that things are a bit worse now than they were a couple decades ago, back in the era of frat row and frat parties. Just sayin...

How\did the use of overwhelming force work out for the British in Belfast???

Walter Graff said...

None of this is a reflection on Amherst or UMASS for that matter. It's a reflection on our society and parenting.

Parents don't instill values, self respect or goals. The coddle, overprotect and baby our children of today. They preach political correctness without understanding of what we are correcting.

In my day if you got caught doing... no, you wouldn't be in this situation because you wouldn't allow yourself to be so stupid. Sure you'd get drunk and enjoy the yearly 20s but you knew where to draw the line, knew what decency was and respected authority.

Arrested? Only dropout, drug addict idiots did that and we never knew anyone that bad. You never wanted to be associated with such a person. Today it's part of the landscape.

Today kids sue their parents to take care of them as is the case in NJ. Shameful. But it makes it easier for us parents who do much more to instill live values as we have plenty of examples of what not to do in life.

When I see a parent call their daughter a princess I know that girl will end up divorced. When I see a father tell his kid that winning doesn't matter I know that kid will end up quitting many jobs in life and will never find anywhere near his full potential.

Political correctness has trumped reality. Minorities can't be racist, kids can't express how they feel without a label, children are medicated for being themselves, books and films that hint at old-school ideals should be hidden and not discussed, we should simply accept everyone in the world because that is what we are supposed to do, no discussion needed, parents must follow new laws and conventions or else, if you smile you will be happy and everything will be okay, just get in line and do what you are told etc, etc.

We've created the passive-aggressive monster that is our youth today and as long as we follow this socialist idea of what is acceptable and what is "norm", and keep on taking the steps for our kids instead of teaching them how to walk and stepping back we are going to see this monster grow.

The Juggernaut said...

Disgusting. Every one of these jackasses needs to be expelled from UMass, and barred from any UMass services. Belittling my degree is doing nothing for their numerous predecessors.

Anonymous said...

Walter,

Thank you for contributing your usual overblown town crank report on society. It's just hogwash. Your version is that today's kids are a bunch of spoiled lazy socialist freeloaders, but last I looked they are applying to grad schools to become doctors, lawyers and rocket scientists at just the same rate as ever.

Anonymous said...

Every one of these jackasses needs to be expelled from UMass, and barred from any UMass services

What I think UMass realizes is something you don't -- their ability to do that is so shaky that if they did it in any great numbers, a court would inevitably throw it out.

Receipt of government services is a right and not a privilege.

And as to the value of a UM degree, they became about that of toilet paper long ago.

shannon said...

don't live in amherst/north hampton or any of the surrounding areas if you don't want to have to deal with the students right to party! you knew what you were getting into when you moved close to a huge university with a party reputation.

Larry Kelley said...

Some of us were here first.

Walter Graff said...

"last I looked they are applying to grad schools to become doctors, lawyers and rocket scientists at just the same rate as ever."

Not the spoiled brats who were arrested. Sure everyone's always been applying for these positions. Those are the ones I saw peacefully having a meal last night in a restaurant, oblivious to the idiots who made UMASS a jungle.

The Juggernaut said...

Anonymous said...

Every one of these jackasses needs to be expelled from UMass, and barred from any UMass services

What I think UMass realizes is something you don't -- their ability to do that is so shaky that if they did it in any great numbers, a court would inevitably throw it out.

Receipt of government services is a right and not a privilege.

And as to the value of a UM degree, they became about that of toilet paper long ago.


Well, ironically my UMass degree assisted me in beginning my next step, in a law field. I can tell you you are absolutely wrong regarding everything. A court would not reverse this decision, public endangerment, inciting a riot, drunk and disorderly conduct, assault and battery, assisting arrest, all of these are legitimate grounds for expulsion the school can pursuit. It is right there in the old UMass guidelines, plain as day.

Government service is not a right, the right to pursue education is. And it is a right which can be stripped, and should regarding this reckless behavior. Can a con vote or own a gun? No. A student if he endangers, or acts in a manner which is a detriment to, the entire academic institution may be removed. And these wastes of DNA should be.

I worked hard, is it fair to have my efforts torn apart by these goons? I admittedly did my fair share of partying there. Yet I graduated with a 3.85 in two degrees!

Anonymous said...

I'd just like to remind everyone that NOT ALL of the students at UMass Amherst participate in blarney blowout. Some of us are here for an education. I am personally disgusted by the behavior of my classmates, and sorry that they disturbed the town residents.

Larry Kelley said...

Thanks. Nice to hear.

Anonymous said...

Absolutely. When the Daily Hampshire Gazette puts Town Manager John Musante posing in front of McMurphee's Pub on Thursday, what kind of message does that send? The liquor stores and bars in Amherst came up with the 'Blarney Blowout'. Students are NOT the problem Have the. Amherst Police all ready in riot gear and teargas cannisters - guess what? They create a riot. Then call in the media: throw more money at the police. How about lowering the drinking age to 18 so students can drink responsibly and safely? Orchestrate a riot scene - guess what? You get a riot. How much money did Amherst merchants rake in in liquor sales? How much did the Town of Amherst make in ambulance rides at a $1,000 each? How much overtime was paid to the police? How many students will be expelled for minor infractions that wouldn't exist if the legal drinking age was 18? How many kids will have their college careers ruined and still be saddled with overwhelming student loan debt? Give me a break. The problem is not the students.

Helen Berg said...

Oh, excuse me. Are you a Mayflower decendent? Did you get your house from your parents for $1? Keep paying lip-service to diversity. After all, let's not forget who was REALLY here first. But, Lord Jeffery Amherst took care of the Native Americans by giving them blankets with smallpox virus. Give me a break.

Larry Kelley said...

Actually Lord Jeff did not give Indians blankets infected with smallpox.

He suggested it in a letter to the commander of Fort Pitt, who was under siege at the time.

Walter Graff said...

It was a tad more than a suggestion:

Colonel Henry Bouquet to General Amherst dated 13 Jult 1763, suggests in a post script the distribution of blankets to "inoculate the Indians";
Amherst response to Bouquet dated 16 July 1763, approves of this plan in post script and suggests as well as "to try every other method that can serve to Extirpate the Excrable Race". Bouquet also discusses the use of dogs to hunt the Indians, the so-called "Spanish Method", which Amherst approves in principle, but says he cannot implement because there are not enough dogs. In a letter dated 26 July 1763, Bouquet acknowledges Amherst's approval and writes, "all your Directions will be observed".

Wonder what Amherst would have done to raucous students in this little town of Naugatuck.

Larry Kelley said...

But it appeared in the form of a PS, rather than in his lead.

Anonymous said...

Helen Berg, aren't you running for Select Board? By essentially deriding the town of Amherst, you are not doing your campaign any good, are you?

And, just like the way you carried yourself during the Q&A session at the League of Women Voters, you cannot stay on topic. What are your thoughts on the subject at hand, though?

Anonymous said...

I just watched Ms. Berg's select board candidate video. It was so rambling and off topic I had to stop. Her suggestion that we turn our homes into B&B's and close our streets to cars did make me laugh though.

Anonymous said...

Anon 9:43 AM, you are missing the best part! Go watch her segments during hte Q&A. In it she states that, if elected, she would close down the streets in downtown Amherst for foot, bike and bus traffic only. It's a brilliant proposition!

She's a nutcase - perfect for Select Board!

Anonymous said...

Oh, and in that video you mention, she starts of saying her degree was "English and Chinese," and after a pause adds, "if it had been offered as a minor at that time."

This lady is pure gold - I really hope she stays in the race just for the chuckles.

Anonymous said...

This sure looks like "careful" use of tear gas.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fO8Msu9wTWM