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The San Luis Obispo Mardi Gras was a major town and gown conflict in San Luis Obispo, California. In late 2004, the city's leaders called for an end to public celebrations during Mardi Gras, hoping to end the event's reputation as a statewide party destination for college students.
Prior to 2004, tensions had grown as the small street parade held by community organizers evolved into a large-scale celebration that attracted thousands of partygoers, mostly students, from California and the Western United States. In 2004, a riot involving partygoers and the local police was widely televised on American newscasts. Local business and community members worried about bad publicity, potential violence, and the effect on local tourism. Many of the partygoers were not students from California Polytechnic State University ("Cal Poly"); instead, they were students from other cities and came to party in San Luis Obispo. After the riots, concerns regarding restrictive rules spread beyond the Cal Poly community to other Californian universities and student organizations.
In 2004, police officers shut down parties hosted at Mustang Village, an apartment complex near Cal Poly. A police helicopter patrolled over Cedar Creek, an apartment complex that police had been called to during past celebrations. [1] After the Mustang Village parties were closed down, an estimated 5000 people rioted, causing extensive property damage in neighborhoods along California Boulevard. Police officers arrested nearly 200 partygoers and used crowd control weapons to break up the rioting crowds. [2]
In response to the riot, the city council, mayor, and community members created "SLOMardiGras", a website and publicity campaign that called for an end to public Mardi Gras parties. "As a career emergency physician, I dread Mardi Gras like no other event," Dr. Steve Sainbury posted on the website, which also carried letters from the heads of Cuesta College and Cal Poly.
Then-mayor Dave Romero noted the event's positive history but observed that it had grown in size, with the post-riot cleanup in 2004 costing almost half a million dollars. He wrote, "This is not what San Luis Obispo is about, and as much as we like special events, our City Council concluded that Mardi Gras in San Luis Obispo must stop—completely... As your Mayor, I ask that those of you who live in San Luis Obispo help us protect our community from such destructive behavior. Please don't invite out-of-town guests to San Luis Obispo to party over Mardi Gras weekend... Encourage your friends who live here to enjoy the weekend in a safe and helpful way. If you don't live in San Luis Obispo, please don't visit us for Mardi Gras. MARDI GRAS IN SAN LUIS OBISPO IS OVER." [3]
While the administration of Cal Poly supported the city's desire to quell the Mardi Gras celebrations, members of the student community were angered and concerned over new local ordinances that tripled fines for municipal code violations during Mardi Gras. [4] According to the city's website, the San Luis Obispo Police Department, and city officials, alcohol-related offenses would be monitored closely, including underage drinking and public nudity. Cal Poly's Student Community Liaison Committee noted concerns regarding a smaller "safety zone" that would have tripled fines only in specific areas, including downtown and on Foothill and California Boulevards. The committee publicly endorsed the new safety zone, which comprised San Luis Obispo's entire city limits. [5]
In February 2005, then-Senator Abel Maldonado introduced California Senate Bill 337 (SB 337), calling for the immediate dismissal of "any student convicted, pleading guilty to, or being adjudicated a delinquent minor with respect to specified rioting provisions of the Penal Code." Under the bill, students found guilty of rioting would be prevented from attending or being admitted to any Californian community college or college in the California State University system for at least one year. [6]
The Associated Students of the University of California (ASUC) created a bill opposing SB 337, noting that it altered the Donahoe Higher Education Act and eligibility for Cal Grants, a form of financial aid. External Affairs Vice President Liz Hall, who wrote the opposition bill on behalf of ASUC, stated that the "UC Student Association opposes SB 337 as a threat to the rights of free speech and assembly of students." [7]
In preparation for the 2005 Mardi Gras, some students attempted to circumvent the new ordinances by creating an underground event called Polygras, which was discussed online from late 2004 to early 2005. To avoid fines and the large police presence planned for Mardi Gras, organizers planned for Polygras to take place immediately after the traditional Mardi Gras period. [8] In response, the city of San Luis Obispo designated a city-wide safety enhancement zone effective through March 2, 2005. [9]
In February 2005, sobriety checkpoints were set up throughout the city, and police officers sought to disperse medium-sized gatherings during Mardi Gras. [10] Arrests decreased by 58% from the previous year. [11] The costs of keeping the 2005 celebration under control totaled $1 million, including $385,200 in police department staffing and control costs. 16 other law enforcement organizations, such as the California Highway Patrol, billed an approximate $700,000 in additional staffing and crowd control costs. [12] In February 2004, city councilwoman Christine Mulholland told a New Times reporter that the cost for law enforcement was approximately $100,000 in 2003. [13] Some students congregated at traditional crowd spots during Polygras, but it was not an ongoing concern for the police.
San Luis Obispo is a city and county seat of San Luis Obispo County, in the U.S. state of California. Located on the Central Coast of California, San Luis Obispo is roughly halfway between the San Francisco Bay Area in the north and Greater Los Angeles in the south. The population was 47,063 at the 2020 census.
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo is a public university in San Luis Obispo County, adjacent to the city of San Luis Obispo. It is the oldest of three polytechnics in the California State University system.
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, is a public polytechnic university in Pomona, California. It is the largest of the three polytechnic universities in the California State University system.
Kristin Denise Smart was an American woman murdered by Paul Flores at the end of her first year on the campus of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.
Cuesta College is a public community college in San Luis Obispo County, California.
Cholame is an unincorporated community in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. It sits within a mile of the San Andreas Fault at an elevation of 1,157 feet (353 m) above sea level.
The Robert A. Mott Athletics Center is a 3,032-seat, indoor multi-purpose arena on the campus of California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California.
KCPR is a non-commercial radio station that is licensed to San Luis Obispo, California. Owned by California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, the station is operated by students from its on-campus studio located in the Graphic Arts building. In addition to its FM broadcast, KCPR streams its programming online 24 hours a day and has established a growing social media audience.
Mustang Memorial Field, formerly known as Mustang Stadium and then Alex G. Spanos Stadium, is an 11,075-seat multi-purpose stadium located on the campus of California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California. It is the home field of the Cal Poly Mustangs football and soccer teams.
The Battle for the Golden Horseshoe is an annual rivalry college football game played between the UC Davis Aggies and the Cal Poly Mustangs.
The Cal Poly Pomona Broncos or Cal Poly Broncos are the athletic sports teams for the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.
Mardi Gras in the United States is celebrated in a number of cities and regions in the country. Most of these places trace their Mardi Gras celebrations to French, Spanish, and other Catholic colonial influences on the settlements over their history.
The Cal Poly Mustangs are the football team representing California Polytechnic State University located in San Luis Obispo, California.
Deltopia, originally known as Floatopia, is a social event started in 2004 which takes place annually in Isla Vista, California. Deltopia was originated by University of California, Santa Barbara students and occurs at the start of UCSB's spring quarter around Del Playa Drive. Participants consist primarily of college students. In early years, attendance was estimated at a few hundred participants with later years seeing an estimated 20,000 to 25,000 attendees.
The "P" is a 50-by-30-foot landmark located atop a northwestern hill of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, California. Its creation dates back to the early 1900s, and it has remained on the same hillside ever since.
Warren J. Baker was an American academic administrator who was president of California Polytechnic State University. Baker was the eighth president of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, holding the office from 1979 until 2010.
Robin Baggett Stadium is a baseball venue located on the campus of California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California, United States. It is home to the Cal Poly Mustangs baseball team, a member of the Division I Big West Conference. The stadium is named for Robin Baggett, a former baseball player at Cal Poly.
The Cal Poly Mustangs are the athletic teams representing California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California. The university fields twenty-one teams and compete in NCAA Division I; they are primarily members of the Big West Conference, but the football team plays in the Big Sky Conference, the wrestling team is an associate member of the Pac-12 Conference, and the swimming and diving program competes as an affiliate member in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.
The 2004 Cal Poly Mustangs football team represented California Polytechnic State University during the 2004 NCAA Division I-AA football season.
The 2005 Cal Poly Mustangs football team represented California Polytechnic State University during the 2005 NCAA Division I-AA football season.
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