Tag: street

It started off as a ‘60s-era protest against the Vietnam War, but over the past five decades, the Mifflin Street Block Party has evolved into something radically different — trading politics for drunken camaraderie. This year marks 50 years since the initial protest, which in 1969 brought hundreds of UW-Madison students to the 400 and 500 blocks of West Mifflin Street and resulted in a three-day riot during which police used tear gas and night sticks to try to break up the crowd and protesters hurled bottles and rocks at police. Instead the Madison Police and Fire departments closely monitor apartments and the thousands of partiers on the block to curtail the booze fest that’s become a tradition. At Saturday’s rendition of the party, about 7,000 students and other partiers gathered — a small number compared to previous years. Saturday’s temperatures were chilly, reaching just 45, with intermittent snow flurries paired with a winter storm warning from the National Weather Service. Koval, who has routinely lamented the annual event, calling it a “thorn (in) my side,” said the poor weather kept away the crowds. The first Mifflin Street Block Party was held May 3, 1969, despite the city’s denial of a street-use permit. Over the next three days, as police tried to break up the party, dozens of people were arrested — including former Mayor and then-Ald. Paul Soglin — and even more were injured. Now, the Mifflin party — held each year two weekends before graduation and known for massive crowds of drunken students — is seen more as a rite of passage for many UW-Madison students.

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