cannabisnews.com: Tokers Rally, Police Water










  Tokers Rally, Police Water

Posted by CN Staff on April 21, 2005 at 00:16:06 PT
By Elizabeth Mattern Clark and Brittany Anas 
Source: Daily Camera 

Masses huddled shoulder to shoulder on Farrand Field, erupting into cheers every time someone sacrificed dry clothing to run into a police-activated sprinkler and squash it with a shoe. "All it takes to be a hero today is to stand on a sprinkler head," said University of Colorado senior Matt Angiono.
Determined to celebrate the annual "4/20" pot-smoking holiday despite word of a university crackdown, more than 1,000 people Wednesday packed the field in the center of the CU campus. The growing crowd moved from spot to spot throughout the afternoon to try to avoid police — and their sprinkler tactics. "I think they're playing dirty," said CU freshman Tyler Decker. The event culminated in a giant smokeout at 4:20 p.m. at Farrand Field. "Three. Two. One. Cheers!" said Johan Haukeness at the tick of 4:20 p.m., according to someone's watch, as he lifted his joint in a toast with friends. Smoke, Frisbees and the sound of simultaneous coughs over the beat of 1970s music filled the air. The event ended without any drug arrests or tickets, like the five previous April 20 gatherings at CU. A few peddled "4/20" T-shirts or green "Live Stoned" bracelets, and Jimmy John's distributed free mini-submarine sandwiches. Some people in the crowd just observed, but most took puffs from pipes or joints to protest drug laws in the annual celebration that's said to have grown from a northern California pot-smoking tradition at 4:20 p.m. Haukeness, a University of Northern Colorado student who wore a T-shirt that said, "I was high when I made this," said April 20 is his "one day a year to smoke in public." Just minutes after the clock hit 4:20, a colorful glass pipe was passed to Sam Burkett, a former CU student and Boulder resident. He took a long hit from it and said "yummy!" after swallowing the smoke. "We're all here to get stoned and meet other pot smokers," Burkett said. CU police technically closed Farrand Field at 3 p.m., posting signs, handing out warnings and turning on the field's sprinklers to disperse early, smaller crowds. A first set of signs went missing, but officials posted new ones shortly before 3 p.m. Many of the revelers then went to a pro-marijuana rally in front of the Coors Events Center, where police quietly took pictures and video and again "rained out" the crowd with sprinklers. "We call that our sprinkler strategy," said CU spokeswoman Pauline Hale. By 4:20 p.m., though, the crowd stormed Farrand Field, and the arcs of water didn't disperse the gathering this time. The masses were growing so large that police simply monitored, without intervening. "There are about 400 people on the field and 10 of us," said Lt. Michell Irving, as people began to leave because of rain, mud and sprinkler-flooded grass. "So we would rather people just leave. We don't want to escalate this." At least two students will be sent through the school's judicial affairs process for alleged drug infractions, Irving said. Others could be ticketed if police identify illegal behavior in their pictures and video. CU junior Dane McGill said he wasn't concerned about getting in trouble with police. He puffed on a clove cigarette, saying he would wait until exactly 4:20, and trade it out for marijuana. "Honestly, I feel like an ant in this huge colony," McGill said. Senior Paul Brewer stopped by Farrand Field on his way to class and took it upon himself to stifle a sprinkler with his mountain bike to save nearby people from being soaked. "I don't understand why they're trying to stop it," he said. "People are more civilized here than at a CU football game when they're drinking." CU freshman Mike Stearn said that if the crowd was drinking instead of smoking, "people probably would have tried to fight the cops." "Instead, everything was pretty peaceful today," Stearn said, acknowledging that the sprinkler strategy was "pretty clever." "At least it's not tear gas," he said. School officials announced last month that they were trying to discourage the non-sanctioned pot rally, partly because of image problems already plaguing CU. The university, named the Princeton Review's top party school in 2003, has been the subject of scandals involving allegations of sex and booze for football recruits and the alcohol-poisoning death of a freshman last fall. Although the attempts at snuffing out the pot event didn't keep crowds away, the gathering was relatively short. By the time hail fell at 5 p.m., the celebration was over. "I think they wanted it to be peaceful, and it was," said CU spokeswoman Jeannine Malmsbury. CU students passed a resolution last week asking the school to lighten up on marijuana penalties, following a push by a group that says pot is less dangerous than alcohol. CU officials say they already treat alcohol and marijuana offenses equally and will not be making policy changes. Students rallying outside the Coors Event Center at 3 p.m. held pro-marijuana signs, including one that read: "Coors kills, pot does not." Rally organizer Mason Tvert, director of the student initiative, said he wants the university to revise school sanctions for students who are busted using marijuana. "The university is fully able to remove its university penalties, such as suspension for students, and allow the law to take its course," Tvert said. "Alcohol is killing people on this campus and the university is unwilling to change its policy and is continuing to drive its students to drink." CU sophomore Jason Garcia said he was busted smoking weed in the Williams Village complex the first day of his freshman year. Among the penalties, university officials sent a letter home to his parents and he was sentenced to community service, he said. Garcia held a sign at the rally that said: "Farrand closed but the bar's still open." "We want to make sure the university knows that marijuana is a safer alternative to alcohol," Garcia said. Note: Farrand Field sprinklers fail to stop annual event.Source: Daily Camera (CO)Author: Elizabeth Mattern Clark & Brittany Anas, Camera Staff WritersPublished: April 21, 2005Copyright: 2005 The Daily CameraWebsite: http://www.thedailycamera.com/Contact: openforum thedailycamera.comCannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml

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Comment #5 posted by Sam Adams on April 21, 2005 at 06:02:04 PT
nugget of truth
Look at this:By 4:20 p.m., though, the crowd stormed Farrand Field, and the arcs of water didn't disperse the gathering this time. The masses were growing so large that police simply monitored, without intervening.That says it all. All the gay marriage, war on Islam, I mean terrorism, Democrat/Republican, all the wedge issues are intended to drive us apart! When the people get together, the government MUST back down, there are too many of us.  It's the last thing they want, the people working together.If every pot smoker in Colorado peacefully marched to the State Capital and stayed for a day or two, marijuana would be instantly legalized. It's that simple.
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Comment #4 posted by i420 on April 21, 2005 at 03:32:30 PT
Bubbles?
Next year they should remember to bring the bubble bath.
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Comment #3 posted by billos on April 21, 2005 at 03:22:43 PT
...........LEOS just can't stand it..........
The government has done such a swell job
brainwashing us into beleiving that pot 
is a "narcotic" and drugs are bad (period) that 
most people cannot tell the distinguishable 
difference between pot and the real drugs.
Any cop will tell you that pot is a narcotic.
I hope when the CU students finally make
it into the real world and become the 
"corporate leaders" they don't go "soft" on us. 
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Comment #2 posted by CorvallisEric on April 21, 2005 at 01:35:39 PT
beer and cops and football
I'm glad the article mentions the reason for CU's "reputation" problem: ... scandals involving allegations of sex and booze for football recruits and the alcohol-poisoning death of a freshman last fall. The football deal was big news and led to the resignation of CU's president (or whatever her title was).When I lived in Boulder 1973-75 there was an enormous liquor store downtown (I think ex-supermarket). Also, a frat house where I briefly lived had a coin-vending beer machine just outside my window (3.2% beer was legal for 18-year-olds then).Many of the revelers then went to a pro-marijuana rally in front of the Coors Events Center, where police quietly took pictures and video and again "rained out" the crowd with sprinklers.Ah yes, Coors everywhere. As for the video, last time I looked there was no law against peaceful political protest or smoking non-corporate-looking cigarettes. Just pointless intimidation. With all the publicity, it should grow next year. Maybe some people will think to bring buckets to cover the sprinklers.
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Comment #1 posted by E_Johnson on April 21, 2005 at 00:55:46 PT
Blatant scapegoating
Indeed:School officials announced last month that they were trying to discourage the non-sanctioned pot rally, partly because of image problems already plaguing CU. The university, named the Princeton Review's top party school in 2003, has been the subject of scandals involving allegations of sex and booze for football recruits and the alcohol-poisoning death of a freshman last fall.
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