On the weekend of March 13th to 16th, Laurier students gathered along Marshall Street to celebrate what Laurier celebrates best: St. Patrick’s Day—all despite the frigid forecast.
Every year, the City of Waterloo declares a Community Safety Event to regulate the streets that the students inevitably overrun. Like in years past, this Community Safety Event meant ticketing bystanders, installing road barriers, and trying to dissolve the crowd as early as possible. This is put in place in anticipation for public safety and nuisance concerns.
Each year these regulations draw concerns from partygoers and residents alike. This year was a little different. Students noticed a sniper was deployed in a nest atop The MARQ 18 apartment building overlooking the street party on Marshall—and promptly freaked out.
Headlines were drawn both out of students, and even Waterloo Mayor Dorothy McCabe’s expressed shock. People are naturally averse to a visible presentation of lethal force amidst a celebration of culture and tradition. However, is there something to be said (or done) about not being naive over the consideration of mass casualty events?
That’s what the region of Waterloo thought. As well as retired police officer Scott Blandford, claiming that a police sniper at large crowds or gatherings is necessary due to potential threat.
The world is changing; uncomfortable questions about potential mass casualty events are worthwhile to consider. Waterloo Regional Police estimated a peak crowd of about 7500 people, much smaller than previous years but still a mass gathering.
Should Waterloo Law Enforcement have been more transparent about the show of lethal force at a street party? Probably. The reaction this got surely could have been predicted. Students surely want their community gatherings to be safe spaces free from the threats of terror, while also being justifiably upset about having to look at a giant rifle during a street party.
In the aftermath of the event, the law enforcement responded to 72 calls for noise and nuisance, of varying severity. “We are disappointed that students and others continued to gather on our streets, creating a nuisance and a community safety concern,” said Grant Curlew, Acting Director, Municipal Enforcement Services, despite a more contained event than years past.
Between this statement of implied disapproval for the gathering as a whole, and statements from Chief Mark Crowell regarding the clear attempt to mitigate mass casualty considerations, the Waterloo Regional Police is evidently trying solutions in how they want to dismantle Waterloo’s St Patrick’s Day festivities.
I do not think the Waterloo Regional Police is making a logical conclusion by expressing disappointment for the St. Patrick’s Day gathering itself. The Cord has been reporting failed attempts to break up this annual street party for the last 30 years. However, preventative measures for “mass casualty considerations” might be a different question entirely—because while the gathering might be predictable, the possibility of catastrophic violence is another question that authorities are arguably obligated to consider.
Contributed Photo/Angus Turney
