Opinion: Rioting fans partially responsible for student's death
Elizabeth Raftery
- Page 1 of 1
10/24/04
On October 20, what should have been a night of celebration in Boston turned into a night of tragedy. Following the Red Sox victory over the Yankees in the American League Championship Series, as revelers gathered to celebrate the win in the Fenway Park area, 21-year-old Emerson student Victoria Snelgrove was killed after being struck with a plastic bullet fired by a member of the Boston Police Department.
The department has since accepted full responsibility for Snelgrove's death. However, police commissioner Kathleen O'Toole also placed partial blame on "the punks last night who turned our city's victory into an opportunity for violence and mindless destruction."
O'Toole said that the people responsible for the vandalism in Kenmore Square that night have been captured on video and that the department will do everything in its power to find and prosecute them, as well they should.
It is true that Snelgrove's death was a result of excessive force by the police. However, if it were not for the destruction and drunken rowdiness that seem to follow sports victories in Boston these days, the police would not have been called upon in the first place. These so-called "fans," or "thugs" as O'Toole dubbed them, are partially responsible for the shooting.
Snelgrove's death comes less than a year after the death of 21-year-old Northeastern student James Grabowski, following the New England Patriots' victory in the SuperBowl this past January. It appears as though fan fatalities are becoming a new statistic in Boston area sports.
The vandalism and destruction that follow major sporting events is incomprehensible. It gives outside observers a negative perception of our city, and is not an acceptable way to thank the athletes themselves for the victory.
"What the hell does flipping over a car have to do with us winning a ball game?" Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling wondered on a radio interview following the postgame melee. He urged fans to "grow up" in the coming weeks.
If fans think that setting cars on fire and throwing trash cans through billboards are acts of celebration, then they are sorely mistaken. Behavior like this more closely resembles that of petulant children than of grown adults. It is inappropriate for people to behave like animals in order to honor what is supposed to be a source of pride for the city.
The Snelgrove family has already paid the highest price imaginable for these acts of destruction. It is imperative that Victoria Snelgrove be the last casualty of such outlandish victory celebrations.
On October 20, what should have been a night of celebration in Boston turned into a night of tragedy. Following the Red Sox victory over the Yankees in the American League Championship Series, as revelers gathered to celebrate the win in the Fenway Park area, 21-year-old Emerson student Victoria Snelgrove was killed after being struck with a plastic bullet fired by a member of the Boston Police Department.
The department has since accepted full responsibility for Snelgrove's death. However, police commissioner Kathleen O'Toole also placed partial blame on "the punks last night who turned our city's victory into an opportunity for violence and mindless destruction."
O'Toole said that the people responsible for the vandalism in Kenmore Square that night have been captured on video and that the department will do everything in its power to find and prosecute them, as well they should.
It is true that Snelgrove's death was a result of excessive force by the police. However, if it were not for the destruction and drunken rowdiness that seem to follow sports victories in Boston these days, the police would not have been called upon in the first place. These so-called "fans," or "thugs" as O'Toole dubbed them, are partially responsible for the shooting.
Snelgrove's death comes less than a year after the death of 21-year-old Northeastern student James Grabowski, following the New England Patriots' victory in the SuperBowl this past January. It appears as though fan fatalities are becoming a new statistic in Boston area sports.
The vandalism and destruction that follow major sporting events is incomprehensible. It gives outside observers a negative perception of our city, and is not an acceptable way to thank the athletes themselves for the victory.
"What the hell does flipping over a car have to do with us winning a ball game?" Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling wondered on a radio interview following the postgame melee. He urged fans to "grow up" in the coming weeks.
If fans think that setting cars on fire and throwing trash cans through billboards are acts of celebration, then they are sorely mistaken. Behavior like this more closely resembles that of petulant children than of grown adults. It is inappropriate for people to behave like animals in order to honor what is supposed to be a source of pride for the city.
The Snelgrove family has already paid the highest price imaginable for these acts of destruction. It is imperative that Victoria Snelgrove be the last casualty of such outlandish victory celebrations.