University of Massachusetts students participated in the annual “Blarney Blowout” on March 9, the weekend prior to spring break. Students gathered in the western quad courtyard of the Townehouses of Amherst and day drank in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day.
According to various residents of the Townehouses of Amherst (the Townies), in anticipation Amherst Police Department (APD) officers knocked on doors distributing flyers detailing a list of reminders and fines a few days before the event. Town By-Laws (TBLs) listed included Open Containers of Alcohol, Unlawful Noise Arrest, Keg Possession without permit and Nuisance House bylaws.
According to Town of Amherst bylaws regarding Nuisance Houses, “It is unlawful for any person having control of any premises to knowingly host, permit, or allow a gathering to take place where at least one underage person consumes an alcoholic beverage, provided that person either knew or reasonably should have known that an underage person consumed an alcoholic beverage, and that person failed to take reasonable steps to prevent the consumption of alcohol by an underage person.”
Senior marketing major Thomas Hancock said he and his roommates were each fined $300 for Nuisance House violations.
APD said 45 Nuisance House Town By-Law violations (TBL’s) were issued on March 9.
Hancock said that when the police delivered the tickets, they were told they should appeal it.
“They’re [APD] the ones who kind of opened the gates and let people trespass into our backyard,” Hancock said. “So, we didn’t really do anything wrong, yet we still got fined.”
Frankie Keady, a senior managerial economics major, agreed, stating that the police were the ones who opened up the gate to the courtyard.
According to APD Lieutenant William Menard, fines were given mainly in the western quad, but a few were additionally given in the other quad.
Residents also received a paper from Townehouses management warning them about the increased police presence and to keep gathering under 15 people with noise a minimum.
Keady said there was a smaller police presence the year prior, and that they were only fined $50 by the townies for trash cleanup. Although Keady didn’t receive a Nuisance House fine, he said that this year, “we didn’t know any of that would happen,” referring to his neighbors being fined.
“The only thing that we do is the Amherst Police Department tells us what they’ll be doing beforehand, but they don’t tell us anything afterwards,” a spokesperson for the who refused to give a name said. According to the spokesperson, the Townies had nothing to do with the fines this year.
According to Paige Hubacz, a senior legal studies and political science student, her apartment did not get fined. “[We] kept it pretty locked down all day. We were really only in and out once everything cleared out.”
Hubacz said, however, that her friends that were having people in and out did get fined.
Mia Blue can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @Mia_Blue17
