OP-ED: This Rioting At Penn State Seriously Needs To Stop
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Politics and Activism

OP-ED: This Rioting At Penn State Seriously Needs To Stop

'May no act of ours bring shame?' Start acting like it then.

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OP-ED: This Rioting At Penn State Seriously Needs To Stop
The Daily Collegian

As of this moment, yes, I am ecstatic that we are B1G Conference Champions, ranked #5 in the country, and are going to the Rose Bowl. I am so proud of our players, coaches, and fans, for all that we have accomplished.

But I'm also pretty pissed and disappointed at what a lot of our students did Saturday night.

Just like after our underdog victory over Ohio State in October, thousands of students gathered on Beaver Avenue in a celebration that quickly turned violent. For the second time in two months, my fellow students tore down street signs and lamp posts, damaged cars, trashed the streets, and disobeyed our police. Maybe I'm the only one or something, I don't know, but I'm absolutely furious.

I left Pickle's Taproom over on Allen Street a little while after the game ended and started making my way down Beaver Avenue to head back to a friend's place for a post-game chat and drink. Of course, I'd barely even passed the CATA office by the time the mob started forming. A group of guys, visibly drunk off their asses, rushed past me, punching street signs. One of them tried to push over a trash can into the street before I grabbed him by the arm and stopped him. I made my way back a couple blocks and listened to the roaring crowd gather over the next few minutes.

Before long, I made my way up Locust Lane to the intersection of Beaver near Cedarbrook Apartments, and, as I expected, the scene was absolute bedlam. I watched as morons climbed the lamp-posts and others shook stop signs loose from the ground. When one sign was pried loose, I watched a crowd of crazed frat boys carry it back up the lane and into the depths of Frat Row. I saw two drunk guys start shoving each other while people circled up and egged them on. Fortunately, another man managed to get in between them and break up the fight.

As more and more damage was done and things lost control, the police of course arrived. Everyone was ordered several times to leave the area or face arrest. Yet everyone just stood around, shrugged, and said, "Hey, you only live once, right?" Strangely enough, these were the same people later sobbing and wondering why the mean policeman pepper-sprayed them or threw tear gas at them.

The fact of it is this: you people don't f*cking think. You're adults, for god's sake. You knew what you were doing and you knew the consequences, but yet you act all surprised when the police arrive and you suffer those consequences. You act like you're the victims. Look, there are times in which civil disobedience is right and honorable (like Standing Rock). But this wasn't even for a decent reason. This wasn't to protest racial inequality or the theft and destruction of ancestral lands. No, this was because you felt like breaking shit BECAUSE WE WON. Listen, I'm just as happy as you are - hell, being a part of the Penn State community my whole life and seeing everything we've been through, I'm probably happier - but it literally makes no sense that an expression of joy turns into us WRECKING OUR TOWN. You don't bother to think that people have to pay for this shit. You seemingly forget that State College citizens have to rebuild everything you destroyed with their taxes. Inevitably, you'll say, "Well they should expect that living in a college town." No. That is bullshit. This being a college town may excuse noise on weekends, the occasional drunk puking on the sidewalk, and beer cans in the street. It does NOT excuse this.

I guarantee you that half the idiots out there last night were the same people who criticize Black Lives Matter protests for being a disturbance to society. I guarantee it.

There's something interesting I noticed last night though. There was a couple old folks in a car that took a wrong turn and ended up on Locust Lane right in the middle of things. People were surrounding their car and banging on their windows. I made my way through to their window and told the old man inside I'd give him a hand getting out of there. I stood up and told people to make way, and you know what happened? People seemed to just snap out of it for a sec. They realized shit was out of line. As soon as someone acted like they had some authority, they moved immediately. A group of girls looked shocked and said, "Oh, shit, I'm so sorry," and sprinted to the sidewalk. It's like people knew this was chaos, and when someone drew attention to it, they realized it. People knew what they were doing. So I don't want to hear any nonsense about it being in the passion of the moment.

Guys, this shit has got to stop. I'm sick of it. We're better than this. Y'know, maybe I'm just a prude. Maybe I'm the asshole here. I'll accept that. But you guys need to grow the hell up and act like adults. I know you'll eventually graduate and leave this place, just as I will soon. But you know what? Those cops that you guys brought into the streets last night? This wasn't some fun little romp for them. This is their job, in their own community, and they have a family that they were brought away from for that. Those people who have to pay for all your damages with their taxes? This is their home. There are old people here who have lived here and supported this university all their life, and now you make them pay for your poor decisions. But you don't care, because, hey, you got some sick stuff on your snap story, right?

I would like to be spending time writing an article praising our boys for their amazing performance last night. There are other Odyssey writers working on that, fortunately. So instead, I'm spending my time telling you how ashamed I am that my fellow Staters keep doing this.

Start acting like you're proud of this place. We've come through too much in the past five years for you to tarnish it now.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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