Disorientation

An overturned car and a smoldering pile of debris surrounded by squad cars, city vehicles and a field of broken glass were the remnants of a riot that broke out early yesterday morning. By 6 a.m. the car was turned right-side-up and towed away, the glass cleaned up, the debris cleared and the approximately 400 spectators were off the street.

Police are still investigating the incident that left at least one person injured and another under arrest for damaging a police vehicle. Property damage was estimated at $6,000.

"I am deeply disappointed and saddened," said Ernest Morris, vice president for student affairs and liaison to the Greek system. "It is most disappointing that last evening, some individuals chose to bring disrepute to the institution at large and the community."

The riot, which began just before 2 a.m. at the intersection of Northeast 47th Street and 18th Avenue Northeast, started when rowdy partiers spilled into the street and set fire to street signs, a mattress, furniture and other debris.

Details from bystanders about how events transpired varied widely. Crowd estimates from witnesses ranged from 300 to 900, and even the order of events and level of police involvement were contested.

"Everyone I asked said 'I don't know what's going on, I don't know what's going on'," said sophomore Amber Eckman. "It was not somewhere you want to be."

Pending an investigation, University and Greek officials were hesitant to suggest any particular organization was responsible. Morris confirmed yesterday morning that the police contacted him regarding the incident and said the UW would be working with Greek leadership to ascertain responsibility among individuals and organizations.

"I want to emphasize that the overwhelming majority of individuals in the Greek system do not engage in this sort of behavior," Morris said.

Robert Black, a senior member of Delta Kappa Epsilon, was one of the eight members of his fraternity present during the rioting early yesterday morning. Delta Kappa Epsilon, an unrecognized UW fraternity, is located at the intersection where the incident began.

"We tried to protect the property as best we could," said Black. "People were taking bricks off our walls and throwing them at cars."

Sophomore Jeff Jenkins added that he saw some men picking up large rocks and throwing them at a fire hydrant.

Most of the crowd was not involved in vandalism. While some people threw bottles at passersby, others helped a person in a leg brace out of the epicenter.

According to witnesses, once the car, a Volvo sedan, was flipped, rioters tried unsuccessfully to set the car on fire; it failed to ignite. As a precaution, somebody hooked up a hose up to a nearby fraternity.

The first vehicles were dispatched to the scene at about 2 a.m., according to Seattle Police Department (SPD) Sgt. Roger Dixon. However, the responding officers had to leave the scene because bottles and bricks were thrown at the police officers, resulting in damage to the front windshield of a patrol car.

After they retreated, the officers put on safety equipment and called in reinforcements. By the time they moved back into the intersection, there were about 50 officers.

"Once we started moving the crowd, when we had our safety equipment on, they moved," Dixon said.

As the crowd was herded down 47th and away from the glass-strewn intersection, a man stood in front of Delta Chi politely requesting people stay off newly seeded grass. By about 4 a.m. most of the crowd had been dispersed.

Some witnesses were upset that the police didn't act more quickly to disperse the crowd and seemed to wait on the fringes of the riot until it was almost over.

"A lot of people, including myself, think the police could have done more," said Black. "They quartered the area off for two hours and watched a car get flipped over, and then got in their riot gear."

Dixon confirmed that although individual officers may have used pepper spray, it was not used on a large scale. No officers were injured, but at least one person went to the emergency room after being hit in the head with a bottle.

Peter Bell, president of the Interfraternity Council (IFC), said if there was fraternity involvement in the incident, it would be taken seriously, but, as of yesterday, the IFC had several eyewitnesses who maintain that there was no Greek involvement. Bell pointed out that the one party registered was on the opposite side of the Greek system.

"We're just concerned first and foremost with the welfare of the police officers," Bell said. "We're not sure if there was fraternity involvement."

Most bystanders echoed Bell's sentiment.

"Those from the Greek system weren't contributing much," said sophomore Kevin Bacha.

Black pointed out that his fraternity, while prominently located on the intersection, did not partake in the melee.

"I'm proud to say not a single member of my frat was involved in the event," said Black. "There were eight members of our fraternity home last night -- not a number conducive to a wild party."

Other witnesses believe that many in the crowd were not UW-affiliated.

"The majority of people I talked to weren't from UW," said sophomore Candice Ayres.

The investigation by the SPD began yesterday with officers interviewing area residents and acquiring videotape of the event. If the investigation reveals fraternity involvement, the UW plans to take action.

"This may result in the possible revocation of institutional recognition, possible revocation of national recognition, and the possible closure of the houses involved," Morris said.

The authority to revoke the national charter resides with the national organization, while UW retains the authority to revoke institutional recognition.

"We have put into motion the machinery to investigate and to take the proper actions," said UW Interim President Lee Huntsman. "But we're going to do it carefully, systematically and find out what happened; who was involved."