Celebrate the 4th of July... with a drunken fistfight
07-05-2005, 07:37 AM
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Celebrate the 4th of July... with a drunken fistfight
Yo, nothin' like a drunken brawl on a sand bar in the American River to celebrate the 4th of July on the outskirts of the state capital. A rousing good time was had by all. 
By Andrew McIntosh -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Tuesday, July 5, 2005
"Police arrested 30 people Monday and fired dozens of rounds of pepper-powder ***** into brawling throngs of holiday revelers in the American River.
The drunken, mud-covered brawlers were among more than 10,000 Fourth of July revelers who soaked up the 99-degree heat and lots of beer while making a four-hour rafting trip down the American River.
As officers struggled to maintain control of the crowds, one public safety official called the scene "a sea of drunken humanity."
Most people made the rafting journey without incident, as three helicopters from the California Highway Patrol, Sacramento County Sheriff's Department and Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District flew above to ensure public safety.
But law enforcement officials spent much of the day trying to maintain order at a tiny island in the middle of the river, a remote spot north of Rancho Cordova's Hagan Community Park. Authorities dubbed it "Gilligan's Island," but revelers called it "Fighters Island."
Disturbances at the site led authorities in 2003 to ban drinking there during summer.
Despite that, thousands of young men and women - about 500 at a time - made pit stops at the thin slice of land, wrestling in mud, drinking and yelling, and watching some women go topless.
More than two dozen Rancho Cordova Police Department officers and Sacramento County sheriff's deputies, joined by emergency personnel from the Metro Fire District, monitored the scene from the nearby shore.
A Bee reporter saw at least six fights erupt on the mini-island and on the nearby shores during a two-hour period in the late afternoon.
Punches were thrown and fighting spread quickly into brawl-like melees. In two instances, men were assaulting each other with rafting paddles.
Each time violence broke out, officers intervened quickly, taking turns firing pepper-powder ***** into the crowds of brawlers. They fired the ***** from compressed air rifles, aiming low.
The impact of the volleys stunned those fighting, stinging their skin and their eyes. After having ignored early police warnings, they dispersed.
More than 20 revelers were treated on the scene for cuts, scrapes and sprained ankles after slipping and falling in the mud. Six were taken to area hospitals for broken bones, heat exhaustion and consuming too much alcohol.
Sacramento Metro Fire District personnel assisted 25 people on the river, including four who were in serious trouble, spokesman Capt. Steve Turner said.
One of the mud wrestlers was Greg Joyce, 23, of Carmichael.
He had bleeding scrapes and scratches down one side of his torso, but he wasn't angry.
"Everybody thinks it's a bunch of drinking and debauchery, but it's not," Joyce said. "We're all just here to have a good time."
"Look at us," he said pointing to the wrestling, pushing, drinking and yelling going on behind him. "Everyone here is a story. Everyone here is a photo op."
Though he looked like he'd been mud wrestling, Ramon Romero, 21, of Sacramento insists he wasn't.
The psychology major at California State University, Sacramento, brought his 14-year-old brother to the party. They spent the afternoon chatting up women in bikinis.
Brandy Altes, 29, made the river rafting trip with her boyfriend, Eric Walls of Stockton.
"We came out last year, but this is way crazier," said Altes, a Sonoma State University student.
Not everyone enjoyed the carnival atmosphere or violence.
"It's outrageous. People are acting totally crazy," said Tu Xiong, 25, an electrician who lives in Georgia.
Tu is visiting family and friends on a vacation here and the rafting trip was to be a highlight of his journey. He said he was turned off by the thousands of rowdy drunks in the water.
"I'll come back to visit my parents, but I'll probably not go rafting again on the Fourth of July," he added."
--
0==WW==0
"…axles of evil…" - george w. bush
By Andrew McIntosh -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Tuesday, July 5, 2005
"Police arrested 30 people Monday and fired dozens of rounds of pepper-powder ***** into brawling throngs of holiday revelers in the American River.
The drunken, mud-covered brawlers were among more than 10,000 Fourth of July revelers who soaked up the 99-degree heat and lots of beer while making a four-hour rafting trip down the American River.
As officers struggled to maintain control of the crowds, one public safety official called the scene "a sea of drunken humanity."
Most people made the rafting journey without incident, as three helicopters from the California Highway Patrol, Sacramento County Sheriff's Department and Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District flew above to ensure public safety.
But law enforcement officials spent much of the day trying to maintain order at a tiny island in the middle of the river, a remote spot north of Rancho Cordova's Hagan Community Park. Authorities dubbed it "Gilligan's Island," but revelers called it "Fighters Island."
Disturbances at the site led authorities in 2003 to ban drinking there during summer.
Despite that, thousands of young men and women - about 500 at a time - made pit stops at the thin slice of land, wrestling in mud, drinking and yelling, and watching some women go topless.
More than two dozen Rancho Cordova Police Department officers and Sacramento County sheriff's deputies, joined by emergency personnel from the Metro Fire District, monitored the scene from the nearby shore.
A Bee reporter saw at least six fights erupt on the mini-island and on the nearby shores during a two-hour period in the late afternoon.
Punches were thrown and fighting spread quickly into brawl-like melees. In two instances, men were assaulting each other with rafting paddles.
Each time violence broke out, officers intervened quickly, taking turns firing pepper-powder ***** into the crowds of brawlers. They fired the ***** from compressed air rifles, aiming low.
The impact of the volleys stunned those fighting, stinging their skin and their eyes. After having ignored early police warnings, they dispersed.
More than 20 revelers were treated on the scene for cuts, scrapes and sprained ankles after slipping and falling in the mud. Six were taken to area hospitals for broken bones, heat exhaustion and consuming too much alcohol.
Sacramento Metro Fire District personnel assisted 25 people on the river, including four who were in serious trouble, spokesman Capt. Steve Turner said.
One of the mud wrestlers was Greg Joyce, 23, of Carmichael.
He had bleeding scrapes and scratches down one side of his torso, but he wasn't angry.
"Everybody thinks it's a bunch of drinking and debauchery, but it's not," Joyce said. "We're all just here to have a good time."
"Look at us," he said pointing to the wrestling, pushing, drinking and yelling going on behind him. "Everyone here is a story. Everyone here is a photo op."
Though he looked like he'd been mud wrestling, Ramon Romero, 21, of Sacramento insists he wasn't.
The psychology major at California State University, Sacramento, brought his 14-year-old brother to the party. They spent the afternoon chatting up women in bikinis.
Brandy Altes, 29, made the river rafting trip with her boyfriend, Eric Walls of Stockton.
"We came out last year, but this is way crazier," said Altes, a Sonoma State University student.
Not everyone enjoyed the carnival atmosphere or violence.
"It's outrageous. People are acting totally crazy," said Tu Xiong, 25, an electrician who lives in Georgia.
Tu is visiting family and friends on a vacation here and the rafting trip was to be a highlight of his journey. He said he was turned off by the thousands of rowdy drunks in the water.
"I'll come back to visit my parents, but I'll probably not go rafting again on the Fourth of July," he added."
--
0==WW==0
"…axles of evil…" - george w. bush
07-05-2005, 07:40 AM
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I heard this on the radio on the way in to work this morning. What a bunch of morons.
Another group got nailed with DUI's after they finished loading their rafts onto their trucks and headed out of the parking lot.
Another group got nailed with DUI's after they finished loading their rafts onto their trucks and headed out of the parking lot.
07-05-2005, 07:48 AM
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I was watching the overhead live shots from a news helicopter yesterday afternoon and evening. Much guffawing from my brother and me.
I was thinking that next year we could spark more fighting by dropping six-packs of cheap beer into the river upstream of Gilligan's Island. Hilarity would ensue as the revelers begin spotting the six-packs floating towards them...
--
0==WW==0
"…axles of evil…" - george w. bush
I was thinking that next year we could spark more fighting by dropping six-packs of cheap beer into the river upstream of Gilligan's Island. Hilarity would ensue as the revelers begin spotting the six-packs floating towards them...
--
0==WW==0
"…axles of evil…" - george w. bush
07-05-2005, 07:52 AM
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Originally Posted by Wingless Wonder
I was watching the overhead live shots from a news helicopter yesterday afternoon and evening. Much guffawing from my brother and me.
I was thinking that next year we could spark more fighting by dropping six-packs of cheap beer into the river upstream of Gilligan's Island. Hilarity would ensue as the revelers begin spotting the six-packs floating towards them...
--
0==WW==0
"…axles of evil…" - george w. bush
I was thinking that next year we could spark more fighting by dropping six-packs of cheap beer into the river upstream of Gilligan's Island. Hilarity would ensue as the revelers begin spotting the six-packs floating towards them...
--
0==WW==0
"…axles of evil…" - george w. bush
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