Iowa Riots Quelled After College Party Sparks Racial Brawls
AMES, Iowa — A show of police force and many more arrests subdued drunken rioting that lasted a second night into early Sunday after an annual party at Iowa State University.
The weekend-long Veishea spring festival erupted in violence early Saturday, when about 8,000 revelers turned hostile. Twenty-two people were hurt in the brawling and 27 were arrested.
Police Chief Dennis Ballantine said the rioters were divided by race. “Frankly, it was basically black against white,” he said, adding he didn’t believe the tumult was sparked by the Rodney G. King case in Los Angeles.
No fighting was reported Saturday night, but general rowdiness persisted and 150 police officers were deployed to restore the peace. They arrested 112 more adults and an unknown number of juveniles, mostly for disorderly conduct and public drunkenness.
Student leaders blamed the rioting on warm weather and alcohol.
The violence may threaten the future of Veishea, which is marking its 70th anniversary. Veishea is an acronym for the schools at Iowa State when the celebration began in 1922.
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