Reports of an incident Friday night at Uncle Tony's, a State Street establishment frequented primarily by Binghamton University students, continued the unfortunate division between BU students and residents of this area.
Readers piled onto our StoryChat and other less reputable Broome County message boards, letting the latest incident fuel their dislike and, in more extreme cases, hatred towards the university's student body.
Students fired back, forming Facebook groups such as “Free the Victims of Binghamton Police Brutality” (94 members, as of Tuesday afternoon) and “Free Ed and Rob” (59).
The creator of the first group, Craig Aquino, writes in its description:
“... What the (Press & Sun-Bulletin) article fails to describe is the actions taken by police officers in the arrest of four people involved in the 'fight.'
“Those who were at Tony's that night witnessed one of the people involved being kicked repeatedly while handcuffed face down on the floor. He was not resisting the officers at this time.
“People also witnessed a third party not mentioned in the article struck in the face, then grabbed by the throat and choked to the ground. This person was simply trying to hold others back from joining the fight. While being approached by an officer, he held his hands up in a surrendering fasion. [sic] This person was released later that night on charges of disorderly conduct.
“A fourth person arrested in the fight: a Binghamton native, was released promptly by police after stating his residence.
“If you were at Uncle Tony's at the time of the incident, or if youre [sic] against excessive force, join this group, and protest the actions of police brutality and corruption of the Binghamton Police Department against BU Students. [sic]”
Unfortunately, whether the Binghamton police used excessive force is a secondary issue, a debatable point that should have never have entered the discussion. Don't get me wrong — police brutality is wrong, but let me make my point.
Starting any kind of physical altercation in any State Street bar was the students' mistake. In addition to the obvious possibility of assault and battery charges, the fraternity members' scuffle, no matter its magnitude, broke the unwritten code that we college students are to follow.
Because police officers and members of the community are not oblivious to the truth: College students are going to drink. Some will drink more than others. Even the new, more stringent alcohol policies in the BU Student Code of Conduct will not stop this phenomenon.
So, despite the laws, police officers put up with it. On any given night, I'd bet two-thirds of the crowd on State Street is underage; I'd estimate 10 percent under the age of 18. (Of the two charged students in this incident, one is 21 and the other is 20.)
While the bouncer — who's probably your best friend's roommate's cousin's pledge brother — lets you and your poorly chalked, McLovin' ID go, the officers stand idly by.
Could they swipe your license? Sure. Could they book you for urinating in the parking garage? Obviously. But they don't. They follow the code, the unspoken rule among thousands of underage drinkers: Behave yourself, be responsible; that's all the police ask.
So when a fight breaks out, it's the students who are at fault. It's the age-old rule your Mom always preached: I don't care who started it, but I'm going to end it. And, excessive force or not, that's what the cops did.
But what's unfortunate is that many residents of the Binghamton area will view the two charged BU students in this case as representative of the school's entire student body.
First off, realize that thousands of students choose not to participate in alcohol-related activities at all. But even for those who do — and sure, there are many of them — the vast, vast majority of us act responsibly, using designated drivers, watching out for our friends and drinking (usually) in moderation.
Any physical altercation in a bar is unacceptable, yes. But it's almost as reprehensible to stereotype thousands of courteous, responsible individuals because of the actions of two drunks.
Bravo to the city police for helping maintain this careful balance.
Strub is a senior at Binghamton University and a part-time copy editor at the Press & Sun-Bulletin. His column appears Thursdays.
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