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Post by Lisa Steptoe on Apr 28, 2006 10:15:02 GMT -5
Angry cadets riot following drug search
By Greg Bruno and Andrew Perlot
Times Herald-Record
gbruno@th-record.com
West Point - Cadets angry over a drug search rioted for more than an hour last week, throwing fireworks and garbage from their barracks in an uproar one officer described as "shameful."
"Hundreds of cadets were hollering obscenities out of their windows and some were throwing objects," in what the unidentified officer termed a riot in an incident summary obtained by the Times Herald-Record.
"A team-size element of firemen responded to the scene as cadets were throwing objects that were on fire out of the windows in Bradley Barracks," the summary continued. "It was a shameful, pitiful day for" the U.S. Military Academy.
Lt. Col. Kent P. Cassella, a West Point spokesman, confirmed the events but downplayed their significance. He said no one was injured and nothing was damaged during the disturbance on April 19. He said no one was disciplined as a result of the incident.
One cadet apparently was hit with a flying peanut butter jar around 11 p.m., the incident log said, but wasn't hurt.
"It sounded like the cadets were blowing off a little steam," Cassella said. "Basically, there were some cadets voicing their frustrations, and there were some firecrackers going off. But in the end, there was nothing more than that."
The frustration apparently stemmed from an unannounced drug and weapons search of cadets' quarters earlier in the day. Around 6 a.m., cadets awoke to a fire drill in the barracks complex. They left the barracks, as ordered.
Then, while cadets were still outside, teams of drug-sniffing canine units entered the dormitories. The academy's 4,000 students waited while military and local police combed through their rooms.
While it's common in the military for commanding officers to toss the rooms of subordinates, Cassella said some cadets felt like they were tricked by the timing. He said leadership made a mistake by scheduling the fire drill and the search so close together.
An Orange County sheriff's deputy who participated in the search said no narcotics were found.
Most cadets who witnessed the subsequent riot, which started around 10:30 p.m. and ended an hour later, said the disturbance was no big deal. The chaos subsided after cadets and officers began cleaning up the barracks' courtyard.
"It comes down to people being immature," said one freshman, who asked that his name not be used. "The majority of cadets were apathetic."
But the incident report suggested otherwise.
"About 2,000 cadets were involved and witness to this travesty," it read. Officers on duty "could not believe what they were witnessing!"
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Post by Lisa Steptoe on Apr 28, 2006 10:16:01 GMT -5
From Jerry Jackson
Even if it was "no more than a thousand" that participated (a statement that indicates complete ignorance by LTC Casella regarding the import of such a statement), every single person that participated should be severely punished. There is no excuse for the men and women who are to set the example for military decorum and behavior for future generations of our military to behave in such an unprofessional and undisciplined manner. As a West Point graduate I am embarrassed that cadets from my alma mater would believe such actions to be acceptable and treat the reputation of the institution like it is UC - Berkley in the sixties.
Jerry
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Post by Lawrence on Apr 28, 2006 10:37:28 GMT -5
Look, this does not seem like that big a deal. I remember during my 4 years, there were numerous times during finals / exams when stuff would get thrown out of windows into the area. Near the divisions, its almost a tradition for plebes to run the gauntlet as upperclass pelt them with bread, milk, etc. This is just cadets blowing off steam, and for whatever reason the officers there allowed the outside media to get a whiff of it. Mountain out of a molehill if you ask me.
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Post by kvrose on Apr 28, 2006 10:40:05 GMT -5
I feel the West Point leadership is sending the wrong message to these soon-to-be officers by not taking action. A company commander wouldn't allow this. If our Soldiers were doing this around their barracks in the Army, we would do anything from Summarized Article 15 to them being taken into custody by the MPs. The cadets' behavior was completely unacceptable, but pretending that it didn't happen is even worse in my opinion. If we don't expect dicipline out of the "cream of the crop", how can we expect discipline from our Soldiers?
Katherine Rose
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Post by mal7797 on Apr 28, 2006 10:41:03 GMT -5
Jerry,
I totally agree with you. They should be punished severely. However, after being at West Point and getting drug tested no less than 5 times a year, what kind of people are we letting in if we need to search the barracks for drugs in addition to over the top testing? I used to be Federal Law Enforcement Officer, the only time we do things of that nature is when we have a tip that someone has a "healthy" amount of drugs in their possession. We probably should start with the board of admissions to solve both these problems.
Marc
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Post by KT on Apr 28, 2006 10:43:51 GMT -5
I agree. I lived in Bradley during Beast, and my four years ('03 grad). There are many a day when things such as computers, books and anything from the mess hall was thrown into Central Area and was usually followed by a naked man incident. I don't think it was tied to the search. We had those all the time. I remember waking up to a German Sheppard breathing in my face. They didn't even wake us. Its the random outburst like that that gives us the regular college memories that allow us to tolerate that place until the next break.
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Post by Lisa Steptoe on Apr 28, 2006 10:52:09 GMT -5
KT - DITTO. What the heck has happened up there at Woo-Poo when you can get away with a "riot" without repercussions. I had a classmate get the boot for mooning someone while on a Lacrosse trip. A riot sound a heck of a lot more serious than pressing your butt against a window. The Corps Has!
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Post by Lisa Steptoe on Apr 28, 2006 10:54:18 GMT -5
From George Mathews.....
It is more likely that someone started a rally
Since he says a thousand –it is likely either a Plebe Spirit rally broke out and upperclassmen watched
Or the seniors did a little thing cause 100 night and Spring break were passed and all that’s left now is exams and graduation
Thoughts?
I find it hard to believe the Coprs HAS that much were cadets would actually “riot” over a drug inspection/search of all things
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Post by J Andrus on Apr 28, 2006 10:56:27 GMT -5
Punish them? What are you going to do? Send them to Iraq.
It sounds like the cadets had a rally not a riot.
The leadership created the steam. I would be disappointed if the cadets had just bent over and took it. They just let off steam.
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Post by kvrose on Apr 28, 2006 11:00:52 GMT -5
Thankfully, during my time as a Cadet, I don't recall any drug dogs and I think we only got tested twice a year. I think that's about right. But, what I'm curious about is how many Cadets are actually coming up hot on drug tests and what's being done? While I was there, I think maybe one or two came up hot that I knew of. There must be a reason why drug searches are happening. Surely USMA keeps it hush-hush as it should be. The whole world doesn't need to know that Cadet Snuffy was kicked out for smoking pot. I remember as a Plebe a female upperclassman that lived one floor below me was sexually assaulted in our barracks and the next thing you know she was gone. There was never any mention of it anywhere. It was like it didn't even happen.
It's one thing to do a fun, blow-off-some-steam rally before a game or term ends. But, as I read the article again I find these comments: uproar, riot, shameful, pitiful, and travesty. So, this obviously isn't your typical rally incident. A team-size of firemen were even called?!?!
Why the hell are they allowed to keep firecrackers in the barracks? Is that a new thing? I just looked up the New York State laws about fireworks and firecrackers, torpedoes, skyrockets, roman candles, bombs, and sparklers are specifically prohibited. So, on top of everything else, they broke state laws. Sorry for the long post. Katherine
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Post by S on Apr 28, 2006 11:02:00 GMT -5
BLUF:
1) The Corps should have picked their battle more wisely. The reason they chose the riot was weak. They shouldn't have drugs/alcohol in their rooms anyway. If they were smart, they would realize that they only had to wake up early once for two events, rather than two separate mornings with one even each.
2) Agree that the CDTs should be punished; however, how can you have fair punishment unless you cordoned off the area and took names and did summarized punishment. Probably needed more than an MP Platoon.
3) Outbursts like Naked Man are a part of the current culture of WP. At least we're not like the other service academies where they are known for repeated sexual assault cases.
4) One COA would be do a blanket punishment on priviledges for the entire Corps. Obviously, they couldn't take care of their own and needed RA Soldiers to intervene. If the peer leadership could not handle the situation, then take their delegated power away. Soldiers, as well as CDTs value their [nominal] pay, free time, and sleep. You can't take their pay, so take away the other stuff. Corps wide drill on the weekends rather than the corps walking tours?
5) The guy who got hit w/ the peanut butter jar should have ducked...
CPT "X" waiting for CPT "Y" and "Z" to post a message...
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Post by Katherine on Apr 28, 2006 11:04:58 GMT -5
About 5) above - that was a good one! LOL
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Post by Cliff Hodge on Apr 28, 2006 11:22:03 GMT -5
I must be geting old, because I don't remember ever having drug tests or drug inspections while I was a cadet. The 'Old Grad' in me was outraged that they even felt the need to have a surprise drug inspection. To that extent in my book, the Corps HAS. Reading these posts, though, I suppose we must have had them, too.
As far as the riot / rally / spirit drive, whatever, we had plenty of them when I was at Woops. The difference, though, was that when it was as bad as this one, the Plebes stayed up all night until everything was cleaned up and back to normal. EVERYONE lost off-post priveleges for the weekend. In that regard, the Corps REALLY HAS! It's all poor leadership the way I see it.
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Post by Mike Armstrong on Apr 28, 2006 11:36:47 GMT -5
OK, thinking back to my four years at WP (1983-1987), we regularly had: BP Cart Races, JockStrap Football in the Cadet Area in January, Primal Screams coming from every window during TEEs, people hydroplaning through Central Area after major thunderstorms, impromptu "Spirit Missions" of nearly every type imaginable, food fights, passing the cheerleaders from the other football team up through the Corps during the game (during which trips the cadets would liberally indulge themselves), etc. etc. etc. The only difference between then and now is that now the media has gotten ahold of it and is spinning it all out of proportion, like they usually do. The Corps of Cadets always (ALWAYS) does radical stuff during their sojourn on the Highlands. Why is this any different or any more egregious than the stuff our colleagues did while we were there?
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Post by Rich Bradford on Apr 28, 2006 12:35:09 GMT -5
New Old Grad here. ('86). I agree with Mike Armstrong. Sounds like the media is spinning things out of proportion. What we called a "Rally" they are calling a "Riot." Does anyone remember the food fight in Philadelphia before the Army-Navy game in '84. The entire Corps threw Smiley Subs across Veteran's Memorial Stadium. We did strange things when we were cadets.
Rich Bradford, G-1, 1986
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