The crowds were huge and the booze flowed, but police kept troubles bottled up.

Nearly 7,500 purple-clad revelers partied in the streets around Western University at the height of its weekend Homecoming festivities, but dozens of officers kept things from spiralling out of control.

In contrast to last year, when police ticketed the school’s cheerleading squad for performing during a party on a crowd-choked street, a move that grabbed international headlines, some students said police appeared to handle the crowds on Broughdale Ave. — the focus of off-campus festivities — with balance.

Fourth-year engineering student Ryan Prsaad applauded police for allowing fun this time, but clearing students when it threatened to get out-of-hand.

“It was pretty reasonable,” he said of the police approach.

Sunday, the area’s ward councillor credited a joint school-community group, the Town and Gown committee, for helping to improve previously strained relations between students and the city.

“These problems will never disappear, and they sort of ebb and flow. Some years they seem to flare up worse than others,” said Ward 6 Coun. Nancy Branscombe.

While many in Saturday’s crowd on Broughdale behaved, the sheer volume of people made it impossible for an ambulance and fire truck to enter the street — a problem after some revelers were injured, including one who fell from a roof.



Western University students Bella Gudewill and Jai Chaggar celebrate Homecoming on Broughdale Ave. in London on Saturday. DEREK RUTTAN/ The London Free Press /QMI AGENCY

Authorities had hoped the crowd — police estimated it was 50% larger than last year — would dwindle when Western’s football game kicked off. But the crowd, and rowdies, only seemed to grow. A young woman was dragged limp by friends down a sidewalk. Two young men punched out windows in a home.

The sounds of bottles smashing filled the air.

To keep order, more than a dozen police officers sealed off Broughdale at Audrey Ave. and pushed part of the crowd east toward Richmond St.

“We’re not trying to discourage people from celebrating homecoming. Just do it responsibly,” said Const. Ken Steeves, who tweeted police movements.

Broughdale resident Irene Thompson, 86, tried to keep people from urinating on her property and loitering on her porch.

“I’ve never ever had it this bad,” said Thompson, who’s lived on the street for 60 years. “I can’t understand why they’re doing this.”

Thompson, one of only a handful on non-students living on the street, said Homecoming is becoming rowdier than St. Patrick’s Day in the area.

Police expect to release the number of charges laid and citations issued on Monday.

- with files from Free Press reporter Jonathan Sher

dale.carruthers@sunmedia.ca

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