Queen's Homecoming 2005

Queen's University Homecoming has been extremely prominent in the news this week. If you watch the news or read the paper, you've surely heard about the "riot" that broke out on Aberdeen Street in the Queen's student ghetto on Saturday night. "Between 5,000 and 7,000 people attending a Homecoming event at Queen's University Saturday, spilled onto Aberdeen Street in Kingston, Ontario" (CTV News). The media reported mass rioting, overturned stolen vehicles being jumped on by drunken students, and a large gash in the extremely sacred and valuable reputation that Queen's has been clinging to for almost two centuries. Unfortunately, historical context was neglected by the media during the reporting of this event. This was more than just an impromptu party that spilled out onto the street.

For years now, Aberdeen Street has been the venue for a large gathering on the Saturday night of Queen's Homecoming. Every year, thousands of students (past and present) have descended upon Aberdeen Street for a night of running into old friends, sharing a few laughs, and to drink a few beers (which is generally accompanied by lots of police tickets, and a street that looks like a war zone the next day). Personally, I don't end up staying long...maybe an hour or two. Since homecoming drinking begins around 10 am, with the many infamous pancake keggars, by around 1 am, most people are about ready to call it a night. As an estimate, over half of the attendees go to Aberdeen just to see the spectacle of it all and to say "Yeah, I was there! It was a great ending to a great day".

This party is frowned upon by the university. This unsanctioned event terrifies the administration. "What if something bad happens?" To combat this fear, they coordinate with Kingston Police, and try to stop it from happening. My girlfriend and I walked down Aberdeen Street around 10:30 pm on our way to one of her friend's places. The police were lining the street, in an attempt to keep students on the sidewalk or on front lawns. This obviously led to a few drunken students getting up in the officers' faces, and arrests ensued. Eventually, the volume of people overwhelmed the police force, and the street filled up. By that time, the attitude on the street was one of anger and dissatisfaction in the way "the man" was trying to take over "our" party.

Sam and I didn't return to Aberdeen until after midnight. At that point, the police were restricting access to the street. We had to enter through an alleyway between two houses at the south end of the street. When we emerged from the alley, I could not believe my eyes; right in front of me, there was an overturned car with a half dozen students jumping around on top of it. Every 10 seconds, the sound of a shattering beer bottle pierced through the roar of the crowd. The area reeked of gasoline...a fact that the crowd seemed oblivious to. Meanwhile, roman candles were being shot around like toys. That was my cue to head to the other end of the street! I ran into a few people that I knew, and we exchanged words for a while. The intensity of the crowd eventually became too much for us. Our night was over...time to head home.

In my 4 years of experiencing this event, this was the only year that I feel it got out of control. I agree that the police presence is necessary to maintain order, but the amount of effort that they put into stopping the party early in the night caused an overwhelming (albeit alcohol induced) response from the attendees, which they could not handle, and the news media couldn't wait to get their hands on.

There has been talk of pursuing some extremely drastic measures next year. I agree that something has to change dramatically, but instead of bringing in riot squads, pepper spray and rubber bullets, a positive demonstration of Queen's spirit should be fostered, welcomed and controlled, in the heart of the student ghetto. Surround the area with fences and gates, control access to people of legal drinking age, maybe set up a stage at one end and book a band! Go as far as licensing the street. Unfortunately, this won't happen, and we have probably witnessed the end of "the Aberdeen Street party" as we know it. Queen's University is a prestigious university and tradition is a very large part of the Queen's way! Next year, when 5000 people show up expecting a party, I fear that this year's violence will be eclipsed.