HomeMy WebLinkAbout2/4/2025 Item 3b, WalkerFwd: St. Fratty's Day - Student Account
From: (email redacted)
Date: November 22, 2024 at 2:59:24 PM PST
To: twatson@calpoly.edu
Subject: St. Fratty's Day - Student Account
Hi Tracy!
My name is (name redacted), and I am a previous tenant of 306 Hathway Avenue. I have been asked to detail
to you my concerns regarding “St. Fratty’s Day” celebrations, namely the unsanctioned block party that
typically occurs on Hathway Ave. I have attached a detailed timeline of the St. Fratty’s events from this past
year, that I wrote and shared with my landlord (name redacted) in April.
'As tenants and Cal Poly students, my housemates and I were aware that the block party would occur near our
house. We were concerned about possible damage to the house/yard, and facing fines from SLOPD due to
our proximity to the block party, and we communicated this with our landlord well in advance. She had
temporary orange fencing installed that circled the yard, and we locked all the doors and windows in
preparation. What we did not expect was that partygoers tore down the orange fencing, and began climbing on
top of our roof. My roommates and I were inside the house when we heard stomping on the roof, and when I
attempted to get people down, I was met with aggression by some men who had used our outdoor furniture
and gutters to climb up. We brought the furniture inside, barricaded the door, and had already called the police
for help.
As the crowd on the roof grew, we became increasingly scared of it collapsing. Our gutters were torn down,
our wooden fence was ripped apart, and people attempted to kick down one of the side doors to enter our
house. It’s hard to convey the amount of panic we felt inside the house, as we were effectively trapped under a
roof that had over 100 people on it and could collapse on us at any moment. We repeatedly called the police
for help, and were ignored or hung up on. Eventually, police came into the yard and I went outside to get their
assistance clearing the roof. Instead, they accused me of throwing the “entire party” and knowing everyone on
the roof (I clarified that they were all strangers, and no party had been held. The police confirmed that they
saw no one inside). When I asked for their help getting people off the roof, as I was afraid of it collapsing, they
said that I would have to handle it myself, and instead issued me a ticket. In the end, I had to physically pull
people down as they tried to scale the sides of the house, and eventually brought a ladder to get everyone off
the roof.
The police watched me struggling to clear the roof for over 30 minutes, and still refused to take action. I am a
young woman who was ill-equipped to stand alone against the drunk and aggressive mob-mentality that
prevailed, and I was extremely scared and disheartened by the lack of support we received. If we had received
assistance the first time (or two) that we called the police, they would have been able to clear the small crowd
of people in our yard and on our roof, before it became a serious and dangerous situation. I understand that
large crowds are difficult to control, but my housemates and I were put in danger due to the police’s lack of
action, and I urge you to implement safer strategies moving forward.'
If any further action is taken or information provided by me is used, please refrain from sharing my name.
Thank you for your time!