SPORTS
OPINION Rutgers incident a The Return of the reprehensible act, page 6 Wong, page 14
QUChronicle.com
C
A&E ‘Social Network’a definite like, page 8
The QUINNIPIAC Volume 80 Issue 4
October 6, 2010
NHPD ACTIONS UNDER FIRE Lawyer: ‘Those officers weren’t acting in any lawful capacity’ By Joe Pelletier Editor in chief Recent New Haven police conduct is “indefensible,” one New Haven civil rights lawyer said. Another identified one instance of false arrest and a “chilling of the First Amendment.” The lawyer for the recentlyraided Alchemy Nightclub likened certain officers to “storm troopers.” “This is a stain on our police department, our constitution and our city,” William Palmieri, a New Haven civil rights lawyer, said. “It’s a disaster.” Such was Palmieri’s response to several online videos that show New Haven police
officers cursing, screaming and commanding citizens to stop recording police encounters. The videos surfaced in the midst of “Operation: Nightlife,” a New Haven police campaign to “ensure safety downtown” through a greater police presence, according to city spokesperson Jessica Mayorga. A Saturday press release from the New Haven Police Department acknowledged inquiries about officer conduct. The NHPD will “investigate fully any complaint or reasonable suspicion of that kind of behavior,” the press release reads. During a raid of the Elevate Lounge at the Alchemy Nightclub early Saturday morning, witnesses say police officers threatened to
handcuff and arrest any person who used cell phones to text or photograph the scene, according to the Yale Daily News. A week earlier, Quinnipiac senior Kenneth Hartford was told by an officer outside of Toad’s Place to “put that in your fucking pocket,” referring to Hartford’s cell phone. According to Palmieri, a New Haven lawyer for 17 years, both instances were unequivocally unconstitutional. “Those officers weren’t acting in any lawful capacity,” Palmieri said of Hartford’s video. “They were acting like rogue cowboys – they were bully boys. And the one officer challenging the person’s filming of this unlawful conduct – he was acting absolutely un-
reasonably and unconstitutionally.” Mayor John DeStefano feels strongly about the public’s right to record, Mayorga said, “absolutely.” But questions abounded when police officers threatened arrest upon anyone who recorded the raid at Alchemy. According to New Haven lawyer John Williams, the police threats were a violation of the First Amendment. “The fact that they deterred them from recording what was going on–that’s a chilling of the First Amendment,” Williams said. Webster’s Dictionary of Law identifies the chilling effect as the “inhibition or discouragement of the legitimate exercise of a CONDUCT, continued on page 4
Protocol followed, criticized in injury By Nicole Celli News Editor
Charlotte Greene / chronicle
Bob Saget brought some Quinnipiac knowledge to the stage on Saturday, alluding to wind turbines, Ray & Mike’s and slobcats.
Saget dirties up the Bank By Nicole Fano Associate A&E Editor Danny Tanner has a dirty mouth. It will be difficult to watch “Full House” reruns in the same childlike way after Bob Saget’s racy performance at the TD Bank Sports Center on Saturday. Nearly 1,600 students filled the 2,000 available seats. The Bank looked packed in comparison to the last spring concert, The Fray. The arena echoed with Quinnipiac students’ laughs, howls and screams. An elated audience welcomed Saget, all thanks to the opening act. Australian-born comedian James Smith roused the audience with his laid-back humor. In a matter of 15 minutes, Smith bashed Tiger Woods, Sarah Palin, the oil spill in the Gulf, the Kardashians, and America’s recession. “How the f—k does a bank go bankrupt?” Smith joked about America’s economy. After Smith stirred up the audience, students went wild when Saget took the stage. Minutes into his performance, Saget focused his humor on freshman class president Michael Cacciatore.
“What pet did you shoot to get that hat?” Saget said. Cacciatore intentionally wanted Saget to make fun of him during the show. He purposely sported a Hawaiian shirt to get the comedian’s attention. “It felt pretty great when he was making fun of me, because Bob Saget has been the center of a ton of jokes I’ve made in the past, and it feels pretty awesome being the center of some of his,” Cacciatore said. In addition to Cacciatore, Saget turned his attention to SGA Junior Vice President Kaite Lovett and asked the audience if she was the “school ho.” “When Saget did call me out, I was personally dying of laughter,” Lovett said. “I knew sitting in the front would probably result in some jokes made about me, and I was ready for that. As raunchy as his jokes were, how many people can actually say that Danny Tanner called them a ‘ho?’ It’s a comedy show, so I wasn’t offended. I’m glad everyone got some laughs out of it.” Saget asked Student Programming Board (SPB) about Quinnipiac’s habits and hangouts prior to the show, so he could incorporate that information into his routine. “Bob Saget is a great comedian because
he takes the time to learn about his audience,” SPB Mainstage Chair Jamie Kloss said. “His routine was really a conversation with the audience, and students really enjoyed it.” Saget had some questions for the audience about the “slut bus,” “Hep Creek,” Toad’s Place, and Ray & Mike’s Deli, which he referred to as “Mike & Ron’s Deli.” Saget also noticed the wind turbines at the York Hill campus, which he referred to as “metal s—-t that powers nothing.” An audience member yelled out, “Where’s Vicky?” A quick-witted Saget responded, “That is the gayest ‘Full House’ reference I’ve ever heard.” The audience’s interaction didn’t stop there. Saget referred to a wild audience member named Duncan as “Hemorrhage man,” due to his incoherent and spasmodic screams. “I will never f—king forget this show for the rest of my life,” Saget laughed. Then Saget brought his guitar onstage where he sang several dirty songs, including one of his most well-known songs “Danny Tanner is Not Gay” to the tune of the Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way.” “As far as the crowd interaction with Saget went, I think it was pretty amazing,” juSAGET, continued on page 5
When senior Sarah Anscher began demonstrating signs of a concussion at Sunday’s Powderpuff football game, QU Security said appropriate protocol was followed. Nicole Fraser, graduate assistant to Greek organizations, made the call to Security. Security called Health Services. Health Services called the Hamden Fire Department. The Hamden Fire Department called an ambulance. According to witnesses, Anscher was on the ground for about 45 minutes and showed photosensitivity, nausea, vomiting, and an initial moment of unconsciousness. “The response was slower than expected,” Chief of Security David Barger said. “I understand … it took a long time for the ambulance to respond.” The system still developed in a “timely fashion,” Barger said. Several students at the Powderpuff game, however, were not as satisfied. “It was just disheartening to watch,” sophomore Heidi Hitchen said. “To see everyone involved taking their time when she clearly needed to get to the hospital as soon as possible was shocking. I hope I never get seriously injured on campus.” According to senior Adam Horgan, the security guards “strolled across the Quad like it was a casual Sunday walk.” “I think the response time was kind of slow,” said Valencia Constant, Phi Sigma Sigma president. “If the situation was worse than it was, I felt like QU wouldn’t know what to do because they didn’t respond in a swift TRAUMA, continued on page 5