On March 6, hundreds of CU Boulder students took to the streets for a massive party near the campus. The gathering occurred in an area that students call “The Hill;” photos on social media showed many without masks and not sticking to social distancing guidelines and COVID-19 protocols.
The university issued an alert around 8 PM, stating that Boulder Police were responding to help clear the scene. Officers used a loudspeaker to try and tell the crowd to disperse, or else they would risk use of force, tear gas or arrest. Many refused to leave, prompting the Boulder SWAT unit to arrive on the scene. At that point, the party turned violent.
Several Boulder media outlets reported that while police tried to speak, some students began setting off fireworks and even flipped a car over.
Furthermore, partygoers allegedly began throwing rocks, bottles and bricks at police, resulting in three officers sustaining injuries; they also damaged both a fire truck and a police armored vehicle. By 9 PM, the crowd left, leaving the streets covered in broken glass and other forms of debris.
The Boulder Police Department released a tweet saying that they will review body camera footage, as well as photos and videos shared on social media. Chief Maris Herold followed up and said that they will use their leads to “identify and arrest the ones responsible for this reprehensible and unacceptable behavior.”
Herold also said the injured officers are in good condition, saying “it could have been much worse.”
Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty called the actions done on Saturday “selfish, dangerous and criminal;” he added that the District Attorney’s Office will work closely with Boulder PD to identify those individuals.
Additionally, he urged anyone involved in the violence to come forward.
The University’s Response
Following the party, CU Boulder posted a response, condemning the actions of those who attended. It also said that disciplinary actions will take place against those who took part, including removal from the school.
Read the university’s full response below.
“We are aware of a large party on University Hill on Saturday evening and allegations of violence toward police officers responding to the scene. We condemn this conduct. It is unacceptable and irresponsible, particularly in light of the volume of training, communication and enforcement the campus and city have dedicated to ensuring compliance with COVID-19 public health orders. CU Boulder will not tolerate any of our students engaging in acts of violence or damaging property.
CU Boulder has made it clear to our student body that following county public health orders is required under the student code of conduct. The vast majority of our students have followed these directives. When health officials and police have referred public health order violations to our student conduct office, CU Boulder has responded quickly and imposed discipline when violations were established. Disciplinary actions include interim exclusions from campus and 45 suspensions so far this academic year. We will continue to take these actions to make clear that protecting our community and our campus is of utmost importance and that we will not tolerate such violations. Any student who is found responsible for having engaged in acts of violence toward the law enforcement or other first responders will be removed from CU Boulder and not readmitted.
We appreciate the efforts of law enforcement to address the unacceptable conduct of these students and apologize to the residents of University Hill for their behavior.”
In addition to its initial response, CU Boulder highly urged for anyone who attended the party to quarantine for 10 days.
The Community’s Response
In the aftermath of the party-turned-riot, community members and fellow CU Boulder students took to the area to help clean up.
CU Boulder environmental studies professor Lisa Dilling told The Daily Camera that seeing so much destruction and disregard for public safety was “so sad.”
Juliette Nanos, a junior at the university, said that the videos she saw on social media were “horrifying to see;” she also believed that the event happened due to students feeling “tipped over the edge” due to COVID-19 restrictions.
On March 5, a day before the party took place, Colorado Governor Jared Polis extended the state’s mask mandate by another 30 days. The state also held an Evening of Remembrance for Colorado residents who lost their lives to COVID-19 that same day, as it marked one year since Colorado’s first recorded case of the virus.