As spring break began, many college students looked to parties as a way of letting loose from the everyday stress of school. However, a seemingly harmless and lively annual “Deltopia” spring break party turned dangerous onApril 5 in Isla Vista, California, home of University of California, Santa Barbara and Santa Barbara City College. During the riot, violence ensued as the police and the partygoers clashed, leaving over a dozen hurt and more than 100 arrested, and further contributing to the deteriorating reputation of Isla Vista due to the out-of-control party scene. The small town is home to 23,000 people, yet it is unable to withstand the 40,000 people who come solely to party every weekend, and partygoers must respect the limited amount of space available. Social media has exploited the college town, deeming it as a go-to party site and further diminishing the town’s respectability.
Police were forced to use tear gas, flash grenades, pepper spray, rubber bullets and foam projectiles in an effort to control the Deltopia riot. The crowd of over 15,000 got out of hand after the first arrest. Police made an effort to tame the crowd but the riot was too out of control and took several hours to bring to an end. In fact, a rioter hit a UCSB police officer over the head with a backpack full of glass bottles, leaving the officer with a serious head injury. Another officer got hit in the face with a brick, further demonstrating the violence of the partiers. Partygoers threw rocks and bottles at officers, tore down street signs, set fires and damaged numerous vehicles.
“The situation turned into a mob mentality, us versus them type of situation,” said Santa Barbra Sheriff’s spokeswoman Kelly Hoover in a released statement.
The town of Isla Vista is only half a square mile and the tens of thousands of partygoers who flock to this hot spot crowd the already limited amount of space available. Isla Vista has been a popular party scene for many years; however, the disaster at Deltopia has many questioning if the scene has gone too far. Due to the size of the town, riots are increasingly dangerous because locals have no control over the rowdy college students who parade the streets every weekend.
Isla Vista is no longer the beloved college town it used to be. Social media has exploited the town as a ‘rage and party central’ where people are free to do whatever they please. However, the constant party scene is taking a toll on the city. Riots have been continually breaking out and the city never seems to sleep, whether it is finals week or an average weekend. Partygoers threaten the safety of others involved in parties as well as the safety of officers who are necessary to keep the peace whenever things spiral out of control. Isla Vista should be a safe college town where students can both study and party and locals can reside in peace. Instead, this town has become a place of disorder and misconduct and has been taken over by rowdy college students and other visitors, and the frequent parties are beginning to have consequences.
“No one seemed to grasp the gravity of the situation and seemed instead intent on continuing to party regardless of what officers did,” said UCSB senior Alex Shapiro.
The detrimental results of the mayhem of Deltopia were not worth the experience many students hoped to have, for the parties do not have to be so unruly that people get hurt. Officers who were just trying to do their jobs were injured and harassed, some even critically. The police and UCSB student association are working together to prevent further disturbances like the events at Deltopia. Isla Vista’s reputation is at risk if major changes are not made.
