Following University of Arizona’s 1997 NCAA victory, a rowdy crowd of Tucsonans took to the streets. Documented in news footage living on Youtube, especially wild fans vandalized cars, climbed street poles and tore down street signs.
In 2001, after a championship loss against Duke, Tucsonans again spilled out onto the streets. According to an ESPN article, the crowd set fire to a mobile home and two other vehicles. Police donning riot gear were deployed on the unruly masses. The clashes left 40 people injured and 17 arrested.
After the 2014 controversial Elite Eight loss against Wisconsin, angry fans were met with police along University Boulevard. Detailed in a Daily Wildcat article, the crowd began throwing smoke bombs and beer bottles. In return, they were met with clouds of pepper spray and rounds of pepperball.
On April 4, the Wildcats will make their first Final Four appearance in 25 years. This momentous occasion means big crowds downtown and along University Boulevard.
Richard Fifer, the owner of Gentle Ben’s, expressed excitement for the upcoming game. Across the past few games, turnout has been steadily increasing. During the Elite Eight match against Purdue on March 28, they were at their capacity of 765 people hours before the game even began, Fifer stated.
During the Final Four game against Michigan, it will be even busier.
“We’re getting phone calls from all kinds of alumni that are coming back to Tucson to come to Gentle Ben’s to watch the game,” he said. “We have people that have said they’re coming at 9 a.m. to make sure that they get a table.”
Given past incidents in the area, Fifer is planning in advance to make sure everything runs smoothly on the night of the game. In addition to keeping the bar and restaurant fully staffed, they are bringing in extra security guards and working with local police. Even with greater security, he hopes that the fun and excitement are unimpeded.
“In my opinion, there’s a tone that security sets when you walk in the door, and it should be you feel welcome, and it’s a part of the hospitality,” he said. “And then there’s other bars that take the approach that you want to be afraid of security, right? I don’t want our customers – our guests – to be afraid of security. I want them to be excited to see them.”
According to him, the Tucson Police Department reached out to the bars along Main Gate Square after the 2014 post-game unrest to let them know what went wrong and ask what they could do better.
“From that year to the next year, the way they handled everything was drastically different and they improved,” he said “Since, TPD has done an amazing job of just crowd control and kind of being with the fans instead of there as a separate entity.”
This year, University Boulevard along Main Gate Square will be blocked off for vehicle traffic during the game. Most of the uniformed police presence will be TPD, but University of Arizona Police Department will still have an increased presence around campus.
According to UAPD Sgt. Andrew Valenzuela, their main priority is making sure students and people around campus get home safely from watch parties. Up until this point, things have been fairly calm and safe.
“If that particular culture continues, it will be celebratory, and it will be peaceful either way,” he said. “I mean, even when our team was down in the Elite Eight in the first half, it was still a happy atmosphere. You could tell the fans were visibly upset, but they weren’t behaving in a disorderly way. They weren’t acting out. There were no acts of violence that we received reports of anyway. And so we hope that that will just continue throughout the rest of the tournament.”
For staying safe while celebrating at watch parties or bars, Valenzuela recommended making a plan ahead of time, using a designated driver or a rideshare service, traveling in groups, being aware of your surroundings and making sure phones are fully charged.
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