Many in Davis were devastated by the news on an otherwise uneventful Picnic Day that a former Davis High and UC Davis star baseball player had died from a tragic accident.
The Yolo County coroner ruled the cause of death was blunt force neck and head injury. After extensive examination and testing the Yolo County Coroner concluded that the manner of death was homicide, as it was by definition, “a death caused by human hands.”
“I have had no contact with them since [the incident],” Linda Clark told the Vanguard in a Thursday interview at her Davis home. “Apparently they are aware of my complaint… and [according to News 10] it’s being investigated. But nobody has contacted me.”
On Sunday, Davis resident Linda Clark described in bold terms in a Davis Enterprise op-ed what many people face on a consistent basis from ICE and other agencies. Public officials have expressed shock that it could happen here in Davis, but unfortunately it is welcome to the real world.
Writes Linda Clark, “The incident described above occurred in a quiet, family-oriented neighborhood right here in Davis. Most residents of the house are either visiting international scholars or students, or American citizens who are students. No drug dealers. No ‘illegal immigrants.’ “
Crimes Reaches 40 Year Lows Nationally and Statewide – The 2010 Preliminary Annual Uniform Crime Report, released on Monday, shows a 5.5 percent decrease in the number of reported violent crimes when compared with data from 2009. It also shows a 2.8 percent decline in reported property crimes.
We always were concerned that the new Target would bring crime into Davis, but this is a bit extreme.
It is probably not the best idea to make light of crime, particularly since the would-be robbers/burglars did $100,000 in damage to the store, however no one was hurt and this scheme is so ridiculous that it begs for at least some light humor.
Cutting the Ombudsman’s Salary Would Be Penny Wise But Pound Foolish – To his credit, new San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr participated as a member of the panel, along with some defense attorneys, a representative from the DA’s office, a representative from the Public Defender’s office and renowned civil rights attorney John Burris.
The city council on Tuesday will hear a largely informational report on the 2011 Picnic Day, which followed a 2010 Picnic Day that saw “uncontrollable crowds and riotous behavior in downtown Davis.”
Efforts were made by leaders in the community and on campus to “make Picnic Day 2011 a different event, focusing on family and community-friendly efforts and ‘rewinding’ Picnic Day to its original purpose as the university’s primary open house.”
This morning the Sacramento Bee writes, “To preserve what’s best about Picnic Day and to secure its long-term future, Davis leaders need to give it a break.”
They continue, “The timeout – a year or two – would give campus and city officials in Davis the freedom to find ways to control the drunkenness marring the annual open house at University of California, Davis, without ruining its family-friendly atmosphere and school spirit.”
I spent almost eight hours out on the streets on Saturday night watching Picnic Day. There were few major problems. And really by mid-evening, the crowds had died down and it was closer to a normal Saturday, maybe even a slow Saturday, than it was to any type of special event, except for the presence of large numbers of police.
Nevertheless, the word creeping out is of the problems of Picnic Day. Some people are talking about canceling the event (which is something the city cannot do anyway). Some are talking about cutting off booze in the downtown.
The statistics emerging from the Davis Police Department are starting to mirror our on-the-ground perceptions of Picnic Day. While the DPD is not offering opinions on whether this year’s Picnic Day was better or worse than last year, they indeed plan to “conduct further analysis of our [their] activity and seek input from community members and other stakeholders before offering any conclusions,” and they do report that there were fewer crimes of violence this year than last year.
“At this time the Davis Police Department is not prepared to issue any opinions about whether this year’s Picnic Day was better or worse than last year,” the department spokesperson Lt. Paul Doroshov said in a press release on Monday.
According to police sources, overall, arrests were down. The number of fights, while present, were down.
The Vanguard took to the streets of Picnic Day starting Saturday afternoon until nearly midnight. While the Vanguard did witness a number of arrests and citations, it saw limited evidence of any kind of violence.
By 10:30 last night, other than the high police presence, the street appeared quiet and the activity almost no higher than any other night.
Yesterday the Davis Downtown Business Association announced that 32 business with licenses to sell alcohol have signed a 13-point Picnic Day Community Covenant, agreeing to responsible hospitality practices that highlight moderation and appropriate use of alcoholic beverages on Picnic Day 2011, scheduled for Saturday, April 16.
According to their release, 25 of those 32 businesses are based in the Davis Downtown area, which was the site of the majority of Picnic Day-related disturbances in 2010.
Last week, the City of Davis, looking to take more measures to prevent a repeat of what happened at Picnic Day last year, gave police officers the authority to double fines for violations within a specific safety zone.
Fines for violations of open containers of alcohol in public and excessive noise will rise from $160 to $320.
The Sacramento Bee this morning reports on a closed-door meeting held on Monday with the Davis police, business representatives, students leaders and city staff members. According to Gary Sandy, the university’s director of local government relations, the group has decided to form a task force to fix Picnic Day.
Mr. Sandy told the Bee, “If Picnic Day is to survive, it will have to change radically.” He continued, “The message will be sent, loud and clear, that Picnic Day is not party day. This ought to be a celebration of UC Davis and the Davis community, not a day for drunkenness and rowdiness.”
The Vanguard has learned through numerous sources that Davis Police Chief, Landy Black, since 2007, is a finalist for the Chief position at the Fairfield Police Department.
Chief Black acknowledged that in part this was due to financial considerations, but also the opportunity for professional advancement. The city is in the process of considering whether to increase the Chief’s compensation in order to insure a continuation of his services.
In light of picnic day events and public scrutiny, it appears that the Davis Graduate has reviewed its policy on serving beer at 6 am and has now changed its policies. The Graduate became a focus in part because of erroneous police reports that suggested the Graduate the locus for a fight that injured a police officer, but also because many people believed that selling alcohol at 6 am set a bad example and began drinking at an earlier hour than they otherwise might have.
From the Vanguard’s perspective, this became a story primarily because Rochelle Swanson, the wife of owner Charlie Swanson, is running for Davis City Council. She had originally stated that the decision to serve alcohol at 6 am was not a decision she alone could make.
Yesterday the Vanguard covered Davis City Council Candidate, Rochelle Swanson’s response to community concerns about the events of Picnic Day and decision by many bars to serve alcohol at 6 am. The Graduate became a focus in part because of erroneous police reports that suggested the Graduate the locus for a fight that injured a police officer.
From our standpoint, this was an issue precisely because Ms. Swanson, whose husband owns the Graduate, is a City Council candidate. The Vanguard received a good amount of interest in the issue on Wednesday leading up to our Meet the Candidates Event. For that reason, we decided that we ought to allow Rochelle Swanson address the issue herself. The Vanguard interviewed Ms. Swanson for six minutes and she followed that up with two posts.
Complaints arose this weekend after Picnic Day saw a rash of street brawls, assaulted women, drunken students, and general destruction. According to a report in the Sacramento Bee there were 516 calls for service and 33 arrests this past weekend, a number that is more than twice that of previous years.
The Vanguard unusually received a high volume of emails and phone calls from various community members concerned not only with what occurred last weekend, but also that numerous bars opened at 6 a.m. and began serving alcohol. As one person said via a phone conversation, all this does is contribute to an atmosphere where young people are walking around drunk and intoxicated from the early morning hours on. What do they expect to occur when alcohol consumption is encouraged at such an early time?
Last week a California circuit issued a ruling on the use of Tasers. The court limited the use of Tasers to situations where a suspect poses an actual threat. The court ruled that simply disobeying orders or acting strangely is not enough. Those officers who fail to adhere to these rules can be sued for excessive force.
On Wednesday, the Sacramento Bee had an interview with Sacramento County Sheriff John McGinness about their department’s policies on the use of Tasers. The Vanguard has asked similar questions of Davis Police Chief Landy Black. Chief Black also directed us to the Davis Police Department’s policies on the use of Tasers and the use of deadly force.
