Local: Sigma Nu incident was simmering for months
In bullet form, are some of the points Peoria City Council member Barbara Van Auken made regarding the dust-up this weekend at the Sigma Nu frat house. The PJS article is here, and my earlier column is here.
- Since mid-July, the city has issued approximately 50 tickets in the immediate neighborhood to the Sigma Nu house, these tickets include drinking in right of way, nuisance property, noise, public urination and underage drinking. She called Sigma Nu the epicenter of this illegal activity.
- During this time, it has become a standard tactic of those subject to the complaints and members of the Bradley University campus police to characterize those making the complaints as being belligerent or drunk. Some have been threatened with arrest by BU campus policem, Van Auken said.
- Van Auken says some neighbors who have reported complaints believes they are under surveillance by some of these students. One resident told Van Auken that BU police harassed her by knocking on her door to complain about an “out of control” birthday party for her young daughter. It was 7 p.m.
- There have been many meetings between neighbors, Peoria Police and Bradley officials. So far, there has been little positive change from the students. One complaint raised was a student-occupied property with a large wading pool in the front yard. Students have been seen having sex in this pool. It took two months to get the pool removed.
- When asked about BU President Paula Joanne Glasser’s commitment to making improvements: “I absolutely believe President Glasser and her seriousness here. I’m afraid she’s not getting the follow-up she needs.”
- One meeting was held the day before this incident, she said. BU officials heard complaints that included students sitting on roof, lighting fireworks and throwing beer bottles onto street. Residents expressed they had no confidence in BU police. Residents who call dispatch now insist Peoria Police be sent to scene of their complaints. This was police last year.
- Van Auken was attending a dinner party on Moss Avenue when a neighbor called Andrew Rand, the host. This neighbor said her children were being kept awake by a loud party . This neighbor called the police, but only the Campus police would be dispatched. The caller asked Rand and Van Auken to witness what would happen.
- Van Auken and Rand stood on the corner and could clearly hear the party and see two long tables upon which rested plastic cups, which she thinks students placed there before they ran inside to avoid arrest. She estimated about 50 people were attending the party.
- One young man immediately became belligerent. A male BU officer asked Van Auken how long she lived in the neighborhood. She identified herself and said she came to investigate a constituent complaint.
- She was asked “have you been drinking.” She replied “none of your damn business.” She said a BU sergeant appeared, and said that they didn’t see or hear anything during two earlier visits. Van Auken said that someone, not her, said “said she’s going to call the real police.”
- Peoria Police arrived wanted to know who made the complaint, verified that a complaint was made and issued a ticket to the property.
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The student occupants wanted Peoria police to write a ticket charging Van Auken and Rand with trespassing. She says she was never asked to leave their property, and never took more than two or three steps onto the property and was on their property for “under a minute.”
- She admits to swearing, saying that as the incident was ending she “I’m really sick of this shit.” She immediately apologized.
One word: bullshit. Police reports and officers do not back up one point, not one other than she was on their property and to them (the officers) appeared drunk. This is truly putting lipstick on a pig. And those poor poor neighbors. Are these the same ones that ignore their own Do Not Enter signs on Barker @ Duryea? The same ones that ignore the No Left Turn 6am to 9am off of Western? The same ones that would demand you a ticket if you ignored those signs? I’ll bet they are. Bradley just moved into the neighborhood what, 100 years ago?
Some interesting points to ponder….I’ll have to see how this shakes out; though I have to admit my scepticism on several points is large.
“Since mid-July, the city has issued approximately 50 tickets in the immediate neighborhood to the Sigma Nu house, these tickets include drinking in right of way, nuisance property, noise, public urination and underage drinking. She called Sigma Nu the epicenter of this illegal activity.”
I’d venture a guess that if you look at the arrests for drinking in the right of way, noise, public urination and underage drinking downtown, we could claim that City Hall is the epicenter of these incidents since they typically happen within a two block radius of that property. Sorry, but the cause and effect isn’t there yet for me.
I still believe that given her state of inebriation (whatever level it was) and IF there were a history with this property, a better course of action would have been to place a call to to the dispatch center (I’m sure she knows the number — it’s 911) to ask that a police officer be dispatched. Her constituent service would have been done and in a more appropriate manner. Sorry, but anyone that has crossed her knows that she can get fiesty when she feels an injustice has been done or that her view isn’t getting the attention she thinks it deserves. A VERY redeeming trait in the right situation and a HUGE negative in the wrong one.
You read the police reports Emtronics? Perhaps you got them on your blog, ’smokin gun’ style? Just askin…
Still looking for those parking spaces aren’t you?
A 100 years ago Bradley didn’t have a parking problem. I bet 50 years ago there was no parking problem. Really the whole parking thing is a recent feature, long after all those homes were built.
1. do a freedom of information act and see who signed those 50 complaints. You’ll find an interesting pattern.
2. do a freedome of information act request and review the actual police report.
3. wait until the video is released.
Ya know, Emtronics, reserving your opinion until more facts are known IS an option. You talk about this as if you were there. Is it possible its getting blown a *wee* bit out of proportion? If I had a buck for everytime I told someone to shut the **** up….
nla,
I presume you are suggesting that one or two people are doing the complaining. I got news for you, it is common practice around the West Bluff to funnel complaints through a representative willing to take the heat as it were. There are sound reasons for doing it that way. Indeed that practice has, in the past, had the backing of the police. So to suggest that one person has an axe to grind might likely be completely false.
Bill:
BVA’s abuse of alcohol “..has been simmering for years…” I personally observed it and as a faithful member of AA for 17 years, I am more than qualified to make that observation.
Further: It is one thing to be a private citizen carrying that sort of of liability to one-self. But when you chose to put yourself out as a public officeholder, if you are truly selfless concerning the issues that are important to your constituents, you can’t let a personal problem that can be professionally addressed in a variety of ways, create liabilities for you that will undermine your constituents and the representation that they need and deserve.
Highly functioning alcoholics are the unfortunate beneficiaries of the greatest amount of enabling. This is not because they need less help or less treatment, but rather because the enablers need them more and the enablers struggle the most to admit the reality of the situation and sacrifice the service of the alcoholic in the short run, while the alcoholic honestly assesses their situation and makes the necessary changes.
Politically, the reality is that when you are a public figure, if the public is going to trust you, even with all of your human weaknesses, it will be because you are as honest and transparent with the public regarding your weaknesses as you are regarding your abilities. If BVA does not approach the public this way, there will be an opponent in the next election that will make the most of her weakness.
Chase: Anyone can recognize the overt signs someone has been drinking. You might suspect someone might have a problem or not. But there’s no such thing as “AAdar” As an AA member, you ought to to appreciate what that second “A” stands for.
I agree with Billy. I would be careful when accusing or convicting anyone of being an alcoholic-on blogs, or in any other public forum.
As far a the “simmering” incident….
What would that be?
College students drinking, and nearby residents protesting?
I’d say the two have been around since…..well….college…and, ummmmm, the discovery of alcohol?
Well… Chase pretty much covered the alcohol issue. So to add to that, whether or not she was influenced by alcohol doesn’t change the FACT that SHE HAD NO BUSINESS GOING ONTO THE PROPERTY AND APPROACHING THE FRATERNITY. She is a city council person, and while I AM SURE that she thinks very highly of herself for that, she still has no authority or power in enforcing any rules, regulations, laws, or ordinances. That is what the police are for. She was certainly entitled to walk by the house to see if the nuisance existed, but that is the limit of her justifiable actions.
Hey Diane and Mahkno: As a matter of fact I do have inside info on this. More than Billy has. BVA was wrong. It is outrageous that you two would even consider backing up a drunk city council person who was wrong plain and simple in the way she acted. Like these very same people tell all of us ordinary citizens when we complain, there are proper avenues to get things done. Wait until the video appears. Then maybe we’ll all see how loud and intrusive this woman really was.
What the hell does parking spaces have anything to do with this Mahkno? And no, the new parking deck is wonderful.
Diane, I truly wish you had a buck for every time you told someone to shut the F*** up. Maybe then some of us wouldn’t have to endure some of your mindless comments. Oh, my God! Don’t like what I said? Then it’s OK for me to shut the F**** up? How civilized of you. (but expected when someone disagrees with you)
Oh I almost forgot Diane. Please don’t call me at home anymore and ask me to take down comments on my blog you don’t like. Thanks.
You misspelled F*** the second time.
“As a matter of fact I do have inside info on this. More than Billy has. ”
Awaits with baited breath for the details and the source.
You get phone calls to take down comments on your blog? I’ve never even heard of something so petty! What the hell kind of Hitler shit is that?
So when can we expect that video?
Bill:
The anonymity of AA is frequently summed in meetings as “…share my story but not my name…” where many of the the stories are personal, but people share them for the purpose of helping others in attendance.
Anonymity is never afforded to public figures who are publicly drunk. I have never learned anything from BVA in a meeting.
All I know about BVA’s alcoholism is what I have observed of her in public places and what I am reading about in the paper. But alcoholism is the most obvious diagnosis. This is a talented, successful woman. She cannot blame her untimely public intoxication on oversight, or some lack of knowledge. She is publicly drunk because she has a personal problem with alcohol, and anyone that has known her well for a long time knows that it has been a problem for a long time.
I guarantee you that there are people who are privately saying to her what is being said publicly. People who have been sober for a while, come to understand the necessity of both the private actions and public statements. The alcoholic generally needs pressure from both these channels in order to be persuaded, as in the person whose wife has been telling them they had a problem for a long time, but until they got a DUI and a judge told them…..they wouldn’t listen to their wife.
We all are wired that way in one or more areas of our lives and require multiple carrot and stick influences.
I would remind people that BVA is a nice lady with a commitment to public service. There is no reason to bash or demonize her. And, there is an even higher level of service that she could achieve for all of you if she would deal with this problem.
HA! Emtronics. That surprises me she would even care. Every one knows your a nut job.
Ten bucks says everyone knows you’re an asshole.
Anonymous and Postsimian: Please rerfrain from personal attacks on other commenters.
Postsimian: I’ve been doing this for six years now. I hacve received phone calls asking me to take down comments made by other people. I also have received emails and phone calls expressing disapointment I would say certain things. Mostly I explain my position. I could times, I have been convinced to take down certain comments of my own.
I don’t necessarily consider it “petty” when someone expresses a concern. Sometimes it is “petty” to me, but not to them.
I should have stayed home today to referee this and other threads. Site admins, feel free to moderate posts as you see fit during the day.
I agree, I shouldn’t have been so rude, sorry Billy and Diane. As for the “little” comments, it is easy to do when you hide behind a fake name like “Anonymous”. I can not and will not tell my source(s). Guess if there is a video we shall all play wait and see. You can choose to believe me or not. Whatever.
On topic, even if BVA’s events are exactly as see saw them, she had no business taking matters into her own hands the way she did. That is my opinion. If her voters in the 2nd like this type of behavior, then fine, they will re-elect her, if not, then they will show her the door.
And yes someone did call me at home and ask that I remove comments they felt hurt them off my blog. Yes I did do it.
I’d be interested to see what kinds of comments are requested for deletion.
I’ve been blogging and running forums or otherwise contributing to websites for ten years, since the days they were called “E/N” sites instead of blogs, and I’ve never gotten a request to remove someone’s comments with websites at least as popular as this one.
If someone said something they didn’t mean or wanted to take it back, too bad, shouldn’t have said it. If they were mad about something someone else said, boo hoo, cry about it. On the other hand, if someone was posting information like, for instance, their home phone number or address, or their email password, that would get deleted before a request was even made.
When I hear of people calling other people at home to demand a comment be taken down, I think it deserves ridicule and serves as a perfect reflection of the internet meme “The Internet is Serious Business.” My natural reaction is “this person thinks they’re calling the shots,” and frankly, I become indignant at that.
I realize you have advertisers and may take that into account when making your decisions. Maybe that’s where the difference lies, who knows.
I emailed Em to ask him to remove identifying information about me (name [first and last], place of residence, employment) that was posted by another “commenter” – not the comment itself, but the identifying info. That’s quite different than phoning someone and asking for less than flattering (but truthful) remarks to be deleted altogether.
Hmmm, since I live in the Arbor District (Cooper Street) I’ll make a comment.
For the past year (perhaps longer), I haven’t had to call the police once. That is quite an improvement; I think that the crackdowns on noise (that BVA has helped with) have made a difference for the better.
If nothing else, perhaps the landlords are attracting more responsible students?
On an unrelated note (re: comment 17)
“HA! Emtronics. That surprises me she would even care. Every one knows your a nut job.”
“your”?
Postsimian: I blog under my own name, so it’s understandable some people feel free to call me, if they have the number or can find it.
I have removed a comment when the person requesting WAS an advertiser. I have removed a comment when the person requesting was NOT an advertiser.
I have lost advertising because of unhappiness with comments and posts.
I do not do it often, but when I do make a change to a post or delete a comment, it is always a case of something slipping through that I find unfair or untrue about someone else. I tend to have thick skin.
And, please rememberthat sometimes folks have legitimate complaints. Sometimes, they do not have a legitimate reason to gripe and no change is forthcoming.
There wasa case in which a commenter made disparaging comments about a medical professional. In another case, a commenter said a lawyer did something that, if true, coduld have subjected him to questions about his ethics.
As I recall, in both cases the commenter was passing along something he/she heard and I thought it should be taken down.
Legally, this is a public forum and my exposure financially was limited.
“This is a talented, successful woman. She cannot blame her untimely public intoxication on oversight, or some lack of knowledge.”
Oh, please. I know plenty of talented, successful women who have on occasion — or on several occasions — been drunk in public. That doesn’t make someone an alcoholic. That’s a pretty huge accusation to throw around.
When you’ve got a hammer, all problems look like nails.
Fair enough, as long as there’s some discretion. Either way it’s your site and you can run it however you see fit as far as I’m concerned. I’ve just heard more than a few instances where demands from several people seemed less-than-reasonable.
Ah, Eyebrows, I thought we were going to keep that just between the two of us.
FYI: It wasn’t Rixblix that made the request I was talking about although I did remove some personal info from a post a commenter left on my blog. It was actually another blogger who was upset about some comments left about her/him. I felt bad so I removed them.
and if you’re going to call me a “nut job”, then it’s YOU’RE as in you are and not YOUR nut job as in personal nut job. Amazing people who never met me can call me things but thats OK as Billy has always told me, “thicken up!”
On topic: couldn’t help but notice a comment on another post here at PP from anon cop: “And the Peoria Police though Bradley Police handled the Van Auken ordeal adaquately. The officer that wrote the ticket to the fraternity was ordered to by the Shift Lt. He did not do so willingly.”
It seems this Lt was hell bent on satisfying BVA and shutting her up. Too bad he didn’t do his duty.
ollie: I have a friend who lives on Cooper Street also. He sings a different tune. He lives much closer to Main Street and twice while getting ready for work early in the morning he has caught someone sneaking around his garage. He calls the police and of course they never get there to catch him. He has also had some zoning issues with a property near him. An old lazy boy planted in the backyard. (turns out it covered an old cistern) Could never get any relief on that. Maybe it seems quiet now since the bright lights of the new parking deck light the neighborhood at night very well??? Our the fact that Maplewood is gone? He also has had other issues which have affected his quality of life and told me as soon as Bradley offers him anything close to his house’s value, he’s gone. So I guess it is a matter of prospective? Do you really think BVA helped with the crack down on noise? I have notice in my neighborhood, the same thing, less noise from booming cars. BVA is NOT my council person, maybe she has helped with that too?
It seems that many are criticizing people for not being there and not seeing the event themselves. I on the other hand did. I’m a Bradley student, I’m also member and resident of the fraternity directly across the street from Sigma Nu. On the night of the incident I was outside on our houses’ patio with friends when I saw what actually happened. From what I saw Sigma Nu was having a party of about 30 students (that I could see) it was pretty quiet and low key (I couldn’t even hear music, just the occasional conversation while someone was having a cigarette). One Bradley officer approached the house and knocked on the door, he got no response for roughly 5-10 minutes, 20 minutes later 2 Bradley patrols came to the Sigma Nu house and did get a response, they talked for a few minutes until the city council women showed up on the property with two Peoria squad cars, and the state Task Force aka TAP (TAP/Task Force is Illinois’ underage drinking police that visit college campus’ and issue drinking tickets while busting parties). For about 45 minutes the Bradley Police, City Police, and TAP tried to figure out the situation, holding all the party goers inside the fraternity, then finally released the party, not issuing any tickets. Once the party had disbanded the Moss-Bradley homeowners association president, president elect, and one director appeared with the city councilor. They talked with a representative of Sigma Nu for about 20 minutes, where it became apparent that the city councilor was drink. Sigma Nu did push for a ticket for public drunkenness where she claimed to only have 2 glasses of wine and an after diner drink. Following this the councilor got aggravated with the rep of Sigma Nu, and proceeded to yell and swear at him for 15 minutes. Once they all, the police, Sigma Nu’s, and others disbanded, the city councilor did have to be walked home by the President of the HOA because of her intoxicated state.
I have been told that there is a video of the entire event, but have not seen it.
It is true that there have been many tickets issued to Fredonia Ave. (Fraternity Row) but most are from the President of the home owners association. Most of the tickets have been about small futile thing like small amounts of trash on our lawns, or picnic tables being on our lawns. All have been reported to Bradley PD after the President of the HOA takes photos of the issues.
With this all said, I’m not a fan of Sigma Nu, nor the Moss – Bradley Homeowners Association. I’m just trying to tie up some loose ends. And to be perfectly honest I believe that the city councilors and HOA reps are trying to hard to beat down the Fraternities and Sororities on senseless accusations just because they can. They honestly need to focus on bigger issues like safety in these neighboring areas. (Just last year there were numerous muggings and one rape case that happened on or near Fredonia, that have not been solved!) As Fraternity representative, I feel that as a whole we, the Greek Community, give a lot more to the Peoria community than we take, and that this recent upsurge of political bashing is an easy way for city and local politicians to feel mighty.
And THIS is why I defended Emtronics. Thank you SFX97.
[...] weekend’s incident outside the Sigmu Nu frat house. There are a few incidents I didn’t have, including allegations of shoulder poking and finger [...]
SFX97, excellent. Too bad some people lump all these frats and sororities into one lump. The Greek community does add a lot to Peoria. We don’t need drunken council members and neighborhood reps practicing law and taking matters into their own hands.