As a senior at Notre Dame, one of my favorite traditions has been the partying at Lafayette. Students get together during the evening on weekends and party to their heart's content. The main problems that have been occurring are local teenagers walking through the complex and occasionally taking property. However, last Friday, some other problems began occurring at Lafayette.

First of all, students were ordered by a local South Bend police officer to either "party inside or in the backyard." This changes the party atmosphere completely. We couldn't see what the problem was about partying in the parking lot, but we respectfully relocated the partying to the backyard and the kegs to the kitchen.

Secondly, police officers began walking through the backyards and occasionally lecturing students. I personally witnessed a girl talking to a guy in the backyard near the fence of the unit I was visiting. A police officer yelled at her, "what you're doing makes me suspicious." She began walking away and the officer grabbed her arm in a hurtful fashion. He demanded her age. When she stated, "21" he screamed, "You're lying to me," and led her away. Police brutality at its best, no doubt.

I believe this to be related to the jealousy that locals have of Notre Dame and Saint Mary's students. There was no reason to do what they were doing Friday night, but they insisted on doing it anyhow — just as the police officers parked their car in a "no-parking" zone. Students would have been towed by the local towing company for the same thing. They do this because, "we are South Bend Police."

It sounds like they are starting to act like Notre Dame police. Where's justice when you really need it?

Matt Roberts

senior

off-campus

Sept. 7

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