In many ways, this Halloween looks to be the last straw. Comments from city officials ranged from perturbed to infuriated and Mayor Dave Cieslewicz in particular had the harshest words, saying, “I have had enough. This must come to an end.” Although we are disturbed by the vagueness of his sentiment, we agree with it in principle. Because people cannot seem to act in a sane manner, the Madison police department is entirely justified in using draconian measures to deter future Halloween incidents. However, city officials should hesitate to make rash policy decisions when emotions are running high. The backlash might rival the behavior they are trying to stamp out.
Office of Strategic Communication