Rowdy Sports Fans Won’t Cause a Newport Storm

By: Jackie Sheridan
Posted In: Sports

NEWPORT, R.I.-Jim Sharkey can still hear the deafening chants and shouts, still feel the acrid and frenzied air, and still see the fleeting silhouettes of thousands of Bostonians as they flooded the city streets in a riotous mob.

Sharkey witnessed the uncontrollable insurrection of Red Sox fans after the Beantown team won the 2003 American League Division Series (ALDS).

Sharkey was in his freshman year at Northeastern University. He remembers the tension and anxiety he felt as a part of the surging throng. “Everyone had so much energy and didn’t know what to do, so we all just ran to Fenway Park…there were people rocking cars and climbing up billboards. I left right before the police broke it up with tear gas.”

With the World Series just around the corner, and Superbowl XL a mere three months away, the possibility of future uprisings in Newport and at Salve Regina University is cause for concern.

According to the Providence Journal, the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth suffered about $100,000 in damages and police services with the mob scene that followed the A.L. Championship Series (ALCS) between the Red Sox and the Yankees last October. The rioting also led to 54 arrests on campus.

However, locals like Joe Monge, a doorman at O’Brien’s Pub in downtown Newport, are not alarmed. Adorned with Red Sox paraphernalia and equipped with six large-screen televisions, the pub is considered a safe haven for sports fans. “It can get a little rowdy and hectic, but we’ve never actually had a problem come to blows,” Monge said.

Having worked every Saturday and Sunday night from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. at O’Brien’s Pub for just over a year, Monge is familiar with most happenings within proximity of the pub’s threshold. “It’s our job to take notice of these things, not only the doormen, but the bartenders and anybody else that works there. We want to try and stop a problem before it escalates.”

As far as Monge knows, very few incidents have occurred in the wake of major sports events. “There has been no physical violence or anything of that nature, just kind of ‘chatting it’ back and forth,” Monge said.

“I worked during the 2004 ALCS-the Yankees versus the Red Sox-I worked for a couple of those games. When the Red Sox were doing well it’d be very high energy and happy.” In general, the atmosphere at O’Brien’s is welcoming to all fans, Red Sox and Yankees alike. Monge highlights, “It’s a good place to be with friends, watch the game, and enjoy.”

The Providence Journal reports that officials at UMass-Dartmouth are urging students to behave. Several on-campus activities have been planned to help control any celebrations.

John Mixter, formerly of the Newport Police, and now Director of Salve Regina University Security, is almost certain that things will stay quiet on Ochre Point Ave. “We don’t have issues like that on campus. I think this would be something that we would know about in advance,” Mixter explained. According to Mixter and the university crime statistics, most judicial referrals on campus are for the presence of alcohol in the residence halls. There has been only one reported incidence of assault in the past year.

If a problem ever did arise, however, Mixter is prepared. He explained as he lifted a two-inch-thick booklet from his desk. “We have something, an emergency response plan, where I’ve actually addressed [situations] from every aspect.” The plan outlines emergency procedures for issues like demonstrations, whether they are peaceful or violent. “Every circumstance is a little unique as to what we would do,” Mixter said.

Ultimately, the director shows unwavering confidence in the university.

“In my position, you’re always worried about what could or what might happen. What could these city streets bring in? What comes? I don’t know. But I have a lot of faith in the students, and frankly, they’ve never let me down.”