Three party-goers were arrested early Sunday morning following the Modern Love dance party when a fight broke out between New Haven residents and members of Yale’s heavyweight crew team.
Modern Love, which had its first party of the year Saturday night, was held at the heavyweight crew house at 366 Elm St. The New Haven Police Department first shut down the party around 1 a.m. Sunday, ordering the music turned off and attendees out of the house. By the end of the night, three people had been arrested and at least one pepper-sprayed, but despite the disturbance, Modern Love organizers and the Crew Team captain said they considered the event a success.
Heavy weight crew captain Derek Johnson ’10 said the NHPD responded to a noise complaint because someone had opened a window on the first floor of the building and the loud music was blaring out into the street.
He said it was a “no-brainer” that the police came to shut down the party.
Despite police efforts, festivities resumed about 30 minutes later. As the party was concluding, five men entered the building who “had no business being there,” Johnson said.
He said these men then walked up into the second floor of the building where there was no dancing, at which point several members of the crew team confronted them. The men put up resistance after being asked to leave, he added.
Harry Simperingham ’13, a member of the heavyweight team, said he and a teammate were escorting two of the local men out from the party when “all hell broke loose.” He added that New Haven police were quick to arrive at the scene and that several of the New Haven residents were maced by the police.
Greg Rubin ’11, one of the organizers of Modern Love, said he watched the fight from the sidewalk. He said he saw “a mass of people coming out the front door throwing fists.”
Johnson said that he was not aware of any injuries resulting from this incident.
Rubin said when a police officer arrived on the scene he sprayed at least one student with pepper spray, and that this caused everyone to quickly back away.
Although he was not present at the fight, Johnson said he believed the “guys who started the fight got what they deserved.”
Sgt. Chris Rubino, shift commander who responded to the call, said the incident resulted in three arrests.
“It was just a regular fight,” he said. “[People being] too drunk and too stupid.”
Rubino added he was unsure whether any of the partiers arrested are affiliated with the University, and Johnson would not comment on the persons arrested.
As for the party itself, Rubin, the party organizer, said he thought the event went well, and that the venue of 366 Elm fit Modern Love’s needs well. He added that the dance room felt crowded at several points in the night, but people were able to funnel out into the backyard.
Rubin said that the heavyweight crew team offered to host Modern Love, and that the organizers “gladly accepted, because we haven’t had anyone willing to host us all year.”
Traditional venues for Modern Love had all fallen through this year, said Rubin in an October interview. 28 Lynwood put up a wall that limited dancing, clubs began carding more stringently, and the new residents of 378 Crown aren’t interested in having the party take over their basement, he added.
Johnson said he was surprised by how well the party went and that everyone he spoke with enjoyed the event. He added the house would be willing to host Modern Love again if the opportunity presented itself because of the large crowd that it drew.
“It was a particularly good modern love this year,” Paige Meneses ’13 said. “I really enjoyed it until the police came.”
Modern Love was started by David Rudnick ’09 and originally held at 73 Edgewood.