Megabash crackdown

Cops ready resources, COVID limits tighten before Homecoming, Foco

London police vow to deploy “numerous resources” to control unsanctioned student parties for this weekend's Western University Homecoming and Fake Homecoming (Foco) events — including the costly step of bringing in officers from other communities.

Chief Steve Williams' pledge came in a statement Tuesday, just hours before public health officials announced two new orders aimed at quelling large parties by doubling fines for people who violate existing pandemic crowd limits.

“We're not against partying. We're not against drinking. We're not against dancing,” said Chris Mackie, Middlesex-london medical officer of health. “This is really about doing those things as safely as possible. We really encourage people to party small (and) avoid large gatherings of any kind.

“We know (the fines) are not going to solve all of the problems that exist, but for some people, we hope that that will help them to make a better decision.”

The orders introduced Tuesday — to take effect Thursday at noon — maintain Ontario's current social gathering limits of 25 people indoors and 100 people outdoors.

Customers at public establishments, including clubs and bars, will be required to mask up, except when eating, drinking or sitting in a designated area.

Fines will range from $750 for individuals to $5,000 for repeat offenders, and from $1,000 to $25,000 a day for businesses.

Police, bylaw and Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario officers, as well as public health inspectors, can enforce the orders and ticket rule-breakers.

Policing is an annual issue during Foco, pandemic or not. Officers from across the region have been tapped in recent years to deal with Foco street parties that grow so large there have been fears of serious injury or even death. The move costs taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars.

“London Police Service will have a highly visible presence this weekend,” Williams said. “As in previous years, we are concerned that some of the behaviour associated with large unsanctioned gatherings will jeopardize public safety as well as the safety of first responders.”

Additional units will be brought in to help London police manage crowds while leaving enough officers ready to respond to other emergencies, police said.

The public health orders, which don't directly apply to indoor or outdoor weddings, funerals, religious rites or ceremonies, are a direct response to unsafe behaviour from students, Mackie said.

“These parties are already occurring; we saw them two weeks ago, we saw them last weekend. We are seeing unfortunately relatively large gatherings,” said Mackie, who shared a video of a party at a local club with hundreds of maskless revellers in close proximity.

“We haven't seen anything yet that has reached the . . . 20,000 (people) level that some . . . past gatherings have, and we sincerely hope that we don't.”

Western's official Homecoming and the unsanctioned Foco follow a turbulent start to the university's school year, including the killing of a first-year student and allegations of sexual assaults on campus that prompted a 10,000-person protest. Much of the concern about behaviour during Orientation Week centred on Medway-sydenham Hall, a residence for 600-plus firstyear students.

Some accounts of what took place were detailed last week by The Free Press in conjunction with Western Gazette student journalists.

Western moved Homecoming to mid-october in 2016, hoping cooler weather would quell street parties. But the move backfired when students started their own Fake Homecoming (Foco) megabash on the traditional September weekend.

Western has returned Homecoming to late September this year, but Foco may be here to stay. There are early signs this weekend's crowd of out-of-town partiers from other universities could be huge. Tuesday's forecast was calling for rain Saturday.

How exactly police will handle the parties is not clear. Williams didn't specify how many officers will deploy or how many would will come from outside London.

It's not the first time city police have asked other forces to help manage the annual unsanctioned street parties that draw thousands, especially to Broughdale Avenue near Western's main gates.

In 2019, when Foco drew about 25,000, policing costs were pegged at more than $300,000. That year, paramedics took 31 people to hospital with minor injuries, while police issued more than 2,000 warnings and 62 tickets. Last year's event was subdued amid COVID-19.

The police chief reminded students that COVID remains a serious threat, especially as the area battles the Delta variant and higher case counts, saying, “The best way to stay safe is to avoid gatherings which exceed public health limits.”