Keene State College (KSC) is continuing to seek out perpetrators in the Pumpkin Festival riots from more than a month ago.
According to WMUR 9, 170 students have faced punishment for involvement in the riot, as the town and the school are making good on their vow. In a public forum Tuesday, officials in Keene, N.H. said ending the annual tradition to avoid another riot is not an option.
Keene residents raised their voices, some defending the festival and some recognizing that it has become known for public drunkenness and vandalism.
Bradford Hutchinson: "We can't shut down pumpkin fest because it's who we are, it's what we do."
Bob Lyle: "I had to spend four and a half hours on that particular evening standing on my front porch guarding my property from people who were intoxicated, drunk and having a good time. That's unacceptable."
Though so many KSC students have been reprimanded, there are far more that had no involvement, especially considering how many offenders came from elsewhere.
"Please don't pin this on just straight-up Keene State College students. There are more helping people, more wonderful people here than bad," Nick Tornatore, a student at KSC, reportedly said at the meeting.
Kendall Lane, Keene's mayor, said a discussion on how to prevent any future riots will need to take place well before the typical spring deadline for festival permits. Lane said the town should know whether or not there will be Pumpkin Festival in 2015 by the end of February.
KSC did not comment on the recent development, but will most likely be involved in the discussions on next fall's festival.
According to the Boston Globe, the Pumpkin Festival riots occurred Oct. 18 and 19 and took place on and around KSC's campus. 80 people were arrested initially and then 16 more following an investigation.
